Man discovers his tooth ache is actually a life

This is the gruesome moment a man's tooth infection turned into a life-threatening flesh-eating disease. 

Terry, from Suffolk, features in Really's brand-new programme The Face Doctors, which follows patients undergoing life-changing surgery and cutting-edge treatment to rebuild and repair their faces. 

In episode two of the show Terry, 65, visits experts at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge with an infected eyeball as doctors race against the clock to save not only his eye, but also his life. 

What started as a tooth ache is diagnosed by frightened doctors as aggressive flesh-eating disease necrotising fasciitis - which can cause organ failure and has a high mortality rate. 

After the pus is removed from his eyelid, Terry is rushed into surgery with Addenbrooke's specialists, eye surgeon Cornelius Rene and facial surgeon Malcolm Cameron. 

Terry, 65, is diagnosed with flesh-eating disease necrotising fasciitis in the latest episode of Really's The Face Doctors

Terry visits experts at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge with an infected eyeball as doctors race against the clock to save not only his eye, but also his life

Speaking prior to the surgery, Cornelius stressed the urgency of the situation: 'If you don't manage these promptly there can be devastating consequences for the patient, it can be life-threatening. 

'If we left this any longer, he could rapidly go into multi-organ failure so his lungs could pack up, his kidneys could pack up and this actually has quite a high mortality rate.'

In the operating theatre, it was all hands-on deck with a whole team of specialists overseeing Terry's operation. 

They started the surgery by removing more excess pus and dead tissue, as Malcolm cites 'the oldest surgical rule in the book': 'if there's pus, let it out!'

The team deliberately opted to leave the wound unstitched so that any remaining infection could work its way out of the wound, as they continued to monitor his recovery. 

Doctor Shadi said: 'We think the cause of this was most likely inside your mouth but it's taken hold around the eye. 

'Tooth infections can be really dangerous because if it spreads into the eye socket he can lose his vision and it would be catastrophic. In addition he could be left with severe disfigurement with consequences for his self-esteem.'

Eight weeks later and Terry's recovery is remarkable - as he looks completely back to normal

Terry's condition started with a toothache. He took antibiotics but the infection came back

Pictured: Terry's eye before surgery (left) and having fully recovered eight weeks later (right)

The Face Doctors: Wednesday 15th May, 9pm, Really and available to stream on discovery+

The skin around Terry's eyelid had gone black with streptococci organisms that cause the death of soft tissues - and it was rapidly advancing.  

Necrotising fasciitis, more commonly known as 'flesh-eating disease', is a rare but extremely vicious bacterial infection. 

The disease develops when the bacteria enters the body, often through a minor cut or scrape but sufferers must be treated immediately to prevent death, and are usually given powerful antibiotics and surgery to remove dead tissue. 

Symptoms include small, red lumps or bumps on the skin, rapidly-spreading bruising, sweating, chills, fever and nausea. Organ failure and shock are also common complications. 

Terry said: 'I had an abscess and I had antibiotics. I took all those and it went, but then it started coming back again. So I went to the dentist and he took it out, but it started to swell. 

'I left it too long really and I waited until Monday to go back to the dentist.'

Eight weeks later and Terry's recovery is remarkable - as he looks completely back to normal with no scarring in sight after his successful surgery. 

In a wholesome moment, his family gathered round to toast him with prosecco as Terry expresses his gratitude to the team at Addenbrooke's.

'All the people that saw me, all the team, even down into the operating theatre, there was a lot of people in there, they all did a fantastic job. I'm so grateful to them', said Terry. 

He added: 'I think they saved my life. I'm pretty lucky to be back to normal basically. Still got my good looks!

'I don't think I realised how dangerous it was really as I could have lost an eye. Any further than that, and it would have gone to my brain. And that would have been curtains. 

'It was a lot more serious than I thought, makes you realise I'm lucky. I am lucky to still be here really. All for a toothache!' 

Brand-new series The Face Doctors airs at 9pm on Wednesdays on Really and available to stream on discovery+