Rana Bahadur Singh of Naura in Jayaprithvi Municipality-6, Bajhang, is in his eighties. A tall sprightly man, he often takes a two-hour walk to Chainpur, the district headquarters of Bajhang, and rarely looks his age except for when he smiles. His toothless gums have been haunting Singh ever since he started losing his teeth in his sixties.

But his worries came to an end last week when he visited a health camp organised by the federal health ministry in coordination with the Bajhang District Hospital. On the premises of the district hospital where the camp was organised, as many as 150 people who had lost their teeth received a new set of dentures.

Those who received the dentures were ecstatic as it guaranteed they could now enjoy all the food items denied to them for a lack of teeth.

Singh, who is fond of eating meat and chapatis, had for more than 20 years been unable to relish his favourite dishes.

“I have always enjoyed eating meat but being toothless meant I could not enjoy meat as much as I liked,” said Singh. “Being unable to eat properly also made me think my days were numbered. I felt old since I couldn’t enjoy the food I liked. But now I have regained my vigour for life. I feel that if I get to enjoy my food, I will live a long and healthy life.”

Seventy-one-year-old Gauri Rokaya of Kimruk in Khaptad Chhanna Rural Municipality-1 says she missed laughing out loud after she lost all her teeth when she was nearing her sixties. She received a new set of dentures at the health camp and says she has again started to enjoy her laughs.

“I hadn’t been able to laugh heartily for more than 15 years. My family and even my friends and neighbours called me a ‘toothless old woman’. It hurt me and made me laugh less,” said Rokaya.

“Because I didn’t have any teeth, forming proper words was difficult. People would make fun of me if they heard me speak so I stopped speaking unless absolutely necessary. I had turned into a recluse but now I don’t have to worry. I have a new set of teeth and I can laugh and talk as much as I want.”

Those who received a new set of teeth at the health camp say they get to live life with renewed self-confidence. Several of the recipients had never tried getting dentures or dental implants before since the rural areas did not have health institutions that could provide such a service free of cost.

“I did not have the money to go to Dhangadhi or Kathmandu for dental implants or to get dentures,” said Juna Kami, aged 63, of Jayaprithvi-4. “I could not chew chapatis and did not enjoy eating food because I didn’t have teeth. But now I feel comfortable with my new teeth and can’t wait to enjoy meat bones.”

According to health workers, dental work costs around Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 in Kathmandu. And if the rural folks are to make the journey to cities to get their dental work done, they will have to shell up to Rs 200,000, including transportation and accommodation costs.

“The dental health camp was organised for senior citizens of rural areas who cannot afford costly dental procedures,” said Prakash Budhathoki, secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health and Population. “Seeing the smiles return on elderly people’s faces encourages us to organise such health camps in the remote parts of the country.”

According to the Bajhang District Hospital, a team of 22 doctors and six technicians from several hospitals and institutions in Kathmandu were involved in the dental health camp. Dr Sandip Okheda, chief at the Bajhang District Hospital, said 150 people with complete loss of teeth, 77 people with partial loss and 425 others with various dental ailments benefited from the six-day health camp that concluded on Thursday.

Singh from Naura village feels like he has got a new lease on life after receiving the new set of dentures. “I got a second life with a set of new teeth. The pain of not having teeth is inexpressible in words but gaining a new set means I can go back to living like I was 60 again,” said Singh. “I feel like I will live to be a 100.”