Man refuses to smile for 50 years then splashes out £6k to sort 'toenail teeth'
A man who didn't smile for photos over 50 years due to teeth that looked like "curved yellowed toenails" says he has his "life back" after spending £6,000 to fix them.
Robert Moore, from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, had problems with his teeth since he was 12 and spent the next 50 years half smiling or keeping a straight face when photographed.
The 64-year-old's teeth in his own words were a 'mangled mess' due to poor dental hygiene, a fear of dentists, and smoking.
The dad-of-two admitted he lost more teeth than he managed to hold onto and was so embarrassed he would 'scurry' down supermarket aisles to avoid seeing people he knew. Robert thought nothing could be done to help, but a chance encounter with a dental lab boss at the gym gave him hope.
While in the sauna, Robert discovered new pal Peter Higgins was a dental technician and shared his teeth woes. After spending half an hour peering into his mouth, Peter said Robert's teeth weren't a lost cause and they could arrange a smile makeover. Robert splashed out £6,000 on a mixture of bespoke bridges and crowns and is now the proud owner of a sparkling new smile. He was so pleased with his new teeth, he cried when he first looked in the mirror.
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Robert would keep his mouth closed for photos (Kennedy News and Media)
Robert's new teeth (Kennedy News and Media)Now the grandad is urging anyone who fears their teeth are beyond help to speak to a specialist as the results can be 'life-changing'. Robert told the Manchester Evening News: "My teeth have always been horrendous, from the age of 12 or 13. My front teeth were always crossed. I had very poor fillings at the top of my teeth - they were a different colour to the rest of my teeth.
"Then I lost most of my teeth at the side and I lost my front teeth, they were just a mangled mess. I was scared to go to the dentist for years, because back then it was proper painful, I didn't look after my teeth properly. My teeth were literally falling out of my head. I was so embarrassed I wouldn't smile and if I did I always held my hand in front of my mouth.
"I was very conscious of it. I'd scurry down another aisle when I was out with half my teeth missing, I couldn't face people if I bumped into them. It affected my confidence so badly. They got worse and worse then I snapped one of my front teeth and that was the final straw. Looking at pictures from the dentist you could mistake them for curved, yellowed toenails, I can't over emphasise how bad they were."
Fearing there was no hope, it was a case of 'meeting the right person at the right time' that led the welder fabricator to getting the smile of his dreams. Robert added: "I didn't want dentures. I know that they're uncomfortable to wear and half the time they'd be out.
"It was mostly meeting the right person at the right time, I wouldn't have known where to go otherwise. We got chatting when I found out what he does. He spent half an hour in the sauna gazing into my mouth and working out what he could do. I thought they were at the point of them going too far with them to be honest.
"If I saw myself in the mirror I thought I was looking at someone else, I didn't know what I was looking back at. Peter suggested I go to one of his clients. I was ecstatic when he said there was something they could do but I wasn't convinced. Peter made the teeth and they fitted them."
Robert had work done on his teeth for four months and by September 2022, he was the proud owner of a new set of pearly whites. He said: "My regular dentist said they couldn't do anything and that put me off for years. I thought it was game over before it started because other dentists said they couldn't do anything. I've had a mixture of bridges and crowns. It wasn't painful, it was amazing.
"I went for the most natural you can get without it looking daft. I was conscious of how much it would cost, but that became an issue not worth bothering about. I paid £6,000, by all accounts a very good price. If you go to Turkey for Turkey teeth and if you have a problem, you're in trouble.
"Having it done locally meant any issues would be sorted, they were immaculate about it. When they handed over the mirror and I looked at my teeth for the first time I cried. My confidence improved massively, I was going round smiling, seeing people and taking selfies, it was incredible. When I went back to work there was a young lad working in the yard.
"I walked up to him and he couldn't believe it. My mother's hounded me for years at getting my teeth out, she always thought I should have dentures. She was quite sceptical [at first] but everybody's astounded. Both my son and daughter were blown away. I feel more confident when a camera comes out, I love to smile for the camera now."
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Robert urged anyone in a similar situation to seek help. He said: "I certainly recommend to everybody to go and see somebody, I speak to loads of people about their teeth. A lot of people want work done but fear the custom but the cost is insignificant to getting your teeth sorted and life back. It's phenomenal."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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