Do I really require twice a year cleanings?

            This is a question asked sometimes by "self paying " patients. They are worried bout the costs of two check ups and cleanings per year. Although no one "needs" two cleanings a year ( I mean, after all it's not a life or death decision), most dentists recommend this as our standard recall schedule.                     

                That's because we feel this schedule allows us and our patients a good chance of avoiding many dental problems and helps prevent bone loss that if left unchecked can cause their patients to lose teeth. With the cost of a single tooth implant somewhere between 20000 to 50000 , not going twice a year to your dentist might not save  money over the long haul ( Sometimes cheap is expensive and expensive is cheap?).

          Most people understand the importance of having oil changes at the frequency their car manufacturers recommend but sometimes this same logic isn't as convincing  where their teeth are concerned. It should be pointed out that taking care of ones teeth is probably more important than car maintenance. A  car can be replaced with a newer and better model, but really teeth really can not.                     Fortunately  missing teeth can be replaced with dentures, fixed bridges and implants, but these approximations  are not truly as versatile as ones own teeth .

                      Teeth that are well cared for both at home and by the dentist can last a lifetime! Why not "get with the program" and have twice a year cleanings? 

Toothaches : What to do..?

Aching tooth

Although there are many causes for "toothaches", the correct procedure is to call your dentist. If you do not have one, call a friends dentist. If its after hours, call and take the appointment. Ok, but what to do until then?

The first thing to try is to take a pain killer such as Ibuprofen (Combiflam or Flexon) or Crocin. Both of these medications are not only good at cutting down inflammation but also provide pain relief for mild and moderate pain. Both are excellent to be used as first line medications for tooth pain. Do not take a stronger narcotic medication without trying one of these two. The sole exception would be for someone who  has a bleeding  problem or an allergy that can be caused by either of these drugs.

              It is not advisable to place tablets or clove inside the mouth in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Some patients try and holding this against the tooth in an attempt to stop the pain, but the medicines can cause burns in the gingiva. Rinsing frequently with warm saline solution can help in the event that a patient has a swelling in the gum.  It is not advisable to place a hot compress on the outside of the face, since this can draw an infection toward the skin of the face and can cause more swelling.

              Sometimes patients experience toothaches immediately after eating. Usually these people have a tooth or teeth with deep caries and eating can cause the teeth to throb. For these patients I advise not letting food come in contact with the painful tooth (teeth) since it can cause a worsening of the tooth ache. Often teeth with deep cavities and vital pulps will calm down on their own if left alone for a short period of time (an hour).

            If you are experiencing an "after office hours" tooth ache and cannot reach your dentist, a trip to the hospital emergency room is an option, since many emergency rooms have oral surgeons on call.

Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies.

               The title of the post is a saying by Oliver Goldsmith which personifies the subject i am writing upon.. 

           It seems like some of the patients that we see, read this quote before coming to the doctors.. Well as hard nuts as we are, we do ask questions and a lot of them at that.. 

            The details of the patient or as we call it the Case History of the patient which involves a set of questions to be put forward to the patient - starting from Name, Age, Address, occupation to the Complain and the the details about it and also about the other parts of the body and sometimes about the parents and children too.. 

          I dont understand why do some patients have to lie about these things and that also to a doctor.. the noble profession as we call it.. We are here to alleviate your misery not to gain some vital info about your house or family.. 

           Each and everyone of these questions is necessary to us for forming a diagnosis to your disease and to  treat you well. And if you tell lies about any of this you are hampering your own health and treatment and God forbid if some complication occurs, you shall never be able to forgive yourself.. 

         Even a phone number or your correct and full address is necessary sometimes.. We arent here to spam your phones with msgs or to flirt (female patients look astonished when we ask their age) so better we get all your details correctly and well informed then to play with your own lives..

            

          Here I would give you 3 examples of patients giving me wrong / incomplete information in the last 1 month and putting their lives or their children lives in danger..

1. A Female scheduled to undergo a surgery didnt tell us about her pregnancy until it gained a complication 1 week after the surgery was done.. She put herself under the stress of surgery, put herself under the Xrays and the complication later and then decided to abort the child..

2. A 8 yr old child who was scared to visit a dentist and had very little medical history suffered a Brain Stroke on the dental Chair and had to be immediately shifted to the hospital and underwent a Brain surgery..

3. A 28 yr old Patient fills up a form and details of all his brother and gets his treatment done just for faking a bill and getting reimbursed for it.. 

              So i request you to kindly give all your details as they are in your full knowledge to the doctors and we shall treat you to the best of our capability.. Remember we are all under Hippocrates oath and your information remains with us only..

Lastly, I pray to God that you dont have to come to us at all.. 

Keep Smiling.. 

Teeth Whitening Case

Hello,

       Well just putting out a recent case showing how easy it is to get those stains removed which stop from making us smile...

        This patient came to us quite very Unhappy about the stains that he had got from a continuous 10 yrs of smoking, paan and gutka chewing... 

        Finally after my insistence he decided to kick off this Bad habit and for this firstly for motivation he thought of getting his teeth in order.. We did a normal cleaning and polishing of his teeth and then we proceeded to get on with Bleaching to remove those stains of his teeth..

Pre - Operative Photograph

And after giving him 45 mins of a single sitting have a look of what his teeth have turned into...

Post - Operative Photograph

To Read more about what TEETH WHITENING is all about Click Here