Dr. Narasimhappa G M

Yellow teeth ruining your smile? see what's the solution it's not always whitening!

January is around the corner and along comes a new year with its numerous resolutions and promises on improving ourselves. Be it the latest diet or the promise to workout we all want to look and feel our best. If your dental resolution is to stop living with a yellow smile then here's a combination of home remedies and dental treatment tips to make you smile bright and white this new year.

Depending on the existing colour of your teeth and how bright you want your teeth to be, we have here some options ranging from the mildest to the most impactful colour change.

#1. Light yellow teeth: clean better!

Plaque and other food deposits can make your teeth look unclean and discolored. Most often the original white of your teeth can be restored by a simple clean up procedure that washes away all the discolored food particles.

#2. Yellow to brown teeth: eat better!

An indian diet with turmeric coupled with our addiction to anything from tea, green tea, coffee, red wine to even smoking can lead to excessive staining of our teeth. While it may seem impossible to avoid what we are habituated to it's equally necessary to compensate by frequent cleaning and whitening procedures based on your frequency and level of exposure to these staining substances.

#3. Natural white: naturally

Home remedies which have no side effects like a pinch of baking soda mixed with crushed strawberries or 3-4 drops of lemon are often used to whiten teeth by scrubbing away the stained particles. Malic and citric acid present in strawberries and lime respectively gives an instant whitening effect without harming the natural layers of the teeth.

#4. Frequent yellowing: brighten at home

If you're looking for more than just a natural clean white colour but want it done with as little chemical exposure as possible then home bleach is the best option for you. Removable, transparent, custom made plastic moulds of your teeth can be made in just one session. You can then put in a few drops of a low concentration gel bleach into these as they snugly fit onto your teeth. Keep them in the mouth for 45 minutes daily for up to 7 days. This procedure is done as directed by a registered dentist. This gives you a bright white colour with minimal or no side effects and the additional benefit is that it can be repeated just before an occasion or every time you feel there is yellowing of teeth.

#5. Brilliant white: in under an hour!

If you want nothing less than super bright then a very standard and recognized procedure is that of the office bleach done in the dental chair in under 45 minutes. Here we use a more concentrated bleach to get you noticeable and long lasting results. Done in cycles every 10-15 minutes to show you the colour improvement and prevent side effects and discomfort. Certain precautions must be observed for 7 days after the bleach and it is recommended once annually to maintain the colour.

A word of caution for the over the counter products that claim to work brilliantly to whiten teeth but overuse or unsupervised use of the same may lead to irreversible tooth damage.

Even with this array of information and multitude of options available for your convenience- a consultation with your dentist for your perfect white smile, will work best before you decide to take matters into your own hands.

You could have yellow teeth due to one of the following reasons:

    Genetically yellowed or dull when formed.
    Age-related reduction or thinning of enamel and exposure of dentin.
    Excessively stained diet or habits.
    Appear yellow due to fairer gums, lips, complexion or lighter eye colour.
    Dental diseases which stain or eat away your enamel.
    Improper oral hygiene habits.

Do let us know what you think. We would love to hear from you!

Growth hormone or somatropin is responsible for cell growth as well as reproduction. But insufficient somatropin production by the pituitary gland may result in lack in height. It is mostly caused by a serious brain injury, any prevalent medical condition or might occur as a birth defect.

Types:

1. Congenital GHD - This form of GHD appears from at the time of birth itself.
2. Acquired GHD- GHD can be acquired during later life as a result of trauma, infection, tumor growth within the brain or radiation therapy.
3. Idiopathic GHD- Idiopathic GHD is the third, and comparatively worst kind of GHD since it has no treatment.

GHD is mostly permanent, but can also be transient. Read on to know how to detect whether you or your child is suffering from growth hormone deficiency (GHD).

Symptoms:
Childhood onset

1. Restricted height- Compared to other children of your child's age, he/she may be of shorter height, which is a rather conclusive sign to detect somatropin deficiency.
2. Chubby and comparatively younger appearance- Your child may have a proportionate body, but if he/she is unnaturally chubby and has a baby-face compared to other children, he/she may be suffering from GHD.
3. Late puberty- Your child's puberty maybe later than usual or even not appear at all, depending upon the gravity of the GHD.
4. Hypoglycemia and exaggerated jaundice- Low blood sugar is amongst the most primary manifestations of GHD, along with extended duration of jaundice.
5. Micro-penis- Micro penis condition is one of the incident signs of GHD, which later escalates to growth deficit as the infant gets older.

Adult onset:

1. Fatigue- Adults with GHD may experience extreme tiredness throughout the day, with reduced muscle strength.
2. Osteoporosis- Osteoporosis, along with bodily deformities, is a common sign in adults with GHD.
3. Lipid abnormalities- A test of your lipid profile may reveal abnormalities in LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, and impaired cardiac functions.

Tests to determine GHD:

1. Physical test- A chart is drawn to determine the proportion of height and weight with respect to your age to detect anomalies.
2. Hand X-ray- A hand X-ray can determine whether the age of bones are at par with your age.
3. MRI-MRI scan can determine the health of your brain and pituitary gland.
4. Test for other hormones- Growth Hormone may not be solely responsible for your health condition, so it is important to determine if other hormone levels are all normal.

Treatment:

1. Hormone supplements- Hormone supplements like corticosteroids (hydrocortisone or prednisone), Levothyroxine (levoxyl, synthroid, etc), and others work to replenish the deficiency of pituitary hormones.
2. Growth hormone injection- GH is injected beneath your skin, to cure GDH. This is a long-term treatment and requires constant monitoring.

Tonsillitis is an affliction that plagues a fair share of people. Located at the back of your throat, tonsils are essentially two small glands, which contain white blood cells to defend your body against infection. However, on account of germ attacks, sometimes the tonsils get infected and this results in the swelling of the tonsil glands, which in turn causes sore throat and aligned maladies. 

Tonsillitis may be cured through surgical procedures. However, an isolated case of the inflammation of the tonsils need not warrant a surgery. Tonsillectomy or the surgical method of curing tonsillitis is only recommended for extreme cases of tonsillitis. Only the frequent sufferers of tonsillitis take recourse to tonsillectomy for a durable and effective solution. Surgeries are only done on those who have had at least seven bouts of strep throats within a span of a year. 

Tonsillectomies essentially involve surgical removal of the tonsils either using a scalpel or burning the tissues in the tonsils with the use of ultrasound vibrations. Usually performed under anesthesia, it is a fairly painless and a non-hazardous procedure. Tonsillectomies generally last for about an hour. However, the recovery period sometimes entail a few physical discomforts. Sore throat, difficulty in swallowing, pain in the jaws and ears are common symptoms of post tonsillectomy conditions. While there are palliative medicines available in the markets, adequate rest and proper diet speeds up the recovery. 

Tonsillectomy generally leaves no side effects and the success rate of this surgery is quite heartening. Tonsillectomy has also known to cure several other associated health problems in the likes of breathing troubles, sleep apnea, bleeding of the tonsil glands or cancerous developments in the tonsil glands. That aside, tonsillectomy is only performed on acute cases of tonsillitis and often regarded as the lender of last resort when medicines stop according any relief to the patient.