A YORK woman has told how her life was transformed after teeth implants allowed her to smile again.

Pamela Penney, 74, from Holgate, underwent extensive dental work to replace all of the teeth in her top jaw with implants after gradually losing most of her upper teeth as she got older.

An NHS patient at the same dental surgery in Blossom Street since she was a child, Pamela decided to pay £14,000 to have the implants after years of problems with her teeth. She has spoken about her experience after Blossom Dental Care & Implant Studio was named the best practice in the UK at a national award ceremony.

Pamela said: "I had a dental plate but I couldn't keep it in. When I wanted to eat I had to take it out. I found it quite distressing.

"I went to a check up and I said I can't do this any longer, what are the options?"

Following discussions with her dentist Dr James Harrison, Pamela decided to go ahead with dental implants, and underwent a process which saw remaining upper teeth extracted and four dental implant screws put into her jaw.

The process took six hours. Pamela was sedated but, as she was under local anaesthetic, was conscious for the entire procedure. Despite this she said she couldn't feel anything due to the anaesthetic and only suffered minimal pain afterwards, she said.

Pamela was given temporary teeth for a number of months until her permanent artificial teeth could be fitted.

The retired railway secretary says it has transformed her life.

She said: "Before I didn't feel myself, I wasn't going around smiling. Since I got my teeth done one of my friends said to me 'I know it was expensive but it's taken ten years off you'.

"I go around smiling. I have got my 'joie de vivre' back. Before I used to put my hand over my mouth so I certainly feel a lot better. I've got my confidence back.

"This last year I have had four holidays, I went on my own and I went with confidence. Before I wouldn't have dreamed of doing that."

Blossom Dental Care & Implant Studio was named best team in the north east, best practice in the UK and nurse Bevlee Langan was named best dental nurse in the UK at the 2018 Dentistry Awards.

Blossom Dental Care & Implant Studio took over running the Blossom Street practice six years ago.

Dr Harrison, the owner of the practice, said: "There has been a dental practice at 25 Blossom Street for over 60 years. When I took over in 2012, the aim was to build on the ethos of strong family dentistry and to create a full service dental practice where patients could visit for their essential family dental care all the way through to comprehensive cosmetic and implant work. In that time we have grown from a team of 11 to 21. Good team morale is fundamental to the success of the practice, and I attribute much of the practice’s continued development to the fantastic team ethos.

"We have worked tirelessly to improve and modernize the practice, and to offer all patients the highest level of care and service. However the award now for Best Practice in the UK really acknowledges not just what we achieved in the past year, but what we have achieved in the last six years."