Dentist, Dr. Simon Wright, with assistant Nicky Patrick, begin work on my dental implant operation.

It's a sterile environment so I'm wearing a silly hat too. But that's the least of my concerns at this stage of the evening.

Dentist, Dr. David Speechly, shows off the 14mm implant that will be implanted into my jaw.

Locked in a glass case until the very last moment to ensure it is absolutely sterile, this ugly little thing is about to become as much a part of me as any other tooth in my mouth!

Simon prepares the area by pulling back the upper gum and drilling a hole in which the implant will be placed. I was conscious for the entire operation which was mercifully painless.

It looks like something from a hardware store, and shortly after this point Simon was hammering it as if it were, indeed, from a hardware store!

And there it is, buried into my jaw where it will live forever. In a few days the crown (fake tooth) will be attached and I'll smile a lot more. Not because I am happier you understand, but because this little bastard cost me so much money I'm damn well going to make it worthwhile!

A bone graft is needed to help the implant set properly. This is a mixture of my blood, bone removed from the base of my nose, and best of all, bone fragments from cows which I hope weren't mad.

A couple of hours or so later and here's proof that I am now partially bionic! And below is the final article. Magic huh!