D E N T I S T R Y
Dental Care to Overall Wellness
Good oral health can help control and/or lessen the risk associated with heart disease, diabetes, pregnancy, and other conditions. It can also improve self-esteem because healthy teeth and gums are important to how people feel about themselves.
Tooth decay and gum disease can lead to the yellowing of the teeth, loss of teeth, bad breath and tooth damage. These kinds of cosmetic problems can impact your confidence and make you insecure about your appearance. Regular dental care can prevent much of this damage, and existing damage can usually be repaired.
Oral health affects your life in ways that are often taken for granted. Your mouth can reflect the overall health of your body, showing signs of infection or disease before you experience other symptoms. It’s a commonly overlooked aspect of health management, but one that is crucial to your well beings.
Preserving Your Pearly Whites
Preventative dental care requires only minor steps to avoid serious problems with your teeth and gums. Brushing and flossing regularly will greatly benefit your oral health, but routinely seeing a dentist is the only sure way to identify and treat problems
Prevent Serious Health Complications
The complications from a lack of dental care can extend far beyond gingivitis. There’s a proven link between gum disease and heart disease, and gum disease can also indicate a risk of preterm childbirth in pregnant women. Additionally, almost all systemic diseases have an oral component. This includes oral cancer, diabetes, and kidney disease.
Increase Confidence
A lack of dental care can become visually apparent over time. Tooth decay and gum disease can lead to the yellowing of the teeth, loss of teeth, bad breath and tooth damage. These kinds of cosmetic problems can impact your confidence and make you insecure about your appearance. Regular dental care can prevent much of this damage, and existing damage can usually be repaired.
Avoid Costly Procedures
Getting regular checkups and cleanings might seem like an unnecessary expense, but skipping them can lead to costly procedures. For example, a simple and inexpensive cavity left unchecked can grow, requiring a costly root canal or cap.
Decrease Pain
Most dental maladies manifest with some form of oral pain. A toothache usually signals a problem or infection. Intense oral pain can lead to an inability to concentrate and severe headaches. If the source of the pain is an infection, it will only get worse, and the infection can lead to serious complications.
The Checkup
At a dental check-up, your dental hygienist will check for cavities, and X-rays might be taken to determine if any cavities are present. The exam also includes a check for plaque and tartar buildup. Plaque is a clear layer of bacteria that can harden and become tartar. You cannot remove tartar with brushing, which is why it’s crucial to see your dentist to prevent issues like this. There should also be an examination of the soft tissue to look for swelling, redness, and any signs of cancer.
Dental Care for a Positive Lifestyle
Maintaining good dental hygiene is vital to living a positive, healthy life. Taking charge of your health can be very empowering, and provides you with peace of mind. As is the case with all medical treatment, preventative care can save you time, money and stress.
DENTAL CARE SERVICES
1. Preventive Dentistry : Complete dental check up. Comprehensive treatment plan to take care of disease already present and directions on how to prevent further dental problems.
(a) Cavity sealants to prevent Cavities in permanent teeth
(b) Prophylatic Scaling to prevent gum Diseases
(c) Fluoride Applicaton to prevent cavities in milk teeth
2. Conservative Dentistry : Teeth with Cavities (Carious) are treated filled using tooth coloured filling materials.
(a) Fillings are done where the damage is not extensive
(b) Root canal Treatment is done when the infection has caused extensive damage to the tooth. Latest State of the art materials and techniques are used by specialists.
(c) Crowns are placed on teeth which have undergone Root Canal Treatment to reinforce the damaged teeth.
3. Pediatric Dentistry
(a) Cavity sealants and fluoride applications are done as a part of the protocol to prevent dental diseases in children.
(b) Pulpotomy and pulpectomy are undertaken where needed and special pediatric crowns are placed.
(c) Children are treated by a specialist. In those cases where the young child is unable to get treatment done, the hospital provides the specialized services of Sedation or General Anesthesia where the child can be treated without any discomfort or pain.
4. Prosthodontics
(a) Teeth which have been extracted are replaced using state of the art technology and materials.
(b) Dental Implants are gold standard today for replacing teeth. An Implant is basically an artificial root. This is put into the bone to replace the roots of the extracted teeth. Then the replacement teeth are attached to the implant. This is important because it preserves the bone also. It is documented to last a life time.
(c) Fixed Bridges are made using the state of the art materials. Not only the standard porcelain fused to metal bridges are being made, but the newer Metal Free Ceramic bridges are being made. Life of a bridge is dependent on the teeth on which it rests. It is documented to last eight to ten years.
(d) Removable Dentures using the conventional hard acrylic or the newer flexible materials are given in those situations where the patient is not in a position to get fixed teeth placed. The chewing efficiency is only 40% of the normal chewing efficiency. Removable dentures also accelerate bone resorption, hence are last choice to replace missing teeth.
(e) Obturators are made for those patients who require them.
5. Periodontics
(a) Routine scaling is advised for everyone every six months. This is a Prophylactic procedure and prevents gum diseases.
(b) In those cases where gums bleed or are infected, deep subgingival Scaling and curettage is done.
(c) Gingivectomy is done when there is Gum Enlargement.
(d) Bone augmentation is done in cases of bone loss due to gum disease
6. Oral & Maxillofacial surgery
(a) Wisdom Tooth Extraction is done routinely in cases where the last molar gets stuck in the jaws due to inadequate space in the jaws.
(b) Cysts and Tumours of the Jaws are operated
(c) Maxillofacial Trauma is treated
(d) Tempro Mandibular Joint disorders are treated
(e) Surgical correction of jaw deformities is done
(f) Orthognatic Surgery is done as a team effort with the orthodontist.
7. Orthodontics
(a) Braces are used to correct crooked or protruding teeth and jaws to improve aesthetics and function
(b) Removable and Fixed Appliances are both available and are chosen specific to the requirement of each case
(c) Ceramic Tooth Coloured Braces are now more commonly being used
(d) Stainless steel Braces are still the main stay.
(e) Clear aligners are also used
(f) Adult orthodontic treatment is done
(g) Cleft lip and palate Orthodontic Correction is done as a team effort with the surgeons
8. Dental Implants
(a) Dental Implants are used to replace missing and extracted teeth. Today this is the most scientific procedure
(b) The advantage is that there is no damage to the adjacent teeth as in the conventional bridge and no need to remove removable dentures at night. Dental Implants also preserve the bone and hence reduce the appearance of sagging cheeks associated with ageing
(c) The chewing efficiency is on par with the chewing efficiency of natural teeth. These are documented to last for a life time.
9. Cosmetic Dentistry
(a) Bleaching and Whitening to lighten the colour of the teeth is done
(b) Veneers are made to correct the colour and shape of the front teeth
(c) Complete Smile Design is done
10. X-Rays
Specialized chairside digital Xrays are available.
These are designed to have a very low radiation exposure and the picture is instantaneous thus time saving.