Rathna, aged 19, a bachelor of Science & mathematics student had been wearing dentures since she was 10 yr old. She was embarrassed to talk to her friends or classmates as she was afraid her dentures will pop-out while speaking. Moreover, she weighs only 28 kg as her dentures could not help her to chew or eat well. Rathna suffers from a rare disease called Papillon Lefevre Syndrome, which leads to progressive bone loss around the teeth, and eventually, teeth loss. Rathna was diagnosed with PLS at the age of five. When she was 10 years old, her permanent teeth had grown, but by the time she was 15, she had lost all of them. Her family has been going to several places to get her teeth fixed, not just for aesthetic reasons but also for her poor health. Most of the dentists found her case challenging as she had severe bone loss in her jaws for regular implant treatment.

Now, thanks to a three-hour advanced surgery with Zygoma dental implants at Rajan Dental Institute, she has got implants placed in her cheek bone to anchor the teeth.

According to R. Gunaseelan, Oral and Maxillo Facial surgeon, and Managing Director, Rajan Dental Institute, this is a rare syndrome that affects one person in a million. For Rathna, the team had to anchor her teeth to her cheekbone (zygoma), since she did not have enough bone in her jaw for a regular implant.

These zygoma implants had to be procured from Sweden, making the entire procedure very expensive. Her father senior section engineer in Southern Railways could only arrange 3 lakh. Rajan Dental Hospital has agreed to waive their doctors’ fee of `1 lakh, and fund raising campaign was started to raise remaining funds for her treatment.

“Insurance companies and even government insurance should consider implant therapy, especially in cases where young children lose all their teeth. The social and psychological trauma these children undergo is immense,” Dr. Gunaseelan said.