A bite of success

as posted on thestaronline

By ANNE HASLAM

A dental prosthetist finds pleasure in putting smiles on people’s faces.

DENTAL prosthetist V. Rama Rao has a lot to smile about. Twelve years ago, as a struggling dental technician in Manjung, Perak, he endured taunts for making “false teeth” and teased with the nickname “Doktor Gigi”; today he is a soughtafter dental professional at one of the largest dental facilities in Western Australia.

Rama’s fortunes took a turn when the dentist he was working for migrated to Perth and persuaded him to follow suit. Not knowing what the future held for him, the young Rama put in his application to migrate. It was a whirlwind process and before he knew it, he was on the plane to Western Australia.

Little did he realise at the time the huge business potential for cosmetic dentistry in Australia, and the demand for the expertise of dental technicians.

Today, Rama, who is known as a dental prosthetist, heads a team of 18 dental technicians at Emergency Denture Repairs, which is prominently listed on the cover of the Australian yellow pages.

As the branch manager at Maddington, one of five surgeries in Perth, Rama supervises work using the latest high-technology dental prosthetics. It is a multi-million dollar business as implants and cosmetic dentures can cost anything from A$5,000 (RM15,600) to A$25,000 (RM77,800) apiece.

Describing himself as a kampung boy with humble beginnings who attended a Tamil primary school, SRJK (T)/Telegu in Kampung Kayan, Sitiawan, he is sometimes bewildered by the success he has attained in Australia.

“I can’t believe that the path opened so easily for me to make good in such a short time. I was just fulfilling a need as people here are becoming more aware of dental cosmetic surgery.

“It makes a lot of difference to have a good set of teeth and being able to smile confidently,” he said, adding that clients come from all over the world and across Australia as prices are comparatively cheaper in Perth.

When it comes to teeth, Rama has quite a few stories to tell.

He recalled how frantic one lady was when she chipped her front tooth a day before she was supposed to meet a prospective suitor and his parents.

“She pleaded with me to get her implant done immediately and I had to comply as it was an important meeting for her,” he said.

Then there are the amusing, but unfortunate, tales of the elderly forgetting where they had placed their dentures or accidentally flushing them down the toilet. But Rama takes his work seriously and constantly upgrades his skills. He has taken courses in implantology and other prosthetics subjects, even emerging as one of the top students.

“There is a lot of precision and skill involved in implants, down to the perfect colour match. Technologies are also fast changing with better techniques such as screw-on implants being introduced, so one has to keep up with the advances,” he said.

Because of his skill and professionalism, Rama is much sought after by clients, including dentists.

His work is quite laborious, from taking measurements and impressions to the wax stage and cosmetic fitting, but Rama is passionate about his work. He often takes his work home to the lab he has set up to meet the numerous demands.

Rama, who aspired to be a dentist but could not afford it, said a dental technician course could be a stepping stone into the profession.

After school, Rama did a short apprenticeship at the Sitiawan Dental Surgery, following which he enrolled at the Dental College of the Faculty of Dentistry at Universiti Malaya in 1981 for a year.

For the next three years he continued his studies at the Dental School in Penang and did a short stint at the Lumut General Hospital where he gained valuable experience in fixing mouth splints on accident victims who had suffered broken or dislocated jaws. He later worked full-time at the Sitiawan Dental Surgery before moving to Australia.

Because he enjoys his work, Rama finds it stress-free and on the weekends this amiable man spends time with his 13-year-old daughter or entertains friends around the swimming pool of his comfortable bungalow in Langford, south of Perth.

Rama has toyed with the idea of fulfilling his childhood ambition of becoming a dentist, but for now, he is satisfied with the lucrative income and good life he is enjoying. The “Doktor Gigi” now has the last laugh.

as posted on thestaronline