# Reena Varghese Kannimala
The year was 1983.
For the first time in Little John’s life, waves of happiness washed over him. The reason? At just fifteen years old, he had landed a job at Dr. Reji Mathew’s dental clinic in Muvattupuzha.
With his very first salary — ₹250 — John created a paradise at home.
An HMT watch and a mundu for his father. A sari and blouse for his mother. That humble house, once filled with tears, was lit up with joy — all because of one boy’s love and responsibility.
Though his work officially started at 8 a.m., John would show up every day by 6:30, full of energy and curiosity. Dr. Reji Mathew, moved by his dedication, entrusted him with the responsibility of assisting in the placement of artificial teeth.
It was tough work, often stretching for hours. While helping Dr. Reji, John began noticing something that troubled him deeply: the poor quality of dental Prostheses. Because of this, patients have to sit with their mouths open for hours to fix their teeth.
“I have seen Dr. Reji try to correct these errors by grinding crowns, bridges, etc. on a dental lathe for hours and then say in frustration that he is not doing this work anymore.
Remember, a doctor is doing this work!
The hand will burn while working on the lathe. Therefore, he keeps another bowl of water nearby. In between, the doctor dips his hands in that water to cool them down. “ John remembers.
Witnessing this, a question stirred within the boy: “If some things can be done well, why can’t everything?”
At the time, John was also responsible for placing orders at dental labs. One day, driven by a bold idea, he told the lab technicians: “This one is for a VVIP.”
And that case? It came back flawless.
That moment lit a spark. John realized that when people give their full attention — when they care — the results can be impeccable.
He smiled as he shared the memory: “I understood then — if we truly pay attention, even the most complicated dental work can be done without fault.”
That same restless boy, who couldn’t bear to see his mentor suffer through flawed dental Prostheses, would one day build one of Asia’s most advanced and respected dental labs.
But if you said this to John Kuriakose, he’d humbly smile and credit it all to something higher. “Everything is for Christ, through Christ, and because of Christ.” John’s life was deeply influenced by the words of his mentor, Prof. M.Y. Yohannan:
“Whoever dedicates his life to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ — the Lord will raise him to prosperity.”
A Dream That Wouldn’t Let Sleep
“Around that time, God gave me a dream — to start a dental lab. I was earning just ₹250 a month, yet I dreamt of building a lab that needed an investment of ₹20 lakhs!”
“There was only one dental lab in South India back then. But I couldn’t shake that dream... it became a thirst.”
From Sleepless Nights to State-of-the-Art Labs
Without thinking twice, the persistent young John — now trained in artificial tooth placement under Dr. Reji — began working at various dental clinics, traveling by night from Muvattupuzha to Moolamattom.
At that time, the fee fixing a denture was ₹50. What he used to earn in a month — ₹250 — at Dr. Reji’s clinic, he began making in a single evening through this extra work. Six long years passed like that.
Sleep became a luxury; he survived on just two or three hours a night. But Little John never gave up. “It was around 1987–88. I never imagined I’d succeed in this field,” John recalls.
“In those six years, I earned ₹4.75 lakhs — sacrificing sleep, working relentlessly, one dental case at a time.” But it wasn’t enough. To build what he truly dreamed of, he needed more.
So, he approached South Indian Bank, which sanctioned a loan of ₹15 lakhs. Still short by ₹25,000, John turned to a private moneylender — borrowing at 36% interest.
“When I was working in the clinic, the doctor used to send me to Denton Dental Depot in Kottayam to collect supplies. That’s where I met Vinod Chettan, in 1988,” John says.
“I told him — I want to build a dental lab. Not just any lab — the best one. I had heard that Germany had the finest dental manufacturing equipment in the world.”
And so began the next phase of John’s journey. He and Vinod Chettan traveled to Bangalore to inquire about a German-made casting machine.
“The quote? A whopping ₹13 lakhs — far beyond what we could afford. From there, we went straight to Mumbai. At N.K. Patel & Co., we found the same German casting machine quoted at ₹7.9 lakhs.”
With the invoice and quotation in hand, John went directly to South Indian Bank near his clinic in Muvattupuzha. The bank manager, Mathew Sir, who had watched John grow through the years, approved the loan immediately. The bank then issued a direct demand draft (DD) to Bigo, Germany — and the machine was on its way.
“For the first time in India, a state-of-the-art dental casting machine arrived in the small town of Muvattupuzha, Kerala.” But a casting machine alone wasn’t enough. John needed micromotors, grinding tools, and other essential equipment to complete the lab. Piece by piece, he built it all.
And in 1988, inside a 290-square-foot room, paying just ₹500 in monthly rent, John Kuriakose founded DentCare — with six workers and a dream far larger than the space it was born in.
“That small lab... is DentCare. And today, it ranks second in the global dental industry,” John says with a calm smile. “If it was started by God, then success and growth are the result of His will.”
But the journey was far from easy. The path ahead would be filled with crises, challenges, and hurdles — each one shaping the destiny of the man and the mission.
Those stories of struggle and breakthrough will come tomorrow...
