Dr Nik Vourakis, a leading implant surgeon at One-to-One Dental Clinic, has seen a 20% increase in patients over 50 with next to no teeth.
52-year-old Carol Mccomiskie from Fife, Scotland was forced to spend £40,000 on full mouth restoration works after 70% of her teeth had crumbled or broken.
Carol revealed: “I never went out to eat because of the fear of my teeth crumbling, and I was too embarrassed to even smile in public.
“The first thing I did every morning when I woke up was run my tongue over my teeth to see if anything had happened during the night.
“I have had problems with my teeth for as long as I can remember but it was a dislodged crown that forced me to finally seek help.
“I hadn’t been treated in a long time due to the pandemic and I was caring for my mum with Alzheimer’s for years, as well as my son, meaning that I wasn’t dedicating enough time to my own needs.
“Crowns were not staying in and my teeth at the bottom and towards the back were broken. I didn’t really consider that a lot worse was happening under the gums.
“I was really nervous and anxious about anyone looking in my mouth, which is definitely one of the main reasons I had neglected by dental health.
“I’d also had a series of bad experiences with dentists over the years, but it was the embarrassment of anyone seeing my teeth which really held me back.
“I was so ashamed. I look after my physical health and mental health so well, but this was just one aspect that I just hadn’t looked after at all.
“It was one problem that I did not know how to fix. There was so much work needing to be done that I didn’t know where to start, or where to go.”
The average number of fillings for adults in their middle years is 6-10, which is partly linked to a lack of dental education in the past.
Since she was a teenager, Carol suffered from crumbling teeth and dislodging crowns.
The civil servant continued: “I come from a working class family that did not teach me how to maintain oral hygiene nor how bad fizzy drinks and sugar were for my teeth.
“I had already had crowns put in before I went to University and during this time, I didn’t have a dentist to go since I was not living at home.
“When I returned, I tried a series of dental surgeries, but I would only really go if I was in pain. I definitely did not have regular check-ups.
“Instead of examining my whole mouth, the dentists would focus on the small issue – patching up a filling, sorting out a crown, or I had a couple of extractions.
“Over time I got more and more scared and embarrassed and then it just reached a point where I completely stopped going even though I was in such discomfort.
“This affected my life in so many ways. I never smiled with my mouth open, and I was terrified of eating out in case I ate something too hard, and a crown would dislodge.
“I made sure that my son prioritised his oral hygiene and gave him a different experience to what I had in my childhood. But while I was prioritising him, I was continuing to neglect my own needs.
“My sister-in-law inspired me to finally do something about my teeth. She was even more anxious than me but when I saw her transformation, and how much it improved her confidence, I knew that I needed to do the same.
“It wasn’t just cosmetic reasons, although I was so ashamed of what my teeth looked like, I just wanted my mouth to feel comfortable, to enjoy eating again and to be able to smile.
“Dr Nik has been absolutely incredible and helped me achieve a natural-looking smile.
“All of my top teeth were extracted, and I got implants with a full bridge. I needed a full set of new teeth as there was nothing to save here.
“I am still in the process with my bottom teeth, but I am receiving 6 new teeth, veneers and some implant work.”
Dr Nik is part of the team at One-To-One Dental Clinic, one of the UK’s leading failing implants clinic on London’s Harley Street.
Carol added: “It has already been such a lifechanging experience for me, and my mouth is only partially done. My top teeth have been complete since the start of 2024, and I have noticed such a difference in myself.
“I cannot thank Dr Nik enough. It is so amazing to not be so scared of a crown becoming dislodged or a filling crumbling when I eat.
“I am a lot more confident now. I ran Edinburgh Marathon this year and being able smile at everyone just felt amazing.
“It is worth every penny! I believe I have a lot of life left to live and being able to exercise, smile and eat without fear means everything.
“My husband has also noticed a difference in my confidence and is really encouraging of the whole process.
“All of the team at One-to-One Dental have made my experience wonderful. I was able to build relationships with them over the years which made me feel a lot more comfortable.
“I have never met anybody that can be so professional and so kind at the same time, but Dr Nik was so attentive from my first surgery. I was there for 9 hours, and he stayed until I was picked up, reassuring me throughout the whole process.
“He knows that I need to know what will happen during the operation and he shows me how everything has gone afterwards so that I don’t worry. He always follows up and checks in me – he truly cares about who he treats.
“I recommend Dr Nik to everyone, he is life-changingly amazing. He is so skilled and really humble with it. I am absolutely delighted with my experience.”
One-To-One Dental Clinic is a unique Harley Street practice Dr Fazeela Khan-Osborne opened almost 30 years ago and provides treatments from a team of highly respected clinicians.
The experienced team covers every aspect of dentistry, from routine care and prevention to smile transformation and full mouth rehabilitation.
The clinic maintains the mantra, ‘We don’t treat teeth, we treat people’ and its hallmark is a compassionate, caring and sympathetic approach that leads to transformative therapies with prolonged dental health and renewed personal confidence.
