Dr. Pramod

Please do not forget to do warm saline gargles - luke warm water with a pinch of salt in it at least 3 times a day.

Brushing twice a day keeps germs and dentist away.

While you might think that you are on track by brushing twice a day, but just doing that may not be enough. If your technique is not right or if you are using the wrong type of toothbrush, you are making your teeth vulnerable to infections and decay.

Here are the common brushing mistakes that can harm your teeth:

1. You do not brush long enough

The single most common mistake that people make while brushing is not brushing long enough. If you want to thoroughly clean your teeth, you should brush for almost 2 minutes. Experts suggest that most of the people with gum diseases did not brush their teeth for sufficient amount of time. Try using an electric toothbrush with a timer to ensure that you brush for 2 minutes.

2. You miss the important sites

Missing important areas of your mouth while brushing your teeth is also a common brushing mistake. Brushing should involve devoting an equal amount of time to all areas, targeting the inside, outside and chewing surfaces of your teeth, along with your gums, tongue and the roof of your mouth. Most people do not think consciously while brushing, making it easy to skip the vulnerable sites.

3. You use too much of paste

Using too much of toothpaste will not make your teeth cleaner. On the contrary, it might make you brush for a shorter span since too much of foam in your mouth can make you uncomfortable. For children, a small swipe on a toothbrush is enough and for adults, a pea-sized or marble-sized amount is more than sufficient.

4. You brush too hard

You may think that the more pressure you apply while brushing, the better it is. But that is not the case. Aggressive brushing can actually cause the gum tissue to come away from your teeth, leading to swollen gums and even bleeding. It can also result in tooth sensitivity or even loose teeth. Experts recommend that you should use a soft bristled toothbrush. Soft bristles tend to be gentle on your teeth and will flex more under the gum line, which leads to a more thorough cleaning.

5. Your technique is wrong

Brushing your teeth is not a race that you need to finish in time. By taking long, crude and haphazard sweeps back and forth, you are only going to harm your teeth. Concentrate instead on small areas at a time and brush gently in a circular motion. When you are at the gum line, remember to keep your bristles at an angle of 45 degrees and always brush away from the gums.

So, it is high time you change these brushing habits and adopt healthy dental practices for plaque free and healthy gums and teeth. Stay healthy, stay happy!

When a small cavity isn't treated in time, the tooth decays badly that normal filling cannot solve the problem. In such cases, your dentist will probably advise you to undergo, a root canal. When performing a root canal, the dentist will remove the nerves and pulp within the tooth, clean the inside of the tooth and seal it. After this procedure your tooth will not sense anything and should be pain free.

However, in some cases you may still experience pain after root canal and there are four main causes of this pain:

1. Swelling of ligament around the tooth: One of the signs that you need a root canal is swelling of the gums. Even after the nerves and pulp within the tooth are removed, the ligaments around the infected tooth may still be swollen. This can take some time before the tissue is normal again. In most cases this is the cause for pain after a root canal procedure.
2. Damaged tissue: Part of the root canal procedure is to clean the insides of the tooth. Here the dentist must be very careful to not go beyond the tooth. In some cases the file used to clean the tooth may go beyond the root and damage the tissue there. Another possibility is that the sealant used to fill the tooth may go beyond the root, thus aggravating the tissue. This can take some time to heal and may cause pain.
3. Excess filling: After the tooth has been cleaned, the dentist fills the tooth with a sealant. If excessive sealant is filled in the tooth, it may become taller than the surrounding teeth, which puts extra pressure on the tooth and results in soreness and pain. The dentist will have to remove the excess sealant in order to resolve this issue.
4. Phantom pain: Phantom pain is rare when it comes to root canal. This occurs when the nerve leading up to the tooth still behaves like it were connected to the tooth despite the nerve within the tooth being completely removed. The peripheral nerves will need to be treated to resolve this issue.

In most cases, these events cannot be prevented. There is also no reason to expect that this is a symptom of your root canal being a failure. Stay in touch with your dentist and brush and floss your teeth regularly. You will soon notice the pain subsiding.