More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Warning - graphic images below
A dad who had nine of his teeth knocked out in an “unprovoked attack” outside a pub needs to raise £11,000 for dental treatment.
Tom Riva was hit with what is thought to have been a catapult outside The Chequers pub in Farningham High Street on the evening of Friday, February 21.
He told KentOnline at the time: “At about 10pm, my twin brother and I went outside the front of the pub for a cigarette.
“A car came up the High Street, stopped at a pub across the road and it had its headlights pointed at me which made me turn around.
“I heard a bang which initially I thought was a gunshot but I think it was the elastic of the catapult and it hit me straight in the mouth.
“It shattered nine of my teeth and completely smashed up my lip which has left me with a severe lisp.”
The 29-year-old says the incident was “completely random and unprovoked” and fears it could have been fatal if he had been hit elsewhere.
Warning - graphic image below
Tom went to an emergency dentist the day after the attack where he had several of his teeth removed.
He explained: “My top five teeth completely went on impact and the bottom four had basically split in half so they had to be removed.”
The dad-of-one has since had X-rays on his mouth and has been referred to an implantologist who estimates his dental bills will end up being around £11,000.
Tom said: “There are a few routes I could go down. The cheapest option would be a denture but I’m only 29, and I don’t want to spend potentially the next 50 years of my life with a denture.
“I saw the implantologist on Saturday (March 1) and he seemed quite shocked and said it was one of the most severe cases he had ever seen.
“My gums need to heal for at least another week and then I’m going to go to his practice in Surrey so he can do a 3D scan to see the full extent of the damage.
“He needs to remove my teeth and the existing roots in my gums and will then fill my gum line with a synthetic foam which then takes around 10 weeks to heal.
“By the time all is said and done, I’d be lucky to have new teeth in six months.”
The dentist is hoping Tom’s teeth can be fixed with four implants at a cost of £2,500 per tooth.
He will then need further work on the rest of his teeth which will cost another £1,000.
His fiancée Chloe Dalton has set up a fundraiser for his dental bills and donations can be made here.
It had already reached more than £6,000 within two days of being set up.
Chloe said the family had been left traumatised by the ordeal, adding: “He has been having nightmares and is having trouble sleeping properly.
“You can tell he’s trying to put a brave face on for our little boy but it’s just not a great situation.
“We don’t know who this person is, so Tom is feeling very vulnerable and frightened because we haven’t had any updates.
Warning - graphic image below
“My little family has been left absolutely traumatised.”
Tom previously told KentOnline that the incident was the “worst thing that’s ever happened” to him.
He said at the time: “I’ve got a seven-month-old boy and when I came out of the hospital he saw me completely covered in blood with my face all smashed up and he started crying. He can’t even look at me.
“Every time I go to the toilet I turn round and look at myself in the mirror and I’m constantly reminded of it.
“I feel traumatised. This feels more like an attempted murder than an assault.”
He says he has received a huge amount of support since the attack.
“It’s kind of gone mad, the support everyone has shown me has been phenomenal,” he said.
“The severity and randomness of the attack has really hit a nerve with people, everyone has been amazing. It kind of restores your faith in humanity.”
A police spokesperson said: “Officers attended the High Street in Farningham along with the South East Coast Ambulance Service, where it was reported a suspected catapult had been used following a verbal altercation.
“A man sustained facial injuries and was taken to a local hospital. His condition was understood not to be serious. Inquiries into the assault are ongoing.”
Anyone with information regarding the incident should call police on 01622 604100 quoting 46/30380/25.
