Pune youth who lost a tooth in bike accident, gets it back from the spot

Ramesh shows the tooth on the upper jaw that was replanted by the doctors

A 20-year-old engineering student, who had lost a tooth following a bike accident, has been gifted back his smile by his friends. The latter picked up the displaced tooth from the accident spot assuming that it would serve as evidence while filing a case with cops, but doctors at Sassoon General Hospital managed to replant that tooth in the accident victim's mouth. The entire medical procedure, spanning over three we­eks, was done free of cost by the government hospital.

Ramesh (name changed on request) was heading to college on a bike on December 29 with one of his friends, Vijay (name changed) as pillion. The duo met with an accident when a four-wheeler on the road suddenly applied brakes and Ramesh's bike crashed into it. Besides sustaining minor injuries, one of his front teeth got dislodged and fell on the road. Vijay said, "I saw his dislodged tooth at the accident spot. It was when some I rushed Ramesh to the hospital and narrated the incident to the dentist that he asked to see the avulsed or displaced tooth. He said it tooth could be replanted. My friends and IâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088immediately rushed to the accident spot, picked it up, wrapped it in a piece of paper and brought it to the doctors."

Speaking to mid-day, Dr Ajay Chandanwale, dean of Sassoon General Hospital, Pune, said, "We clea­n­ed the soiled tooth and immer­sed it in saline. Under local anaesthesia, the avulsed tooth was replaced in Ramesh's mouth and it was splinted in position with an arch bar. We removed the splint after three weeks."

Vijay said, "We found out that the tooth replacement procedure requires Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. But, the hospital did not charge us a penny. Ramesh is still on liquid diet following the dental surgery and treatment, but he can't stop smiling now."

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