Josie Bamford’s Win a Smile Makeover

The award-winning dental implants practice Brighton Implant Clinic restores the smile of Josie Bamford, a recent winner of the practice’s “Win a Smile Makeover” contest, and a fatal car crash and coma survivor.

Josie Bamford Brighton Implant Clinic

Josie Bamford Brighton Implant Clinic

Since 2009, Brighton Implant Clinic has provided high-quality, low-cost dental implants to hundreds of patients. The centre’s principal dentist, Dr. Bruno Silva, has also sponsored a periodic contest on Facebook to give patients with extraordinary circumstances a free dental implants treatment. One recent winner of Dr. Silva’s “Win a Smile Makeover” contest, Josie Bamford was a survivor of a fatal car crash and coma. She and her family, boyfriend, and friends were on holiday in Jamaica on 31 July 2011. A few hours after their arrival, they began travelling in a cramped minibus toward Montego Bay, their holiday destination. It was when they were in Trelawny Parish that they collided with a pick-up truck coming from the opposite direction. The accident took place in the early hours of the morning, and the results were tragic beyond words.

Josie’s mum Kathleen Rawlinson, father Gary Bamford, and step-sister Caisie Muller all died in the crash. The family’s friend, Talei Jones, also was killed in the wreckage. Josie, her brother Owen, and her boyfriend Luke Evans were the party’s only survivors. Owen and Luke suffered minor injuries but experienced pronounced emotional distress and recourse to the accident, while Josie was left in a coma, and with broken and missing teeth, broken legs, and a few head injuries.

Josie was rushed to a Jamaican hospital and placed into intensive care until August 12, around when she regained consciousness. She then underwent a successful surgery for pinning her legs; however, the shock from learning of her family and friend’s fates, combined with the physical and emotional stresses of the accident, left her with a shattered spirit. Friends and family were able to return her to her home in Windermere, Cumbria, UK, but they reported she was eating, sleeping, saying, and interacting with others very little. Until she was nominated for Brighton Implant Clinic’s “Win a Smile Makeover” contest.

Josie was nominated by family and friends on account of the toll the accident had had on her, along with her resulting missing and damaged teeth. With the testimonies to her kind personality and love of life, Josie and her remarkable story attracted the attention of hundreds of well wishers on Brighton Implant Clinic’s Facebook page. She overwhelmingly won the contest on account of her strong online support, her story, and her great need for dental implants.

“When I found out by getting a phone call from the actual clinic here, I was over the moon. So I guess I’m really happy about all the support I got from everyone actually voting for me and liking me,” said Josie. “It’s the best thing that’s every happened to me!”

Josie’s dental implants treatment consisted of a two-part procedure. The treatment required placement first of dental implants and temporary, same-day teeth before permanent teeth. These provisional teeth allowed Josie the benefit of functional teeth, and she was able to see what her ‘final’ teeth would like. Once four months of oral recovery from the operation had passed, Brighton Implant Clinic’s dental surgeons then prepared and placed the final crowns and bridges as permanent fixtures. All permanent teeth were customised to meet Josie’s natural teeth dimensions and size. Josie was then able to leave the clinic with a brilliant, glowing smile. Since then, her new, beautiful smile has had a notable impact on her quality of life and self-confidence.

“The treatment has made a big difference to my life. Physically because I have another set of teeth — it’s great! — and I can eat anything that I’d like to eat and not have to worry,” Josie continued. “Psychologically, it’s made a really, really big difference, and I feel happy again because I don’t have to worry about smiling… I’d like to thank the implant clinic here because, well, look now! And I just think it’s great and I’m so thankful to everyone.”

Brighton Implant Clinic has three clinic locations located in Hove, Hailsham, and Brighton, and is a two-time award winner of the Private Dentistry Awards. The practice’s staff has collective experience of decades of implant placement and treatment services. It is internationally reputed for its world-class patient care and top-quality dental implant and treatment services, with patients venturing from all over the UK and as far as Australia and the United States for treatment.

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