"The lives he touched and the tears he brought to many when he left for his heavenly abode were witnessed at his funeral. He was truly one of a kind and his legacy to our profession lives on,” stated an obituary to orthodontist Dr Keki Mistry (1935-2023) in the official newsletter of the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO), Volume 28, Issue 3. Mistry, a practitioner for over five decades, was awarded the WFO’s Regional Award of Merit in 2019. Many in Bombay swear by the Mistry Centre for Advanced Dentistry where he consulted till a few years before the pandemic. The Centre is now run by his three children, two of whom are in the same profession!
From l: Kainaz, Nargish, Drs Saiesha, Keki and Rushitum Mistry
Founding father of the Indian Orthodontic Society (IOS) in 1965, Mistry graduated in dental surgery in 1957 from Bombay University. He went on to receive a master’s degree in orthodontics from the University of Illinois, USA and another one from the University of London.
Mistry was consultant orthodontist at The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital and Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre among others. His many professional affiliations included the Indian Dental Association where he served as president and the Asia Pacific Dental Federation. With a passion for mentoring young professionals, Mistry was professor and head of department of orthodontics at the Government Dental College and later director and dean at D. Y. Patil University. An expert advisor to the World Health Organization on oral care, Mistry was recognized with lifetime achievement awards by several organizations he served.
"Work was his passion,” chorused Keki’s three children, orthodontist and implantologist Dr Rushitum, aesthetic and restorative dentist Dr Saiesha and erstwhile copywriter and current clinic coordinator Kainaz, of their father, on a joint Zoom call with Parsiana on November 29, 2023. "He was up early in the mornings and at work till late… He offered us all the opportunities we wanted… He may not have been physically present for all our parent-teacher meetings, but he knew exactly what was happening at school and college, through our mother (Nargish),” stated Rushitum, speaking for the trio.
He stated that "Keki owned the room (made his presence felt) wherever he was.” The eldest of the three, Rushitum said that from age five, he wanted to walk in Keki’s footsteps. "I wanted to be like him… I wanted to have his focus (on the profession),” he stated. "I am going to teach you everything other than dentistry,” Keki told Rushitum when the latter graduated and joined his father’s practice. "He taught us life skills,” he summed up.
Saiesha stated that in any professional meeting the last decisive voice would be Keki’s. "He had the ability to take something and give you a simple hands-on approach.” To her, Keki was the proverbial backbone of the family. "He gave us strength in times of trouble, wisdom in times of uncertainty and sharing in times of happiness,” she wrote in a commemorative volume, Our Gentle Giant, which Keki’s students brought out on his 80th birthday in 2015.
Kainaz, who assisted Keki’s postgraduate students put together the volume, narrated that to parents of many outstation dentistry students, Keki would say, "Your son is my son.” The students held him in extreme reverence. "They would say ‘we know the subject inside out,’ thanks to Keki,” stated Kainaz.
The siblings narrated that Keki’s parents worked very hard and focused on his education. "The legacy continued…so that we could stand on our own two feet.”