What to do in Common Dental Emergencies

The chances of a tooth surviving after an injury depends largely on what is done between the time the injury occurs and the time the patient presents to the dentist.

• A cut on your lip, cheek or tongue: first rinse out with warm water and salt. If it is a small cut(such as a bite), bleeding will stop on its own; however, if it's a deep cut, you will need to apply some pressure on the wound using a clean/new piece of cloth(preferably a white handkerchief) for 15 to 20 mins. If bleeding doesn't stop, keep applying pressure on the wound and visit a dentist or a hospital emergency unit immediately.
• Toothache: rinse out with warm water and salt. Then gently floss the area to remove any food particle(do not apply aspirin on the tooth). You can take 'pain relief' and see your dentist as soon as possible.
• If your tooth fractures(breaks off): locate the broken piece, then rinse your mouth with warm water. If you notice bleeding from the tooth, apply a piece of gauze/clean folded piece of cloth(white handkerchief) and bite on it for about 10 mins. See a dentist immediately. You also can apply ice wrapped in a piece of cloth on the cheek to prevent swelling. 
• When the whole tooth is knocked out after a blow or fall: If it is an adult tooth, carefully pick the tooth by the crown being mindful not to touch the root(the long part of the tooth not visible in the mouth). Rinse it to remove dirt without scrubbing or touching the root and gently place the tooth back in its place taking care to put it rightly. If you are not able to replace the tooth, you can keep it in a cup of milk or place the tooth between your cheek and gum and see a dentist immediately(do not delay). If the tooth is a baby tooth, do not place back in the socket. 
• For those with cemented crowns. If your Crown(artificial cap)comes off: keep the crown and see your dentist immediately(with the crown). If the tooth is painful/sensitive, try sitting the crown back on your tooth. You can apply a temporary dental cement sold in the drug store to hold it down. 
• If the filling on your tooth comes off: to prevent sensitivity, you can place a dental cement sold in the drug store temporarily or place 'chewed' sugarless gum to cover the gap.
• If something is stuck between your teeth: gently use floss to take it out. If floss doesn't work, please see your dentist immediately. Trying to pick it out may cause more pain and damage to your gum.
• In those with braces or jaw wires, if you have a piece of wire sticking out and irritating your gum, cheek or tongue, place some wax or a ball of cotton wool on the tip of the wire. Don't try to move it around as it may cause more damage. Visit your dentist as soon as possible.

Emergencies occur without warnings. Knowing what to do when they happen help reduce the pain and complications.

Read More

4 Dental Tips that will boost your Confidence when Meeting a Client/Attending an interview

When you are meeting a client for the first time or attending an interview, you certainly want to leave a good impression about yourself. You will need to pay good attention to your mouth and teeth if you don't want your client covering his/her nose or keeping some distance between you.

Tips

1. Brush your teeth and tongue before attending 'the meeting': you can keep a toothbrush and paste in your office for emergency uses. 
2. Always floss after eating: a piece of vegetable stuck in between the teeth is not going to get you a good score.
3. You can also chew mint flavored sugarless gum to give you fresh breath. Remember to discard the gum as your client may not take you seriously if you are seen chewing gum during the meeting/interview.
4. Go for regular dental check up during which your dentist will clean your teeth and check to see if you have holes to fill.

Taking good care of your Teeth will boost your confidence and help you land that dream job.

Read More

RCT: An Alternative to Removing your Tooth

RCT- Root Canal Treatment/Root Canal Therapy

A root canal is simply a treatment done on an infected or damaged tooth. It is usually done to save the tooth rather than removing it.

What is a Canal?
Each tooth consists of a compartment known as the 'power house' of the tooth. It houses the nerves and blood vessels which supplies the tooth it's nutrients. This compartment is within the root of the tooth and it is known as a canal, hence the name root canal.

Root Canal Treatment in simple terms:
When your dentist does a root canal, he/she simply gains access into the compartment of your tooth(the canal/canals), removes the infected nerves and blood vessels, shapes and disinfects the canals and then seal it up.

A root canal can be a lengthy procedure. It is sometimes completed at a single sitting; however, if your tooth is infected, your dentist may require you to come a couple of times before completing the treatment.

What next after RCT?
After completing the treatment, your dentist will talk to you about putting a crown(cap) on the tooth to reinforce it and prevent it from breaking off.

In some cases, your dentist may not be able to save the tooth and so root canal treatment won't be an option. e.g. in cases where a large part of the tooth has been affected by tooth decay.

Read More

What It Means To Have an Extra Tooth

A person is said to have an extra tooth if the tooth is an addition to the normal series of teeth. Your dentist may refer to the word 'supernumerary' it simply means extra tooth.

Types of Extra Teeth

• Mesiodens: an extra tooth located in the middle of the two front teeth in the upper jaw. 

• Paramolar is an extra tooth located around the molar region while a distomolar is located behind the last molar(wisdom tooth).

• An extra tooth shaped like another “normal” tooth, is called a supplemetal tooth. 

• Aesthetics: when located in the front of the jaw, it gives an unsightly look.

• Sometimes, the reason a tooth is delayed in its coming into the mouth is due to obstruction by an extra tooth. In this instance, the extra tooth is removed to allow the normal tooth come into the mouth.

• The presence of an extra tooth may lead to the teeth being tightly packed together making it difficult to clean the teeth which can lead to tooth decay.

Sometimes extra teeth may be present in the bone without showing in the mouth. This is usually detected by taking X-rays of the jaw.

Most dentists recommend removing extra teeth due to the various problems associated with them. These include:

Please note that this is different from cases where the baby tooth has not fallen off but the child already has the adult teeth. Click Help! Another Tooth is growing behind my Child's Baby tooth.

Concerned about your extra tooth, see a dentist.

Read More

How do you handle getting a Tooth extracted(removed)?

Tips

1. Be relaxed: there is need for you to keep calm. 
2. Inform your Dentist of any Medical condition: It is important you inform your dentist of your medical history such as: hypertension, diabetes, asthma etc. Also inform him/her of any drug allergies or medication you might be using presently. It is expected that an asthmatic patient will bring his/her inhaler along. 
3. Except instructed not to eat, it is advisable to take something before coming to the dental clinic. Not eating translates to having low glucose in the blood(hypoglycemia) which may trigger a fainting spell. 
4. You will not feel pain: No dentist will take out your tooth without giving you something to take the pain away -anesthesia. Your tooth will be totally numb so don't worry about pain. It is however important to differentiate between pain and pressure. The anesthesia will take away the feeling of pain but not pressure hence you may feel the dentist working on your tooth. You may feel the tug and pull but it won't be painful.
5. Raise your left hand to get the Dentists attention: If you feel uncomfortable or still feel pain during the procedure, simply raise your left hand for the dentist to see. Your dentist will not hesitate to give you more anaesthesia to ensure numbness of the tooth.

In all, relax and enjoy the experience.

Read More

Brushing too hard can make your Teeth go from White to Yellow

In order to achieve whiter teeth, a number of people think they are not brushing hard enough hence, they apply so much force while brushing their teeth and make use of very hard toothbrushes.

The enamel which is the outer layer of the tooth is usually light yellow to grayish white in colour while that of the dentine-the inner layer is yellow.

The normal colour of the teeth is off-white and not fully white.

When you brush vigorously with a hard toothbrush, you wear off the outer surface of the teeth which is light yellow to grayish white thereby showing the colour of the inner layer which is yellowish in colour.

In other words, instead of getting brighter teeth, your teeth will end up turning darker/yellowish.

Remember, brushing very hard will not get you whiter teeth rather, the harder you brush, the more yellowish your teeth will be.

Take caution: brush with a medium textured toothbrush.

Read More

Do you know that Chewing Gum is good for your Teeth?

Yes chewing gum is a healthy habit that is good for your teeth. But before you start chewing just any gum, let me state here that dentists only recommend chewing 'Sugarless' gum.

Sugarless/sugar free gum are chewing gums that do not contain sugar which causes tooth decay. They contain sweeteners such as xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol etc.

When you chew sugarless gum, it encourages increase in the flow of saliva. Saliva is a natural cleansing liquid, it helps get rid of food particles on the teeth. Saliva also helps neutralize the acids that may have been produced by bacteria in the mouth thereby preventing tooth decay.

Chewing for at least 20mins after eating or taking drinks stimulate the flow of saliva which helps cleanse the teeth. The chewing action also helps remove food particles stuck on the chewing surfaces of teeth.

Benefits of chewing sugarless gum include:

1. Prevents tooth decay/Cavities
2. Strengthens the teeth: the calcium present in saliva help strengthen the teeth.
3. Freshens breath: mint containing sugarless gum helps freshen your breath.

To prevent tooth decay, brush twice daily with a fluoride containing toothpaste.

Read More

Leaving Feeding Bottles in your Baby's mouth overnight can damage his/her Teeth

When a baby wakes up to feed at night, the most comfortable thing for the mother to do is to reach out for the feeding bottle, place in her baby's mouth and continue with her sleep. Though it saves the mother stress, this action is detrimental to the health of the baby.

Babies without teeth may get away with this type of feeding. However, once your baby starts bringing out his/her teeth, there is risk of developing tooth decay(holes on the teeth).

Whenever your baby feeds, saliva helps clean off residual milk from their teeth. The rate at which saliva cleans the teeth when we are asleep is lower than when awake so it is important to make sure that your baby doesn't have any food in his/her mouth when sleeping.

Most times when you insert the feeding bottle at night, the baby doesn't finish the milk or beverage before falling asleep and so has milk in his/her mouth for a long period of time. When the conditions are conducive for the sugar loving bacteria, they start acting on the teeth to cause tooth decay. This type of decay is also known as baby bottle decay/early childhood decay.

Your baby may likely have decay if you notice:

• Unsightly brown spots on the teeth
• Tooth starts chipping off
• Pain if decay is not managed early
• Pus discharge from tooth which signifies infection
• Eventual Tooth loss

Although baby bottle decay can affect other teeth, it occurs commonly on the upper front teeth. This is because the tongue covers the lower teeth during bottle feeding.

How to Prevent Baby Bottle Tooth decay

• Don't put sweet things such as beverages in their bottles at night.
• Remove all left over food such as biscuits when you notice your child has fallen asleep.
• Brush your baby's teeth regularly.
• Visit the dentist as soon as you notice any changes in your child's teeth.

Read More