Stressed out????? Hey it isTime to visit your dentist

Do you get easily irritated? Do you often find yourself racing throughout the day to finish all your tasks? Do you make a big deal out of everything? If you answer yes to all questions, it’s a sign that you are stressed out. Stress is something that affects all people. With the lifestyle and workloads people have these days it’s not uncommon to find people easily aggravated and tired. The fast pace of life to make the ends meet or to achieve the peer levels have stressed the young and the old alike .The pressures of economic ,social ,& Job related troubles  generate stress related health problems  not excluding dental health . You're probably aware of what stress does to our bodies -- it can cause anxiety disorders and panic attacks, and a lack of sleep can lead to grogginess and irritability. But stress and oral health is an entirely new ballgame for most people. Unfortunately, our mouths have just as much of a chance of being affected by stressful situations as our bodies and minds do. Researchers have found a significant link between stress and oral health, helping us better understand what part anxiety and depression take in the development of dental problems. We now know that stress is a contributing factor to the following conditions: Bruxism -- Stress can cause us to grind our teeth at night, leading to tooth damage.  The squeaky sounds of night grinding may be audible to others. You may wake up tired or having pain on the cheeks and may also have difficulty in opening the mouth. If you're diagnosed with bruxism, a night guard can be prescribed to protect your teeth. Canker Sores -- No one quite knows what exactly causes canker sores or aphthous ulcers, but they are sometimes brought on by stress. Although harmless, these small sores can be painful. Dry Mouth or Xerostomia -- When the mouth doesn't produce enough saliva, it can experience chronic dryness. Not only does dry mouth result from conditions caused by stress, but it is also a common side effect of drugs used to treat depression. If you have xerostomia the chances of getting caries (  dental decay) is much higher. Burning Mouth Syndrome -- Psychological problems are just one of the many factors known to causes burning mouth, which is identified by a burning sensation on the tongue, lips, gums or palate. Lichen Planus -- Lichen planus of the mouth is characterized by white lines, sores and ulcers in the oral cavity. Some experts believe lichen planus is a reaction to stress. TMJ/TMD -- Stress contributes to temporomandibular joint disorders in many fashions. Trauma and tooth grinding are common causes of temporomandibular joint disorders, while emotional factors such as anxiety and depression can also trigger symptoms. Gum Disease -- Studies have shown that long-term stress affects our immune systems, increasing our susceptibility to infections such as periodontal diseases. Other Risk Factors As you can see, stress and oral health often go hand-in-hand, but stress also takes indirect paths to affect your dental health. Patients who are under stress tend to neglect their oral hygiene routines -- when you have so much going on, it's hard to remember to brush correctly. Poor diet is also a result of stress -- sugary and carbohydrate-laden foods that promote tooth decay might be consumed on a more frequent basis when we are busy or depressed. There is yet another significant correlation between stress and oral health -- stress not only causes dental conditions, but painful dental problems can also increase our levels of stress and anxiety. Furthermore, our ability to tolerate pain is compromised as our bodies struggle to adapt to stressful situations. As a result, tooth pain can become more extreme during times of stress. Time to De-Stress! If you're feeling stressed, don't forget about your dental health. Take the time to focus on your oral hygiene regimen, and don't use smoking or alcohol to relieve stress. These habits are highly addictive, and they have damaging effects on your oral cavity. Instead, take proper measures to reduce stress in your life, such as eating well, exercising and getting plenty of sleep. If you suffer from extreme anxiety or depression, seek professional help. If you're worried that stress is affecting your teeth or gums, see a dentist -- he or she can treat dental problems caused by anxiety and offer suggestions for better dental care.

Scared of The Dentists??

Dental care vs dental  scare

“Brush your teeth or I will take you to the dentist. He will pluck all you teeth with injections” yelled Mrs. Meena to her Daughter Tanya at top of her voice that she will brush her teeth before school bus arrives. Daughter Tanya is so scared of dentists that the thought of a dental office or a dentist is always a nightmare.  So she brushes twice daily that she will never need  to go to see a dentist. She developed odontophobia or fear for dentists .

Mrs Meena has not been to the dentist in last 6 years. She always depends on ayurvedic preparations and local chemists for her dental problems. Last visit to the dentist was so scary that in spite of broken teeth on both jaws and difficulty in chewing normal food she never went to any dentist. Now she is confronted with head and ear ache in the evening and all the medical doctors have ruled out any possibility and have prescribed to meet the dentist. With jitter in her body only she can enter the clinic to see the dental expert. By this time she had multiple problems related to the loss of teeth in the back side of the mouth and the joints are damaged to give pain that is unbearable.

Why is it so late?  What prevented the patient from the timely action? The suffering and the torments that the patients are undergoing due to their fear of dentists attributes to major problems in the functioning of the body especially the digestive system. The joint pain due to improper teeth contacts and missing teeth are seen in most of these people.

Odontophobia may not be contributed only to the fear instilled by parents but the  experience shared by colleagues and pictures/videos that portray pain and discomfort during after the dental procedures also could course it. But the main reason can be bad experience at the dentist.

How to Overcome Avoid /Dental scare?

Learn about dental problems and understand the treatment process before doing the procedures on the day of consolation

Always tell the dentist that you fear sensitivity that sound or the sight of needles he can avoid those

Shorten and simplify treatment procedures by using better technology. For Example root canal therapies could be completed on a single visit in just 20 to 45 minutes instead of 4-5 sittings as by convention. Or fixing and activating orthodontic braces is just 2 hour appointment than multiple appointments.

 Treat the problems at the start don’t wait until problem worse prevent problems than treat complexities

 Never tell children stories on injections at dental office or pull-up out teeth if no brushed and soon. Rather take them along with you when you visit the dentist and build a rapport between child &dentist.

What makes them scared?

The sensitivity issue: The drilling machines and the cleaning machines (scalers) may cause some sensitivity.

Post operative pain due to partially disinfected teeth during a root canal therapy.

Cost of dental treatments is another anxiety inducing factor. There are some tips to reduce your overall dental health expenditure.

a)      Have a check up done every six months and follow the oral hygiene instructions as prescribed

b)      Treat your minor problems like sensitivity or dark dental spots or food lodging before it becomes a major problem or pain

c)       Never extract teeth unless broken below the gums or so loose that it falls out

d)      Use good materials with guarantee than cheap materials when used for fillings or restorations that they may stay their permanently for very long  years

e)      Go to a well trained dentist that has time and patience to explain procedures and their advantages and get the best treatment than compromising in treatment.

Dr Thomas Nechupadam

Nechupadam  Dental Clinic

Marine drive

9387277213

ceo@nechupadam.com

How, When and why Brush your teeth

Home care for oral Hygiene (do’s and don’ts)

 Oral hygiene and care was an important aspect of health for centuries. Some people say that they brush their teeth with mango leaves, some with salt and charcoal powder, and others with neem and other plant sticks.  Why, When ,How and with what to brush the teeth is an ongoing question may be sometimes due to the huge advertising campaigns that knocks your intriguing mind with their endless array of “new and Improved versions” in dental /oral care products endorsed by  ultra white toothed celebrities. Do these products help you ward off the dental problems?  

When to Brush your teeth?

Brush your teeth twice Daily but when? The school books say brush in the morning and evening and we get up and go straight to the wash room to brush. Why? You have brushed your teeth after dinner, before you went to bed, you never had any food or sweets after that then what are you brushing off. There is no food debris in your mouth when you wake up so please BRUSH AFTER YOUR BREAKFAST and go fresh to your work place. Night brushing is extremely important because, if you allow food particles to stay in the night overnight the digestive salivary enzymes with breakdown food into acidic elements and bacteria will grow on these food particles and start dental decay.

If you are undergoing orthodontic treatment (braces) make sure that you brush after every meal.

The Indian way of washing your mouth with water after food is better to keep teeth healthy than the westernized use of napkins.

How to choose the Toothbrush?

The use of mango leaves, plant twigs, toothpowder as our forefathers did is fine, if you can live their lifestyle of eating raw vegetables, fruits, sugarcane and other fibrous food (which cleans their tooth while eating them) instead of refined & cooked food .

Use a soft bristled brush with a small head and a triangular end (as shown in picture)  

Triangular head helps to reach the back teeth while brushing. Ends of the bristles should be round to reduce the gingival injury.  Flexible brushes are good as they reduce the pressure on the teeth.

Elderly and Children may opt for electrically charged rotary brushes that can clean effectively with limited hand dexterity.  

The Choice of tooth paste.

So many different flavors, colors, and compositions of toothpaste s are available. What is the priority? To reduce caries you need to have fluoridated toothpaste (may not be used in Andhra Pradesh and other places where there is a very high content of fluorides in the water they drink). To reduce friction it should be foaming and should have pleasant taste. Most foaming fluoridated toothpastes have approximately 1000 ppm of fluoride.

For Children a concentration of 500 ppm is advocated to reduce the side effects of habitual swallowing of fluoridated tooth paste.

Gels and powders may be avoided as they are more abrasive than pastes.

Desensitising tooth pastes may used for cases with sensitivity to cold and hot beverages. Pastes Like Vantej and Colgate Sensitive Prorelief should be applied on affected for 2 or 3 minutes before brushing to be effective. Regular use of desensitizing paste may impart a yellow shade to teeth.

Mouth washes

Different types of mouth washes are available in the market. Medicated chlorhexidine mouthwashes and alcohol based mouth washes are available for specific treatments of the gums. Staining foods and beverages should be avoided during use of Chlorhexidine mouthwashes. Prolonged usage of medicated mouthwashes may reduce the taste sensitivity. Fluoridated mouth washes are beneficial in caries active mouth (prone to dental decay) and in debilitated (medically compromised bedridden)  patients . Desensitising mouth washes are also available to improve the effectiveness of the pastes. All mouth washes should be used undiluted to get the desired effects.

Hot saline (warm salt water) gargle is advisable in cases with oral ulcers or during eruption of teeth to reduce the inflammation. 

Other dental aids

Dental floss should be used for removing any food particles between teeth rather than a toothpick. Interdental brushes may be used to clean the larger gaps if any. Water picks are high pressure water jets that can be used for cleaning teeth at home. These are beneficial in tough cleaning areas like crowded teeth or after periodontal therapy.  Ozonated water jets are also available for dental hygiene.

How to brush?

Have you seen people walking around with the toothbrush in their mouth. If you brush too vigourously with all your might or brush for 15 to 20 minutes you are abrading the enamel of the teeth.

Press a pea sized amount of tooth pasted into the bristles. Brush your teeth for 2-3 minutes. Go around all the teeth from one corner to the other. Give special attention to the back side of the lower front teeth and the last molars. Wash thoroughly and use your brush to clean the tongue. Remove all removable dentures, elastics, appliances before brushing. It is good to use your finger to massage the gums after brushing.  Never brush your teeth in a to and fro motion(the teeth will wear off at the margin joining the gums) but brush it up and down or a rotating motion as the teeth will wear off at the margin joining the gums by the latter technique.

Change tooth brush after 6 months or after  bristles start to fan out. If there is any gum bleeding consult your dentist. Keep your teeth clean and smile confidently.

Dr Thomas Paulose Nechupadam

Nechupadam Dental clinic

Marine Drive, Kochi Kerala, India

0091 9387277213
www.nechupadam.com

Have a beautiful smile

Vacation is coming up.  Most parents look to improve the smiles of their beloved children. But some children are scared of the braces. Teena was just one teenager like that. This sweet girl was active until she came inside the clinic suddenly she ducked behind her mom. She was told that she was the bone whose gonna sit on the dental chair only after they came inside. She was worried about her looks as her pears pull her leg by calling Dracula and soon. But she was more apprehensive about getting braces done. The gory stories explained by her colleagues at school about putting braces always haunted her. But after explaining &showing the possible results she loved the preparation of braces. What are the options of braces  in the new era? There are different types of braces to choose from Begg technique –to lingual orthodontics which can be explained one by one.

Beggs light wire technique this is an Australian technique practised since four decades. The advantage of very light forces and the low costs have made it popular. This needs very good skills of the orthodontist and needs monthly visits. Comparatively rougher than the other techniques but efficient in retracting teeth and gums if done with expertise.

Straight wire technique or pre adjusted edgewise appliances .This is an improved version of the edgewise technique used before the advent of light wire technique. This has advantage of less work for the orthodontist as the brackets are designed to correct the malocclusion if fixed at the precise points on teeth with wire-bracket interaction.

MBT Appliance is another modification of PEA appliance which has better adjustments on the bracket so helps to achieve more aesthetic result.

The lingual appliance-The brackets are placed the lingual side or behind the teeth that they are not visible. This has reduced the stigma of visibility of braces but may cause difficulty in speech during the treatment and has to be checked every month.

The removable clear aligners (Invisalign). Those are removable computer designed plastic mold to tease mold the teeth to desired position using simulated planing on the computer. The price factor and the compliance issues kept this treatment not so favored in India. This is usually done for minor corrections.

 Other Appliances

The removable appliances used for relating the achieved results and for minor corrections.     Functional appliances are growth guiding appliances to correct jaw deformities in the growth phase. Extra oral appliances were used to correct major discrepancies, but the difficulty in use and compliance factors have made it less popular. The advent of newer techniques has reduced the need for these appliances.

The advancements

     Improvements of materials have decreased the time to fix braces to just one visit and the frequency of check-up visits to be done once in 3 to 6 months making it easier for the patients.

The colour of the brackets could be chosen from tooth coloured aesthetic ceramic brackets, gold plated or steel brackets. Mini brackets and loco profile brackets reduces irritation to the lips Implant assisted Orthodontics reduces the need for surgical assistance to correct gummy smiles .The implants also helps in doing orthodontics for people who have lost some teeth.

Allergies to the materials could be avoided did know due to a large material range.

Adult Orthodontics.

Orthodontics has taken good leaps in technology that it is possible to do the treatment at any age if the teeth are in good condition. The advent of tooth coloured braces and lingual braces have increased the patients coming for orthodontics in all the age groups.

Choosing the treatment options

    Orthodontic treatment needs regular check-ups for 18-24 months so the orthodontist must be available and should monitor the treatment by himself for the whole tenure. The frequency of visits and the quality of materials could be discussed and chosen by the patient. But the treatment plan should be determined by the doctor so that best desired results could be achieved.

Enjoy beautiful smiles but the choice is yours thanks to the diverse options and improved aesthetics the orthodontics treatment is a treatment for bettering your smile without shedding tears.