Brushing our teeth removes food particles, plaque, and bacteria from all tooth surfaces, except in between the teeth. Unfortunately, our toothbrush can’t reach these areas that are highly susceptible to decay and periodontal (gum) disease.

Daily flossing is the best way to clean between the teeth and under the gumline. Flossing not only helps clean these spaces, it disrupts plaque colonies from building up, preventing damage to the gums, teeth, and bone.

Plaque is a sticky, almost invisible film that forms on the teeth. It is a growing colony of living bacteria, food debris, and saliva. The bacteria produce toxins (acids) that cause cavities and irritate and inflame the gums. Also, when plaque is not removed above and below the gumline, it hardens and turns into calculus (tartar). This will further irritate and inflame the gums and will also slowly destroy the bone. This is the beginning of periodontal disease.

How to floss properly:

Take 12-16 inches (30-40cm) of dental floss and wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) of floss between the hands.

Using your thumbs and forefingers to guide the floss, gently insert the floss between teeth using a sawing motion.

Curve the floss into a “C” shape around each tooth and under the gum line. Gently move the floss up and down, cleaning the side of each tooth.

Floss holders are recommended if you have difficulty using conventional floss.

Daily flossing will help you keep a healthy, beautiful smile for life!

Professional dental cleanings (dental prophylaxis) includes-

Removal of calculus (tartar): Calculus is hardened plaque that has been left on the tooth for some time and is now firmly attached to the tooth surface. Calculus forms above and below the gum line and can only be removed with special dental instruments.

Removal of plaque: Plaque is a sticky, almost invisible film that forms on the teeth. It is a growing colony of living bacteria, food debris, and saliva. The bacteria produce toxins (poisons) that inflame the gums. This inflammation is the start of periodontal disease!

Teeth polishing: Remove stain and plaque that is not otherwise removed during tooth brushing and scaling.

Your personal home care plays an important role in achieving a healthy smile. Your personal home care starts by eating balanced meals, reducing the number of snacks you eat, and correctly using the various dental aids that help control the plaque and bacteria that cause dental disease.

Tooth brushing – Brush your teeth at least twice a day (especially before going to bed at night) with a soft bristle brush and toothpaste.

Place the brush at a 45 degree angle to the gums and gently brush using a small, circular motion, ensuring that you always feel the bristles on the gums. Brush the outer, inner, and biting surfaces of each tooth. Use the tip of the brush to clean the inside of the front teeth. Brush your tongue to remove bacteria and freshen your breath.

Electric toothbrushes are also recommended. They are easy to use and can remove plaque efficiently. Simply place the bristles of the electric brush on your gums and teeth and allow the brush to do its job, several teeth at a time.

Flossing – Daily flossing is the best way to clean between the teeth and under the gum line.

Rinsing – It is important to rinse your mouth with water after brushing and after meals if you are unable to brush. If you are using an over-the-counter mouth wash for rinsing, it’s a good idea to consult with your dentist on its appropriateness for you.

Use other dental aids as recommended by your dentist : interdental brushes, rubber tip stimulators, tongue cleaners, irrigation devices, fluoride, medicated rinses, etc., can all play a role in good dental home care.

A dental implant is a tooth root placed in the gums. These are made of highly compatible titanium alloy with surface treatments which get bonded biologically with the gums and jaw bone allowing rigid fixation.

Their highly noble characteristics lead to biocompatible adaptation in the human body.

If you’re feeling somewhat self-conscious about your teeth or simply want to improve your smile, cosmetic dental treatments may be the answer to a more beautiful, confident smile. Cosmetic dentistry has become very popular in the last several years, not only due to advances in cosmetic dental procedures and materials, but also because patients are becoming increasingly focused on improving their overall health.

There are many cosmetic dental procedures available to improve your teeth and enhance your smile. Depending on your particular needs, cosmetic dental treatments can change your smile dramatically, from restoring a single tooth to having a full mouth make-over. Ask your dentist how you can improve the health and beauty of your smile with cosmetic dentistry.

Cosmetic Procedures:

Teeth Whitening: Bleaching lightens teeth that have been stained or discolored by age, food, drink, and smoking. Teeth darkened as a result of injury or taking certain medications can also be bleached, but the effectiveness depends on the degree of staining present.

Composite (tooth-colored) Fillings: Also known as “bonding”, composite fillings are now widely used instead of amalgam (silver) fillings to repair teeth with cavities and also to replace old, defective fillings. Tooth-colored fillings are also used to repair chipped, broken, or discolored teeth. This type of filling is also very useful to fill in gaps and to protect sensitive, exposed root surfaces caused by gum recession.

Porcelain Veneers: Veneers are thin custom-made, tooth-colored shells that are bonded onto the fronts of teeth to create a beautiful individual smile. They can help restore or camouflage damaged, discolored, poorly shaped, or misaligned teeth. Unlike crowns, veneers require minimal tooth structure to be removed from the surface of the tooth.

Porcelain Crowns (caps): A crown is a tooth-colored, custom-made covering that encases the entire tooth surface restoring it to its original shape and size. Crowns protect and strengthen teeth that cannot be restored with fillings or other types of restorations. They are ideal for teeth that have large, fractured or broken fillings and also for those that are badly decayed.

Dental Implants: Dental implants are artificial roots that are surgically placed into the jaw to replace one or more missing teeth. Porcelain crowns, bridges, and dentures can be made specifically to fit and attach to implants, giving a patient a strong, stable, and durable solution to removable dental appliances.

Orthodontics: Less visible and more effective brackets and wires are making straightening teeth with orthodontics much more appealing to adult patients. In some cases, teeth can be straightened with custom-made, clear, removable aligners in place of braces.

Thanks to the advances in modern dentistry, cosmetic treatments can make a difference in making your smile shine!

Since teeth whitening has now become the number one aesthetic concern of many patients, there are many products and methods available to achieve a brighter smile.

Professional teeth whitening (or bleaching) is a simple, non-invasive dental treatment used to change the color of natural tooth enamel and is an ideal way to enhance the beauty of your smile.

As we age, the outer layer of tooth enamel wears away, eventually revealing a darker or yellow shade. The color of our teeth also comes from the inside of the tooth, which can become darker over time. Smoking and fluids such as coffee, tea, and wine can also contribute to tooth discoloration, making teeth yellow and dull. Sometimes, teeth can become discolored from taking certain medications as a child, such as tetracycline. Excessive fluoridation (fluorosis) during tooth development can also cause teeth to become discolored.

It’s important to have your teeth evaluated by your dentist to determine if you’re a good candidate for bleaching. Occasionally, tetracycline and fluorosis stains are difficult to bleach and your dentist may offer other options, such as veneers or crowns to cover up such stains. Since teeth whitening only works on natural tooth enamel, it is also important to evaluate any old fillings, crowns, etc. before bleaching begins. Once the bleaching is done, your dentist can match the new restorations to the shade of the newly whitened teeth.

Since teeth whitening is not permanent, a touch-up may be needed every several years to keep your smile looking bright.

If you don’t get your missing teeth replaced timely, it would lead to:

1. Deformation of dentition

2. Widening of tooth gap

3. Induction of dental caries/gum disease

4. Looks older than the actual age

5. Resorption of gingival bone when left untreated for a prolonged period of time(difficulty wearing denture)

6. Diminished digestive function due to inability to chew well

Any of the following can be used to replace missing teeth:

1. By using removable dentures

2. By use of fixed bridges

3. By use of dental implants

Have you noticed that the edges of your teeth are sharp, worn or chipped? Do you have a headache or sore jaw when you wake up? If so, you could be grinding your teeth while you sleep without even realizing it.

Teeth grinding, called bruxism by dentists, is a condition that affects millions of people, most commonly caused by environmental factors such as stress. A mild case of teeth grinding may not require treatment, rather simple stress relieving techniques and lifestyle changes.

Chronic, long term teeth grinding, on the other hand, is serious and can lead to major problems including jaw disorders, headaches and damaged teeth.

Signs and Symptoms of Teeth Grinding

1. Worn, flattened, fractured or chipped teeth

2. Tooth sensitivity

3. Jaw pain or tightness in the jaw muscles

4. Earache, Headache

5. Facial pain

Teeth Grinding Causes

1. Stress is the most common cause of teeth grinding. Patients who have stress induced teeth grinding may benefit from biofeedback, yoga, anxiety medication, or other methods of stress relief. Other teeth grinding causes may include:

2. Malocclusion (improper alignment of teeth)

3. Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD)

4. Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease

5. Anxiety, anger, or tension

Treatment For Teeth Grinding

1. One of the first steps in teeth grinding treatment is to stop the patient from grinding or clenching the teeth. In most cases, a mouth guard or night guard is used to stop teeth grinding. Teeth Grinding Mouth Guard is a customized, removable appliances made to fit over your teeth and prevent teeth grinding. Mouth guards are typically worn at night, though some patients do benefit from wearing mouth guards during the day particularly in high stress situations such as while driving.

2. The next step is to correct the source of the problem, be it malocclusion, environmental factors, or TMJ disorder. Chronic teeth grinding often leaves teeth worn, chipped or broken. Once the harmony is restored to the bite and teeth grinding is prevented with a mouthguard, the next focus is on repairing damage caused by teeth grinding..

Rubber dam is a thin sheet of latex or nitrile , used in dentistry to isolate the operative site(one or more teeth) from the rest of the mouth. It can be used at the time of root canal or filling of teeth. With use of rubber dam complete isolation of the teeth from saliva, blood or gingival fluid exudate is possible. It also prevents rest of the mouth from source of infection, as in root canal treatment. And protects the tooth to be treated from, bacteria of saliva.

Rubber dam protects patients from swallowing or inhaling instruments.

First 24 hours after the dental procedure, soft and cold room temperature(semi-solid) food/liquids are to be consumed.

No spitting/gargling is to be done for first 24 hours

Brushing is to be avoided on that part

Most importantly, ice application with a handkerchief is to be done on the side of the face(from outside)where tooth has been removed. This will reduce the postoperative pain and swelling

Mild swelling/pain for 2-3 days may happen but is taken care of with the medicines

One may resume normal food/other activities from the 3rd day in most of the situations

Prevention & Early intervention is the best way for the painless dentistry.

Invasive dental procedures can also be painless by using latest instruments and technology like:

LA gel / Spray

Thin needle

Conscious Sedations

Dental caries is an irreversible progressive microbial disease of multifactorial origin, that causes demineralization of calcified tissues of the teeth and destruction of organic structure of tooth.

Your tooth is so strong that it needs a diamond drill to pierce it. At the same time it can be destroyed by chocolates.

Yes, the sugar present in your food can react with bacteria present in plaque which in turn produce acid. This acid if remain in contact of tooth surface for longer time, will cause demineralization resulting in cavities formation.

Dental caries have several types, depending upon how extensive they are or which surface they involve.

A filling is enough if the caries are limited to enamel or dentin. If they extend in pulp, you will need a root canal treatment.

You might need a root canal treatment if you have any of the following symptoms:

Dental pain in the tooth, radiating to ear, head and jaw Prolonged sensitivity & pain to hot or cold liquids Inability to eat on the affected side.

Blackish brown discoloration of the tooth & fracture of a part of tooth

Food lodgement with or without pain(absence of pain may be because tooth is dead)

Sometimes when tooth pulp is exposed due to trauma resulting in partial fracture of tooth , you may need RCT

A crown covers the entire tooth. More of the tooth, not just the weak portion is removed in order to fit the crown. This puts the tooth at a higher risk for future root canal work/fracture

An onlay requires only the removal of the weak areas of the tooth.

The onlay is then bonded to the healthy tooth.This leaves a larger and healthier tooth structure intact.

Dental fluorosis (also termed mottled enamel) is an extremely common disorder, characterized by hypomineralization of tooth enamel caused by ingestion of excessive fluoride during enamel formation.

Care for your baby teeth Starts from prenatal Counseling that includes healthy diet

Oral Health Counseling at birth is best way to prevent Nursing bottle caries

As soon as the first tooth erupts the care starts.

Preventive Dental Treatments start from 3 years, which includes topical fluoride application and use of pit and fissure sealants.

Corrective measures need to be taken as soon as needed.

Top tips for keeping baby teeth healthy

Assist most children can't clean their teeth adequately until they can write!

Don't use adult toothpaste before the age of six.

Brush teeth twice a day, in the morning and before bed time.

A unique pattern of dental decay in young children due to prolonged and improper nursing/feeding habit. when babies have tendency to sleep with milk bottle in mouth, which allows fluid to accumulate in mouth for a longer period of time.

All the maxillary teeth are involved rapidly, mandibulr anterior teeth are usually spared because of protection by tongue and cleansing action of saliva due to presence of the orifice of the duct of sublingual glands very close to lower incisors.

The child who has nursing caries has an increased risk of developing caries even in permanent dentition.

Yes!

Use of fluoridared tooth paste, fluoridated water have dental caries protecting effect.

Better home care and effective plaque control by proper brushing, improved nutrition, decrease in amount and frequency of sugar, avoiding sticky and refined food can help prevent caries.

Routine dental check up, timely professional care and early intervention, preventive measures like, fluoride varnish, pit and fissure sealants can help.

Pit and fissure sealants are a way to prevent caries and protect the tooth.It is a thin plastic coating placed in the pit and fissure of the teeth to act as barrier to decay. These are applied in posterior teeth, particularly molars with deep fissures or grooves that are very difficult to clean. These sites are most susceptible to developing decay.

Sealants can prevent pit and fissure caries initiation. They can also arrest caries progression by providing a physical barrier that inhibits micro-organisms and food particles from collecting in pits and fissures.

If not taken care of , it can affect the permanent teeth as well.

Studies reveal that dental caries are very common and most common cause of nutritional deficiency, and decreased chewing efficiency in children.

Following treatment of affected decayed teeth there is more rapid weight gain and increased growth velocity

It also affects psychological and social confidence in children

Besides natural teeth act as natural space maintainers and help keep space for permanent which prevents malalignment

Healthy teeth develop good speech.

When it comes to the health of your teeth, you really are what you eat. The foods you choose and how often you eat them can affect your general health and the health of your teeth and gums.

X-rays are indispensable in diagnosis of dental diseases. Any changes in structure of tooth or bone can be seen with help of X-rays. Following conditions need X-rays

Diagnosis of dental caries

Diagnosis of fractured tooth

To know the exact position and root morphology of wisdom tooth in jaw

Distance of nerve or vital structures from tooth

To see any pathology beneath the root of tooth(periapically)

To notice the effects of treatment periodically

For diagnosis of cyst/tumors, extent of bone resorption

For orthodontic treatment

Before placement of implant

Diagnosis of gum diseases/ pyrrhoea

To see the arrangement of permanent and deciducous teeth

Dental diseases are commonly seen and if not treated they do not resolve themselves and tend to progress.

Regular check up can lead to early diagnosis of any disease and help stop its progression to a more severe stage.

It can lead to diagnosis of diseases like oral cancer or certain jaw cysts which can otherwise be ignored by patient .

A timely diagnosis and treatment stops progression of dental caries, prevents further bone loss in pyorrhoea hence increase the life of teeth

Early and less complicated treatment with better prognosis/outcome.

It all depends on individual case factors. For a given situation, where healthy natural teeth are present on both sides of a missing tooth a fixed one is a better choice to make, as it does not have to be removed on a daily basis and it is of the same size as previous natural tooth being replaced.

However when fixed teeth are not possible removable dentures can be the option.

Yes!

A loose denture with poor gum support can be fixed firmly with the gums by the help of anchorage from dental implants.

The chewing efficiency has been documented with scientific research to be way better than conventional simple denture.

The permanent cap/crown is fixed on to the tooth with a permanent adhesive cement of the highest standards.

It does not come out while eating or chewing food in most cases. however, one must avoid highly sticky food like an eclairs chocolate or caramel containing chocolates.

How to wear dentures:

Wet your dentures with water. While wearing, wear lower denture first, while removing take the upper denture out first

How to use your dentures:

Initially, wear your dentures whole day and remove while sleeping Try and practice to speak with your dentures

How to eat with your new dentures:

Initially take soft nonsticky diet. Make small bolus of food and put on both sides to chew Don’t try to bite or chew anything from anterior teeth

How to clean your dentures

Clean your dentures regularly with soft brush and nonabrasive tooth paste Clean and rinse regularly.

Use denture cleansing tablets twice a week.

Keep a cloth or water filled vessel beneath, while cleaning to prevent breakage if they fall.

While not in use, keep your denture in a clean vessel filled with water

Important Instructions

If you notice ulcers or any other discomfort while wearing denture,stop using it and contact your doctor

Don’t wear your dentures at night to provide proper blood circulation and relief to gums

Initially you can feel increased salivation,gagging,difficulty in sppech while wearing denture, but with practice it will resolve

Keep your hand over mouth while opening wide or sneezing

Frequently there is not enough space for normal eruption for the as by the time they come, other teeth would have occupied the space in the dental arch.

They are not easily cleansable because of there remote location and hence lead to frequent food lodgement ,follwed by decay/infection/dental pain in them.

Frequently there is not enough space for normal eruption for the as by the time they come, other teeth would have occupied the space in the dental arch.

They are not easily cleansable because of there remote location and hence lead to frequent food lodgement ,follwed by decay/infection/dental pain in them.

If you notice symptoms such as:

1. Pain/difficulty on swallowing

2. A lump or growth in mouth

3. Inability/difficulty to move tongue or jaw

4. An ulcer that does not heal

5. Altered voice, hoarseness

6. Numbness

7. Red/white plaques or patches on the gums, tongue,tonsil or lining of mouth

8. Loss of taste, Swollen lymph nodes

9. Whenever in doubt, remember an early diagnosis is life saving!

Anyone can get oral cancer, however some factors may increase your liklihood of developing the disease.

It is more common in elderly

If you have been using or have used tobacco products in past in any form like chewing or smoking

Heavy alcohol consumption

Betel quid, gutkha chewing

You have any potentially malignant disorder : erythroplakia, leukoplakia,oral submucous fibrosis,lichen planus

You have a history of cancer in your family

Certain other factors have also been a point of concern regarding oral cancer risk : long term irritation from poorly fitting dentures, chronic trauma from a sharp tooth

Certainly Yes! Areca nut in any form is harmful. Be it only eating supari or eating the combined forms such as Paan (betel quid), Gutkha (sweetened mixture of areca nut, tobacco) and Mainpuri tobacco.

It is now included under cancer causing substance.

People wearing dentures often complain of the dentures being loose while eating or speaking and this can lead to embarrassing situations.

With use of a few implants your dentures can be secured so that such a situation can be prevented.

Placement is a painless procedure as your dentist gives you a local anesthetic. Healing after surgery is usually also painless and uneventful.

You can resume regular work immediately, just follow the instructions provided by your dentist.

The first implant was placed more than 50years ago and has worked till now. There is no reason that the implant shouldn’t last you a lifetime as long as you maintain them daily and have them checked periodically.

Just as in healthy teeth, implants will stay healthy in a healthy mouth.

A space maintainer is an appliance that is custom made by a dentist or orthodontist in acrylic or metal. It can be either removable or cemented in a child’s mouth.

Its purpose is to keep the space open to allow the permanent tooth to erupt and come into place.

Teeth jewellery is a brilliant way to add sparkles to your smile and stand out of the crowd.

During a painless procedure, a dentist fixes a jewel on the tooth surface with cement. The jewel does not damage tooth tissues and has no side effects – except for the increased charm of your smile!

It creates a harmless, non invasive and reversible body fashion. Diamonds are small, flat and barely felt. There will be no inconvenience when eating or having teeth professionally cleaned .These are available in various colours and shapes