FAQ'S
Most people have 32 teeth. Each tooth has two main parts: The crown is the part you can see, while the root is hidden below your gums. Each tooth also has many layers that help protect against tooth decay, or cavities. The crown, for is covered with a very hard, thin layer called enamel.The root is covered by cementum.The dentin is the sensitive part which lies below enamel and cementum and covers the pulp that contains the nerves and blood vessels.
The causes of bad breath are numerous. They include: Food. The breakdown of food particles in and around your teeth can cause a foul odor. Eating foods containing volatile oils is another source of bad breath. Onions and garlic are the best known examples. After these foods are digested and the pungent oils are absorbed into your blood stream, they’re carried to your lungs and are given off in your breath until the food is eliminated from your body.
Dental problems: Poor dental hygiene and periodontal disease can be a source of bad breath. If you don’t brush and floss daily, food particles remain in your mouth, collecting bacteria and emitting hydrogen sulfur vapors. A colorless, sticky film of bacteria (plaque) forms on your teeth. If not brushed away, plaque can irritate your gums (gingivitis) and cause tooth decay. Eventually, plaque-filled pockets can form between your teeth and gums (periodontitis), worsening this problem — and your breath. Dentures that aren’t cleaned regularly or don’t fit properly also can harbor odor-causing bacteria and food particles.Some other causes are Dry mouth, Chronic lung infections.
Try the following steps to improve or prevent bad breath: Brush your teeth after you eat. Keep a toothbrush at work to brush after eating. Floss at least once a day. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and brush your tongue with at least five to 15 strokes. Pay particular attention to the middle third of the tongue, where most of the bacteria tend to collect.Use a fairly new toothbrush. Change your toothbrush every three to four months, and choose a soft-bristled toothbrush. Schedule regular dental checkups. At least twice a year, see your dentist to have your teeth or dentures examined and cleaned
Dry socket is a condition that sometimes occurs after a tooth extraction. It has several tell-tale signs and symptoms, including – Partial or total loss of the blood clot at the extraction site, which you may notice as an empty-looking (dry) socket,Visible bone in the socket.Pain that increases between one and three days after tooth extraction and that typically becomes severe and unrelenting Pain that radiates from the socket to your ear or eye on the same side of your face Bad breath or a foul odor coming from your mouth. In some cases, the clot doesn’t form properly or is physically dislodged before complete healing. With the clot gone, bone and nerves in the socket are exposed to air, fluids and food. This can cause intense pain.Certain factors can increase your risk of developing dry socket after a tooth extraction. These include:Smoking and tobacco use, Taking oral contraceptives, Not following post-extraction guidelines.
Treatment of dry socket is mainly geared toward reducing its symptoms, particularly pain. Treatment includes: Medicated dressings. This is the main way to treat dry socket. Your dentist or oral surgeon generally packs the socket with medicated dressings. You may need to have the dressings changed several times in the following days. The severity of your pain and other symptoms determines how often you need to return for dressing changes or other treatment.
Flushing out the socket. Your dentist or oral surgeon will flush the socket to remove any food particles or other debris that has collected in the socket and that contributes to pain or infection.Pain medication with painkillers is important
If your tooth is knocked out, get emergency dental care. It’s sometimes possible to remedy tooth loss by successfully reimplanting permanent teeth that have been knocked out. But this is an option only if you act quickly. If your tooth is knocked out: Handle your tooth by the top only, not the roots Don’t rub it or scrape it to remove dirt. Gently rinse your tooth in a bowl of tap water. Don’t hold it under running water.
Try to replace your tooth in the socket. Then bite down gently on gauze or a
moistened tea bag to help keep it in place.
If you can’t replace your tooth in the socket, immediately place it in whole milk, your own saliva or a warm, mild saltwater solution (1/4 teaspoon salt to 1 quart water). Get medical attention from a dentist immediately.
Cavities are decayed areas of your teeth that develop into tiny openings or holes. Cavities, also called tooth decay, are caused by a combination of factors, including not cleaning your teeth well, frequent snacking and sipping sugary drinks.
If you don’t brush and floss daily, food particles remain in your mouth, collecting bacteria and emitting hydrogen sulfur vapors. A colorless, sticky film of bacteria (plaque) forms on your teeth.If not brushed away, plaque can irritate your gums (gingivitis) and cause tooth decay.
If cavities aren’t treated, they get larger and the decay can become severe enough to cause serious toothache pain, infection, tooth loss and other complications.
Fillings. A filling is material that replaces decayed areas of your teeth. Fillings, sometimes called restorations, are the main treatment option when the decay has progressed beyond the initial enamel-erosion process. Your dentist drills away the decayed material inside your tooth. The gap is then filled to restore the tooth shape. Fillings are made of various materials, such as tooth-colored composite resins, porcelain, or combinations of several materials. Silver amalgam fillings contain a variety of materials including small amounts of mercury
When decay is severe and reaches the inner material of the tooth, you may need a root canal. In this procedure, the pulp of the tooth is removed and then replaced with a filling.
Dental decay, fracture of tooth or loss of filling could lead to contamination of the dental pulp by bacteria.Patient experiences severe pain at this stage. A bacterial invasion will affect the blood flow to the tooth. In such situations a root canal procedure is carried out to clean the pulp off the bacteria, and to fill the pulpal space with special filling material. The aim of root canal therapy is to save the tooth in which the pulp has been damaged. The alternative would be a tooth extraction (removal) and replacement of the tooth with an artificial one.
Moderate to severe lingering tooth ache when having hot or cold foods. Tooth ache that worsens in the night or while reclining. Pain in the tooth or in the gums when chewing or biting (sometimes pain spreads to other areas of the jaws or face). Swelling of the gums and tenderness of the tooth while chewing. In extreme cases, a severe infection may result in high temperature and/or red and extremely painful swelling of the face.In rare cases, there will be no visible or obvious symptoms.
First, the pulp chamber is accessed by making a hole in the tooth. In case of painful teeth, the area is anaesthetized before the procedure. Once the decayed portion is removed and the pulp chamber is open,very fine, delicate and sterilized instruments called files are used to clean and shape the root canals. Then, the shaped, sterilized canals are filled using a biocompatible, inert material and the hole on the tooth surface is sealed. Finally, the treated tooth is covered with a crown(cap) to prevent damage in the future. In most cases, the treatment is completed in a single sitting. In cases where the root canal is severely infected, a medicated dressing is placed in the pulp canals to disinfect the same. Such situations may call for two or three visits to the clinic.
Replace one or more teeth without affecting adjacent teeth.
Support a bridge and eliminate the need for a removable partial denture. Provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable
The ideal candidate for a dental implant is in good general and oral health. Adequate and good quality-bone in your jaw is needed to support the implant, and the best candidates have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal disease.
Dental Implants are indicated as a treatment option for:
1. Replacing a Single Tooth: If you are missing a single tooth, one implant and a crown can replace it. A dental implant replaces both the lost natural tooth and its root.
2. Replacing Several Teeth: If you are missing several teeth, implant-supported bridges can replace them. Dental implants will replace both your lost natural teeth and some of the roots.
3. Replacing All of Your Teeth: If you are missing all of your teeth, an implant-supported full bridge or full denture can replace them. Dental implants will replace both your lost natural teeth and some of the roots
Dental bonding can be relatively inexpensive and is usually completed in one visit .The bonding material has a tendency to stain as time passes and in general, isn’t as lasting or durable a treatment as the ceramics. However, if the restoration does chip or break it can usually be easily patched or repaired.
Bleaching is one of the most common procedures. It brightens teeth that are discolored, stained, or have been darkened because of stains,injury or habits. Any tooth, even that treated with root canal therapy, can receive bleaching treatment. This can be done by a dentist in the dental clinic or at home. Bleaching essentially cosists of applying agents such as peroxides to the teeth for a specified duration, causing brightening of the surface
Another plus is that early intervention frequently makes the completion of treatment at a later age easier and less time consuming. It is best to seek an Orthodontic consultation by 8 to 9 years of age.
In General, active treatment time with Orthodontic appliances ranges from one to three years. The actual time depends on the growth of the patient’s mouth and face, the co-operation of the patient and the severity of the problems. Mild problems may require less time and some individuals respond faster to treatment than others. Each case is different and a consultation is necessary to determine the exact treatment time.
Why are the wisdom teeth often removed?
Wisdom teeth have earned a reputation for making trouble. Many of us have smaller jaws than our ancestors. Frequently when these third molars at the back of the jaws begin to emerge sometime during our late teens or early twenties, there’s not enough room for them and the potential for trouble begins—making a strong case for having them removed as soon as possible.
When a wisdom tooth is blocked from erupting or coming into the mouth normally, it is termed “impacted”. A tooth may be only partially impacted, meaning it grows in crooked and breaks through the gum only partially, or it may fail to break through at all and thus remains totally impacted. Serious problems can develop from partially impacted teeth, such as pain, infection, and crowding of, or damage to, adjacent teeth. Besides serving no useful function, the impacted teeth will often cause damage because they cannot be cleaned properly and can collect food debris, and plaque around them. This can result in tooth decay, gum disease, infection and abscess of not only the wisdom teeth, but of the adjacent molars and of the surrounding gums.
When wisdom teeth are trapped inside the bone or below the gums, they need to be removed surgically. Under local anasthesia, the gums are reflected and the bone that is covering the tooth is removed, usually with the drills. The tooth is gently removed and the wound is closed by 2-3 stiches. The procedure takes about 45 minutes to complete and is painless. Shree laxmi dental takes pride in most systematic protocol for impacted wisdom teeth.
Scaling or oral prophylaxis is a procedure to rid the teeth of all their stains and deposits. If you are suffering from bad breath, bleeding gums or stained teeth, its time for oral prophylaxis. It is perfectly safe to undergo this treatement evry six months to one year. only in highly neglected mouth with severe deposites one may experience loosening of teeth after scalling, which is in fact already present due to loss of bone around the teeth due to deposites.