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A Bride’s Pre-Wedding Smile Checklist

Before the Big Day, it’s imperative that the new age bride and grooms take care to look their best. Since the Big Day will come, you and your smile will be the centre of all attention and the photos and videos will record memories for many years to come.

If you are conscious of the way your teeth look for your wedding, then you’ll need to add some dental appointments to your to-do list. Whether it’s a change in colour, shape or alignment, your dentist can provide you various options. Some cosmetic dental treatments can take longer than a few weeks, so you’ll want to be sure that you get that desired smile within the time frame you have.

We have listed down some of the common issues that our brides have faced and the time you will need to bedazzle your smile on your BIG DAY !!!

1 WEEK – 1 MONTH

1. Boring Smile
Tooth jewellery is a fun trend that has picked up in India. The process involves sticking on your tooth a flat gemstone of any shape and colour that u choose.Contrary to the popular belief there’s absolutely no drilling or damage to your teeth. And what you end up with is a sparkle in your smile!

2. Yellow/ brown/black colour smile

Bleaching helps lighten teeth that have been stained, discoloured or darkened which cannot be removed with a regular cleanup. Brides and grooms don’t mind taking that extra step to make sure to flaunt the brightest smile on your big day. Whitening has a variety of options that range from a simple cleaning that can brighten teeth to an actual procedure or home techniques that might create the bedazzled smile you need. One consultation visit maybe good enough to know what is right for you.

3. Big or Crooked Teeth

Some of us may have misshapen teeth that don’t suit our face. If you have defects in size and shape giving you a less than perfect smile, a simple contouring procedure may be just fine. If your teeth have mild flaws, they can be slightly contoured in a quick and painless process making teeth look more aligned and symmetrical.

4. Chipped Teeth or Gaps in your teeth

Mild discrepancies like gaps, crooked or broken teeth can be corrected by tooth fillings that are bonded to an ideal shape, size and colour onto your teeth.Dental bonding fixes gaps, spaces that are in between front teeth to make the teeth look younger and more beautiful. We will mock up the appearance of your teeth so you can preview the obtainable results.

1 MONTH – 6 MONTHS

1. Small Teeth

If you are not happy with the size of your teeth and that has restricted you from smiling your heart out. Then one way you could correct your smile is with veneers. Veneers are thin facings just like cosmetic lenses which cover the teeth 180 degrees in the front to give a perfect shape size and colour. They can be made in a variety of materials which can be customized without harming your teeth and also last longer.

2. Gummy Smile

When you smile and too much gum tissue is exposed. Sometimes the teeth are also exposed even when you are not smiling. The ratio between the lips, gum and teeth are not balanced. Fortunately, your gummy smile can easily be corrected by a gummy smile correction with a simple laser procedure. In 2-3months you can get to adorn a smile you are happy with.

3. Pigmented/ Dark Gums

Even a slight darkening or blackening of the gums could make you highly self-conscious about your face, especially your smile. Just as skin colour comes in a variety of shades, gums do too. You may want to express your confidence and style by redesigning your smile. If that’s the case, consider gum bleaching! A couple of months prior to the big day, gum lightening can help you achieve your dream smile.

6 MONTHS AND MORE

1. Jaw and Bite Problems

Most people do not want to go through the trouble and discomfort of wearing the Metal Braces. A great technology that not many people know of is Invisible Aligners. Most people assume aligning or straightening teeth involves wearing ugly metal braces! A year before the wedding we can achieve corrections in Teeth position with Invisible removable braces called Invisalign.

 

5 Smile Tips for Wedding Planners to Advise Their Couples

Wedding planning can be a challenging field with a wide scope where you must know at least a little about everything! You are not only in charge of putting together a great event but also become so personally involved with the couple and their families that you just have to know what to advise them no matter what they need! If the wedding is your movie you don’t want your stars to look less than perfect so here’s the full lowdown on when what and how to do smile makeovers for your couples (and maybe even you!)

At a recent event at the “Taj Wedding Studio” curated by Wedding Sutra that I was the panel expert for,wedding planners were in high attendance and asked me some very relevant and interesting questions making me realise that they were probably being asked these all the time and having a few SMILE tricks up their sleeves wouldn’t hurt at all:)

1. Whitening is a must (even just a month or a week before the wedding)

For all your brides and even grooms ensure that you inform them that yellow smiles in pictures will be a regret not worth living with.They may not be planning a “White Wedding” but let their smiles not be the damper on their big day. Whitening has a variety of options that range from a simple cleaning that can brighten teeth to an actual procedure or home techniques that might create the brilliant smile we need.One visit maybe good enough or we may discover multiple ways of getting a great smile. You can advise them to look into their personal grooming and smile makeover almost as soon as you get on board since these things can need a fair amount of planning.

2. Sparkling Smiles

Tooth jewellery is a fun trend that picks up seasonally. This process involves sticking a stick on flat gemstone in a shape and colour that u choose. Contrary to popular belief there’s absolutely no drilling or damage to your teeth and what you end up with is a sparkle in your smile!

3. Contouring

Few people have misshapen teeth that don’t suit their face. You may not be able to diagnose what the problem is but the important thing is knowing when you need to refer your bride (or groom). If they have defects in size and shape giving them a less than perfect smile a simple contouring procedure may also end up working just fine. Contouring involves changing the shape and size of teeth without damaging them. For example, a petite bride with a small round face may have sharp and uneven teeth. Reshaping her teeth with softer contours will change her entire look to be extremely attractive and pleasant as the face and teeth will now be in harmony. Teeth to your surprise can even be customised by personality.

4. Veneers

Anyone with a planned and obsessive nature who wants perfection in all their events will also seek the same perfection in their looks. So recommend a dental visit for veneers to your bridezillas. Veneers are thin facings just like cosmetic lenses they cover the teeth 180 degrees in the front to give a perfect shape size and colour. They can be made in a variety of materials without harming your teeth and also last longer. They must be customised over 2-3 sessions and can be tried on before applying so your couple knows what they’re signing up for.

5. Alignment

If your bride or groom have visibly badly aligned teeth it must be your priority to get the message across so they don’t regret changing it. It’s essential you be the bad guy but get what’s needed because you hold that critical advisory role. A great technology that not many people know of is invisible aligners. Most people assume aligning or straightening teeth involves wearing ugly metal braces! 4-12 months before the wedding we can achieve corrections in Teeth position with Invisible Removable Braces called Invisalign. If you’re the reason they can smile straight and bright something they will bless you for throughout life.

So here we are dedicating this blog to the wedding planners out there who do a great job putting together a dream occasion!

6 Things You Didnt Know Your Dentist Was Doing at Your Dental Checkup

When you walk into a dental consult assuming it’ll be just about that tooth which is hurting you’ll be shocked to know that it’s a lot more than just that.Every dentist is meant to evaluate you on a variety of characteristics starting from your mental make up down to your risk assessment. Remember (hangover the line about you’re just a dentist) those movies that talk about dentists not being doctors Well if you read on you’ll know why dentists are doing all the heavy lifting when it comes to your overall health as well.

1.Checking your overall health It starts from the waiting room where we tend to check your overall appearance rule out any obvious syndromes and diseases. Your body language, breathing rate and sometimes even your gait can be telltale signs of underlying problems that when diagnosed well can medically save you years of treatment. A patient of ours was really tall and had a very oddly pronounced bone structure and we ordered hormone tests turns out he had a growth hormone excess which was due to a tumour which was thankfully removed in time. If you were panting getting to your dentist on the first floor you may want to get a fitness assessment for your heart.

2) Checking your facial profile Your face shape colour and size has a lot to do with how your smile fits into that frame. Most dentists have a good idea about your teeth size shape and even alignment even before you open your mouth.

3. Profiling your personality We learn to classify personality types in dental school as this helps us in communicating with you better and also customizing your smiles based on your nature. If you’re a bold female in a corporate job we reckon strong squarish teeth will suit your personality as opposed to round small teeth. If you’re a methodical and detail oriented patient chances are you’re extremely conscious about your dental hygiene as well. If you’re extremely phobic of the entire dental process we have prior assessments for the same to ensure proper treatment approaches suited to your needs.

4.Assessing your genetic propensity When your dental checkup is happening we also take a family history to understand if you are genetically more prone to cavities and dental problems. These patterns have a tremendous genetic repetition and even if you brush twice a day you may wonder why you end up with cavities it could be because genetically you are more prone. This doesn’t mean all is lost but this means that you will have to protect yourself more than regular hygiene methods like a fluoride treatment annually starting from a young age can help give you extra protection.

5.Checking for any joint problems Some of us end up getting severe facial pain and problems with our facial joints near the ears. Since this falls between the grey area of an ear,nose,throat physician or a dentist we don’t know who exactly will solve these problems. But many dentists undertake TMJ studies as a specialty in itself since it’s more to do with jaws and teeth than the ears. A normal checkup will entail assessing your joint is healthy as well.

6) Saving you from Cancer A dentist also must check your gums lips and cheeks to rule out any white patches or growths that may increase your risk of cancer. A routine full-mouth panoramic X-ray is actually legally mandatory after each checkup to rule out any hidden bone or jaw growths.

If you are someone who shudder at the sound of the word dentist, read our blog to help you to take the first step.   http://www.smileessentials.co.in/easing-your-dental-anxieties/

6 Hacks to Get Rid of Bad Breath Forever

Bad breath is the bane of our times!
One of the most common and embarrassing dental complaints which you’re not even sure you should be asking your dentist about!
Also called halitosis this ailment is not really considered a medical condition but it definitely needs you to pay attention to some aspects of your health and lifestyle! Let’s see some simple solutions to ensure you’re never at the giving or receiving end of bad breath.

Oral hygiene measures
Most of us assume we are doing everything we can to stop bad breath but is this really a fact? Are we using the right brush, toothpaste, mouthwash, floss? The most neglected factor in oral hygiene is tongue cleaning. The deposits that accumulate on the tongue are what really cause bacterial breakdown and odour. Ensure your tongue is a healthy pink color with no white deposits with the help of a simple plastic or metal tongue cleaner or even brushing your tongue with your soft bristle toothbrush works just as well.

Dehydration
A common cause of bad breath despite the best oral care is the fact that you are dehydrated and the breakdown products in your gut are releasing odours in your mouth. Keeping your mouth and system moist by frequently sipping water drastically reduces the occurrence of bad breathe. Hydration must be by natural means and not aerated beverages.

Gastric Ailments
Your digestive health plays a big role in keeping your bad breath problems at bay after all the oral cavity is a part of the digestive tract. Gastric reflux plays a role in bad breathe ensuring taking the right supplements like probiotics and antacids to maintain healthy flora in the gut can reduce bad breath simultaneously ensuring better digestive functioning.

Medicines
Certain medical conditions require medications that may release breakdown products which release bad smells as a side effect such as any ammonia or ketone based products. Discontinuing or substitution of these medicines or even combatting side effects with healthier eating and good oral hygiene can reduce the intensity of symptoms.

Dental Problems
Untreated dental areas like decayed teeth and diseased gums can increase the chances of bad breath due to the reservoirs of bacteria that are hard at work releasing gases and toxins that smell terrible.The odour is just a milder byproduct of the massive destruction that’s at play in the oral environment. Restoring your oral cavity by filling decayed teeth and treating gum disease will go a long way in saving your teeth and smile but also relieve you of this persistent problem once and for all.

Habits
Smoking is one of the most notorious habits implicated in bad breath. However smokers In general are extremely paranoid about overcompensating for this by overindulging in the use of breath sprays, tongue mists, mouthwashes and chewing gums to mask the smell. An easier alternative would just be to quit the habit and reverse the effects.
Due to the rampant nature of this problem a variety of medicines,home remedies,natural or Ayurvedic solutions and a host of over the counter products are available to suppress the symptom of bad breath.
But we do hope this article helps you understand the real causes of bad breath and eliminate them permanently instead of resorting to any quick fixes!

5 Signs You Need a Root Canal Treatment

Easily one of the most feared and yet most avoidable treatments in medical history. There’s a lot of fear and many misconceptions about the concept of a root canal. So let’s break it down for you to understand what is a root canal and when you or your loved ones may need one. Root canal treatment is recommended when decay in the mouth (popularly known as a cavity) reaches the third and innermost layer of your tooth.(The teeth are made of 2 hard layers of enamel and Dentin and a soft layer of nerves and blood vessels called the pulp)


It’s when decay reaches this pulp layer is when a patient needs to get a root canal treatment

This procedure involves:

Effective anesthesia
Getting rid of decay
Dissolving the soft layer of nerves that cause pain
Shaping the area to receive a filling
Placing the soft filling
Reconstructing the hard layers of the tooth

Sounds simple enough so what’s all the hoopla about?? The reason for the unpopularity or urban myths around this treatment is Step number 2 when done wrong can be extremely painful. The earlier concept of pulling out the nerve is now replaced by just dissolving it (much more humane) and of course Pain Free. That being said “Prevention is always the best remedy” Fortunately root canals take months and sometime years of neglect before developing so here are your warning signs.

#1-Long term food lodgement

If you are looking for toothpicks after every meal chances are that there’s a tooth in the back of your mouth that has been trapping everything you eat for a few months.This food getting stuck indicates a gap or breach in your teeth which starts of small and then becomes huge as even an entire piece of your tooth may have broken off.Initially, the food gets annoying but over time when it gets stuck can trigger of a lot of

#2 – Feeling a hole in the mouth

While brushing and with your tongue you clearly feel a hole in your mouth like a piece of a tooth broken off or a gaping hole that catches everything Depending on the size of this hole and even the duration since it’s happened and you first noticed it are both directly proportional to the chances of it needing a root canal treatment. So any hole u notice should be checked on high priority

#3 – Heightened sensitivity and inability to chew

If any area in the mouth is sensitive to hot cold or sweet foods so much so that the sensation lingers on for a few minutes and you tend to chew on the other side. It definitely implies you need a dental visit most likely for a deep filling or a root canal therapy.

#4 – Taking painkillers to soothe your pain

Maybe you’re too busy or just too scared to make an appointment but if you’re already on painkillers to dull your pain, chances are you’ll need a RCT. The painkillers may work for a while but will soon become ineffective as the infection grows.

#5 -Shooting Pain in the night

This is typical of a root canal patient who can’t sleep at night due to the pressure change in the nerve (pulp chamber) which occurs in the lying down position and triggers of major discomfort in any position. The idea is not to let it get to this stage.

Even if you are positive for some or all of these signs,It’s best to get yourself treated at the earliest as the higher Price to pay would be losing the tooth altogether. *A crown is often needed to reinforce and strengthen the remaining tooth structure. So no matter your stage of decay get it checked as soon as possible so you don’t have to endure the dreaded root canal and even if you do ensure you get it treated the painless way 😉

 

Creating a Pain Free Future for Our Next Generation

“Brush Kar lo nahin toh doctor injection de dega“

“Please Chocolate mat khaana tumhare daant sad jayenge”

Remember as children if we wouldn’t brush,the myriad threats we would face from doctors,injections or even the fear of tooth extractions would suffice to make anything to do with teeth-brushing or treatments absolutely dreadful! My childhood was spent avoiding brushing at night and sneaking in sweets and my only dental visits were for braces and they started of on an unpleasant note with 4 extractions and that’s the only memory I have when someone says Dentist!!

Until I became one and started realizing that we could affect this change ONE SMILE at a time.

Dentistry has changed drastically if we are willing to adapt to that change. National Children’s Dental Health Month should be more than a calendar month.Let’s make a positive change for our future generations.

Here are 5 key factors to eliminating fear in a child’s mind.

1. No More Threats If you’re a parent,teacher,caregiver or even a doctor stop threatening.Start at home by eliminating threats from your vocabulary. We transmit our fears unknowingly to our young ones it’s time we became conscious of the impact our words have on their psyche.

 

2.Make It Fun As parents we are diligent in our research to figure what’s the best way my child should brush or the best product to use but we seldom look into how to make it more fun. We just impose brushing and expect the child to follow suit. We often advise parents that making your child’s brushing activity fun by using apps,games,gadgets and music can go a long way in their dental health for life.So don’t stress about what to brush with but rather how should your child be taking up to brushing and oral hygiene in general.

 

3.Research a Painfree specialist The term family dentist is totally passé there is no such concept anymore.With a wide variety of specialisations and recent advances just one person is not expected to handle the dental needs of your entire family. Pediatric dentists are specialized to work on children and there adult specialists who treat different dental maladies be it your root canals,gum problems,teeth alignment and even teeth replacement. Be sure to choose a compassionate care provider whose prime concern is to ensure that pain should be the last thing you or your child are feeling in the chair.

 

4.Memorable First Visit It’s a special day when a child visits a dentist for the first time. It can be the start of a life long relationship with the dental care provider and even their concept in general with their own dental health. The doctor must ensure they take all the measures to make a positive impact on the patients mind always maintaining an encouraging tone rather than an intimidating authoritative attitude. A variety of exciting surprises can be prepared for your child’s dental visit based on their age so that they walk out smiling.

 

5.Rewards If your child was brave enough to go through a dental visit and battle the demons that we have so meticulously planted in their minds,let us at least make sure they’re rewarded starting from the clinic itself and even back at home. Be it their favorite thing to eat or a small present that they have been vying for try and create a positive memory association or rewarding good behavior at the dentist. This will ensure that your child is ready for the next visit. Let me summarize with every parents checklist for their child’s healthy dental future. If you have

  1. refrained from threatening or bullying your child into brushing,
  2. he finds it a fun activity,
  3. has been to Pain-free expert and had an excellent first dental visit with a reward commemorating his behaviour need I say you’ve done your best!

Oil Pulling – Miracle or Fad?

DR. DIKSHA TAHILRAMANI BATRA

Dentist

After multiple patients have asked us about the authenticity of oil pulling as a technique, here’s what we have to say: There is no denying all of us wait for a miracle cure to that terrible disease called dental decay. Much of a dentists’ or a dental hygienists’ time goes into answering the question,

“WHY DO CAVITIES HAPPEN?  OR  HOW DO I PREVENT CAVITIES?”

While people usually assume the answer is brushing and flossing there are some lesser known ancient techniques and some ultramodern gadgets that have contributed to our arsenal of options to keep your mouth healthy. Oil pulling being one of them has been in the limelight of late.

WHAT IS OIL PULLING?

This oral therapy is a type of Ayurvedic medicine that dates back 3,000 years. It involves swishing approximately 1 tablespoon of oil — typically coconut, sesame, or sunflower oil in semisolid form (as shown in the pic) in your mouth for about 20 minutes and then spitting it out.

Start with just 5 minutes a day. Twenty minutes of swishing is a long time, and while the longer you pull, the more bacteria you’ll remove, 5 or 10 minutes will still offer some benefit. A gentle swishing, pushing, and sucking the oil through the teeth is all that’s required.” Don’t swallow. “If you find it hard not to, you likely have too much oil in your mouth,” “Spit it out and try again with a smaller amount.” Just discard the used oil into the nearest cup or trash can.

WHY OIL PULLING? HOW DOES IT WORK?

Recent studies show that oil pulling helps against gingivitis, plaque, and microorganisms that cause bad breath. How? “Most microorganisms inhabiting the mouth consist of a single cell,” Cells are covered with a lipid, or fatty, membrane, which is the cell’s skin. When these cells come into contact with oil, a fat, they naturally adhere to each other.”

WHICH OIL ?

Use coconut oil. While you can get the same bacteria-fighting benefits with sesame or sunflower oil, coconut oil has the added benefit of lauric acid, which is well-known for its anti-microbial agents. Also, a recent study found that coconut oil may help prevent tooth decay. “Coconut and sunflower oil aren’t the only oils with dental health benefits. For irritated, inflamed gums, rub a little Vitamin E oil directly on the surface. It’s rich in antioxidants, easily absorbed, and helps regenerate healthy gum tissue.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

  • Reducing decay
  • Whitening teeth –by keeping clean and smooth surfaces that do not lodge food.
  • Eliminates bad breath
  • Preventing gum infections caused by harmful bacteria in the mouth

EXPERT TIP

It doesn’t reverse the effects of tooth decay, but it’s a great supplemental therapy to reduce the bacterial count in the mouth thereby decreasing the likelihood of decay and other dental and systemic diseases. The only disclaimer we would want to put in is –

  • Do not ingest or swallow the oil in all your enthusiasm and,
  • Don’t skip brushing and flossing. Oil pulling should never replace routine dental visits and traditional home oral care.

While oil pulling can’t change your life or make you never need to go to a dentist again -try it for yourself, if it reduces your chances of decay and maybe even helps you ace your next dental visit with no new cavities. We say thumbs up! PULL AWAY!! Please try this safe and natural practice and let us know how you find it in the comments section.

REFERENCES

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/oil-pulling http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/the-7-health-benefits-of-oil-pulling http://www.ada.org/en/science-research/science-in-the-news/the-practice-of-oil-pulling http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/article%20oil%20pulling.htm

RIGHT ALL YOUR WRONGS- LEARN THE IDEAL BRUSHING HABITS!

DR. DIKSHA TAHILRAMANI BATRA
Dentist
BRUSHING TOO HARD
All of us have heard by now that brushing hard may not be the solution to our dental woes.Going the soft gentle and frequent way is what we need to do so if you’re still in the habit of waging a morning battle with your teeth let’s try and remind ourselves to be gentle and clean them like porcelain not scrub them like the toilet bowl.

 

HARDLY BRUSHING

If you’re in the habit of hardly brushing which means either brushing too quickly or brushing just once a day it can cost you! As food accumulates and bacteria breakdown this accumulated food into acids which dissolve enamel -cavities are formed. These cavities need dental visits to fill up. If small they can be done sooner and economically but if large they can end up causing you a lot of pain and even requiring multiple avoidable sittings.

 

 

BRUSHING WITH HARD BRISTLES

Hard bristles tend to damage the teeth and we see multiple patients with severely work down teeth by just self inflicted brushing damage. Imagine thinking you’re preventing a problem and actually creating one. While we commend the efforts of anyone who looks after their oral health we also ensure that overzealous brushes should use nothing more than extra soft bristles.

 

 

NOT REPLACING YOUR BRUSH

Replacing your brush is the most neglected aspect of oral hygiene that leaves everyone guessing  and being a small detail even your dentist would most likely forget to discuss it. So here’s the answer to your dilemma of when to replace your brush – ideally every 3-4 months or when the bristles start to fray whichever happens first. Replacing brushes or brush heads has even proven to reduce throat infections as old bristles tend to start harbouring bacteria besides being inefficient at cleaning as well.

 

 

NOT FLOSSING

Flossing hasn’t been in our culture or education. We probably encountered a floss much later than we saw or learnt to use a brush. It’s very important that just like brushing is second nature to us or comes automatically so should flossing be taught and instilled in our system. Flossing prevents the most number of cavities even more than brushing since not all brushes reach the areas that entrap food but floss definitely does. It is ideally recommended to start your cleaning routine by flossing and then brushing. An inexpensive method to save a lot of time and dental costs.

 

 

 

 

Involuntary Oral Habits That Are Eating Away Your Smile

DR. DIKSHA TAHILRAMANI BATRA

Dentist

CLENCHING OR NIGHT GRINDING

If you have ever experienced a strong emotion of either anger or resolve you may realise our body tenses up and our teeth clench.If this is not a frequent occurrence the damage maybe minimal but as sports people or someone with a bad temper you may actually end up wearing down your teeth considerably. Now a large part of this habit is semi voluntary you can remind yourself to control it but a few people suffer from an entirely involuntary condition called night grinding or bruxism.

Unfortunately here you have no awareness of doing the grinding except maybe waking up with a sore jaw or a headache but the person sleeping beside you can even hear you gnashing your teeth. Needless to say the damage this is silent destroyer is causing is significant and rapid. The best solution if diagnosed with this habit is to start wearing a night guard which is a thin plastic appliance that fits snugly on your teeth similar to a sports guard so that it protects your teeth and wears down before your teeth do. Also the jaw separation it creates puts your muscles at ease and they don’t get activated or clench anymore.

MOUTH BREATHING

Many people are unaware of this habit entirely.A very common condition mouth breathing occurs more so when you’re sleeping and tend to breathe more through your mouth than your nose. This condition can be a result of the way your nasal passages and throat are shaped.It commonly occurs in people with a deviated nasal septum as well.The main sign to know if you’re mouth breathing or not is if you wake up with an extremely dry mouth,at times bad breathe and tend to have red irritated gums that bleed often on brushing.

Mouth breathing also predisposes you to snoring so if you haven’t started yet if you’re a mouth breather chances are you will start snoring as well. It usually can be corrected surgically and if not severe snoring particularly can be corrected by oral appliances or oxygen machines which supplement the air reaching your lungs.

TONGUE THRUSTING

This habit develops at childhood or birth and is also attributed to the tongue shape and the structure of the palate and throat. A person having this habit tends to push the teeth out while swallowing as a result they present with spaced out teeth and a large tongue. To prevent the need for braces catching this habit early on and wearing an appliance to control it would be best. If spaces have already increased then best form of closing the gaps would be either with braces or by cosmetic fillings.’

CHEEK BITING

A surprisingly unnoticeable habit people tend to chew their inner cheek or parts of their lip when under stress or deep thought.While this habit can seem harmless it can create a long term wound in the mouth which can either balloon up with fluids or be subject to infection. Chronic injuries or wounds should never be left unnoticed and habits like these should be discontinued to avoid discomfort and the eventual need for treatment.

EXPOSURE TO ALTERNATING EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE

Another very ignorant but seemingly harmless habit is to eat a hot meal and down it with a glass of ice cold water or have a hot drink and second it with Ice cream. While the effects of this habit may only show up in the long term what it does is create an impact on the enamel and slowly cause the teeth to become sensitive. While our teeth are extremely hardy and don’t breakdown until exposed to hundreds of millions of such daily stimuli, the best solution is to keep an intermittent time gap between the extremes of temperature in order not to shock the nerves that rest within your teeth to become hypersensitive.

Easing Your Dental Anxieties

DR. DIKSHA TAHILRAMANI BATRA

Dentist

Dental anxiety or the fear of dentistry has been a buzz word for many to ignore and avoid trips to the dental chair unless there’s a very strong pain related stimulus to do so. While going to the dentist has never been perceived as a pleasant predicament to be in,the levels or degree to which they feel this unpleasantness,can vary widely from person to person.

There are those of us who just feel like procrastinating the appointment and then there are those of us who cannot sleep the previous night and pass out or throw up when we actually make it to the appointment. Scientific basis underlying this is the degree of fear that you associate with the experience,so no matter whether you are just anxious or downright phobic here are a few things that’ll help you keep your emotions and fear in check.

ALL TALK NO WORK – DISCUSSION BASED APPOINTMENT

If you’re anxious or phobic it helps to ensure that you have all your concerns addressed before you jump on to the chair (and so to speak the Unknown).

Help your dentist identify the things that maybe difficult for you.People are usually scared of particular things like for some of maybe the sound of the drill, for others the water in their mouth so ensure you identify and communicate what’s most unacceptable to you so that the dentist can be cautious and customize your treatment.

TIMING IS KEY

Fix your appointment before pain hits. Communicate the degree of fear while making the appointment or request a tele consult to discuss your particular concerns.

Try and schedule a time when you can ensure the doctor is expecting you and won’t keep you waiting so your anxiety doesn’t grow.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

When choosing a practice ensure you know what their philosophy is in general and how do they manage dental pain ,  anxiety and phobias. It would be advisable to ensure you are going to a practice trained and geared to manage your specific issues. Besides being a great dental clinic with the right team and technology  the doctor needs to empathize with the reality of dental fear and should be trained to treat you in a different way then regular patients who can check in advance if the practice is Pain free,

if you do end up doing the procedure.

BREAK YOUR FEAR INTO BITE SIZED CHUNKS

Then ensure you choose to start with a smaller treatment and a shorter session like a cleaning or something that you don’t attach fear to.

Once you have a rapport with the doctor you tend to build trust and get comfortable you can start coming in more regularly.

DO NOT DO AN INTERNET SEARCH ON YOUR PROBLEM OR TALK TO FRIENDS OR RELATIVES

The worst thing an anxious patient can do is tap the wrong resource for information. Please ensure that you are not self diagnosing and finding things that match your symptoms online.Things appear way more gory than they actually are on the Internet! Another mistake that people make often is discussing their dental problem with friends and family who further scare you with their bad experiences and your fear is compounded to a point where you now think all their cumulative dental mishaps are sure to happen to you.Our advice is follow the above steps find the right doctor and then just sit back relax and enjoy your smile !