CHENNAI: We always associate ‘no teeth’ with the elderly. But can you imagine a 19-year-old girl in college without teeth? Ratna has a severe birth deformity where her teeth, palm and legs are affected by Papillon Lefvre Syndrome, an extremely rare genetic disorder.
She is embarrassed to talk to people as she has to close her mouth when she talks. She has difficulty eating food. Her family has been going to several places to get her teeth fixed, not just for aesthetic reasons. She is 19, but weighs only 28 kg, one of the reasons being her dental condition does not allow her to consume nutritious food.
At Rajan Dental Hospital, Chennai, they perform Zygoma Dental Treatment to fix teeth in 72 hours. The Zygomatic implants used in this treatment are from a company named Nobel Biocare, Sweden, who are the world leaders in dental implants. Since the implants and the artificial teeth are all imported, the cost of the treatment is around `9 lakh. But her father, a senior section engineer in Southern Railways, could only arrange `3 lakh.
Rajan Dental Hospital has agreed to waive their doctors’ fee of `1 lakh, which still leaves Ratna in need of `5 lakh. Her parents have started a fund-raising campaign to treat her for the condition.
The Senior Citizens Group of Besant Nagar has also stepped in to appeal for financial help. Cheques/Drafts drawn in favour of R Sundaresan may be sent by post/courier to Dr Rajan Dental Institute, #56, RK Salai, Mylapore. Contact Dr Gunaseelan Rajan at 40105050.