Newsroom

Claire Nathan can now tell all her friends she has a smile that's actually, "out of this world". That's because her dentist, Coventry-based Doctor Jag Shergill, sent her implant bridge on an epic journey to the edge of space. Claire's new smile travelled 40km from the earth's surface, while also experiencing temperatures of - 60C and zero atmospheric pressure. And, like no implant bridge before it, UK Air Traffic Control even had to clear it for take-off! Claire had suffered life-long dental anguish. So Doctor Shergill, owner of Shergill Dental Implants, planned a special surprise for her. He arranged for Sent Into Space to take her new smile literally closer to the stars. A team of specialist space engineers attached the implant bridge that now holds Claire’s new fixed permanent teeth in place to a transportation module. This was done using a custom-made mounting system. Once fitted with advanced satellite and live telemetry tracking systems, the entire module was propelled through the earth’s atmosphere. Then, at its highest point, Claire’s smile was captured on high-definition film against the backdrop of space. Now Claire can rightfully claim to be the owner of a ‘stellar’ smile that has been touched by pure sunlight. Doctor Jag Shergill explains, “A simple smile is something we all take for granted. It’s uplifting and life-affirming. Like nothing else, a smile from the heart connects us with our friends and family. I wanted to show Claire that her smile could literally radiate sunlight. What better way to do that then send her smile into space and give Claire the confidence to shine like a star. Now Claire has a wonderful new smile and an amazing story to tell. I couldn’t be more pleased for her.” Claire, 47 from Devon had given up hope of a confident smile until she met with Doctor Shergill. She never laughed in photos—always choosing to cover her mouth. As a hairdresser surrounded by mirrors, she learned coping mechanisms to avoid seeing her awkward smile. For all these reasons, although Claire was a bubbly, life-loving person, her happiness didn’t always shine through as she hated her denture. Doctor Shergill was able to offer Claire an affordable alternative to single tooth implants. He recommended a procedure called All-on-4® developed by Portugal’s world-famous Paulo Malo, which uses a single fixed implant bridge placed on four dental implants. With this technique, patients don’t need bone grafts. This translates into a reduced number of visits to the dentist, minimal discomfort, fewer procedures and new fixed permanent teeth in less than a day.