Most people don't have an appreciation for losing teeth. In this case though, that's what saved an Indian boy.

Ashiq Gavai is a 17-year-old boy living in one of the Buldhana district's villages. About 18 months ago, his right lower jaw started to swell and doctors had no answers. The discomfort persisted and he started complaining of severe pain around a month ago. Fearing his son might have cancer, Ashiq's father, Suresh Gavai, took the boy to Mumbai for a check-up.

In Mumbai's JJ Hospital, Ashiq was diagnosed with a rare medical condition called composite odontoma. It is a benign tumor that can cause trouble with swallowing and eating because of the teeth-like structures it produces. In the boy's case, the tumor had started in a molar tooth.

Doctors were highly intrigued by Ashiq's condition because it defied much of what has been written about composite odontoma. First, the condition usually affects upper jaws but it started in the boy's lower jaw. And then there was the matter of the number of teeth the doctors were able to extract: 232. The most that has been recorded regarding the number of teeth pulled out in a composite odontoma surgery was 25.

A team of surgeons worked on Ashiq's surgery, including JJ Hospital's dentistry department head, Sudanda Dhiware. The surgery took six hours to complete.

"At first, we couldn't cut it out so we had to use the basic chisel and hammer to take it out. Once we opened it, little pearl-like teeth started coming out, one by one. Initially, we were collecting them; they really were like small white pearls. But then, we started to get tired. We counted 232 teeth," Dhiware recounted. She adds that this is the first time she's encountered a case like this. Dhiware has been in the field for 30 years.

Anticipating the extent of the damage caused by the composite odontoma, the surgery team was also prepared to repair the boy's jaw after the teeth have been extracted. According to Dr. Vandana Thorawade, one of the surgeons, the team had jaw screws and plates ready. Had the boy waited longer to get checked, it was possible that his jaw would have suffered damage.

Doctors warned Ashiq's family though that while all visible teeth have been removed, leaving the boy with the usual 28, it is possible that microscopic pieces may have been left. Regular check-ups will be necessary then to monitor the condition.