Dr. T. Chandan

A generation ago, we would not see so many adolescents with braces as we do currently. Orthodontics, the branch of dentistry involved in the use of braces to align and move teeth to form that perfect arch, has seen rapid advancements in the past few decades and continues to grow at a rapid pace.

The fundamental principle is that teeth are held in place by surrounding elastic tissues, and minor constant forces can be applied to align them better. Small metal brackets are applied on the teeth and a wire is passed through them so that there is a constant force on the teeth. The amount and direction of force is managed by the doctor. The younger the age, the more elastic the tissue is, the easier it is to move teeth.
There are two main things to understand in terms of your options - relation of age with orthodontic treatment and the choices of braces.
Firstly, it has a correlation with age. Over the years, more people in their 20s and early 30s are choosing to have braces. Though the teeth and more importantly the surrounding periodontium become less elastic with age, the amount of force exerted is increased and therefore tooth movement is enabled. Also, in older patients, tooth removal may be required more frequently to make space for proper alignment.

Second is the choice of braces.

1. In the earlier days, bands were placed around the teeth and a wire was then used to connect all these bands to enable tooth movement. Gradually, this made way to small brackets being placed on the front surface of the teeth, and a wire running through it and elastic bands connecting the bracket and the wire. This is the most effective way of moving teeth, though not aesthetic. To make it look different, the ligatures could be colored.
2. For people who are constantly in the public eye, the metal braces were a deterrent and so lingual braces became popular. The brackets are applied on the inner surface of the teeth and are not seen easily. The amount of force here varies from the earlier one, and not all conditions can be treated by this method.
3. The next development was the development of ceramic braces, which are also applied to the front surface of the teeth and can be used in most cases. These are more expensive than the metallic braces.
4. Removable aligners is another option, which are trays which need to be worn for close to 18 hours a day to induce tooth movement. They are aesthetically okay and no metal shows during talking or smiling.

So, if you want to improve your smile, consult a dentist and find out how!

Your teeth are the most underappreciated part of your body. If you don’t give them proper care, there is a very good chance that you will develop severe dental problems, the most common being tooth decay. Tooth decay is caused when the bacteria that are present in your mouth churn out more acid than is necessary, gradually eroding the teeth. The acids bore a hole in the tooth, causing cavity.

You might be suffering from tooth decay if you experience:

1. Teeth discoloration
2. Cavities
3. Pain
4. Tooth infection
5. Tooth loss

Causes of tooth decay

Tooth decay occurs when the bacteria that reside in your mouth start producing excessive acids which eventually erode the tooth.

How does it happen?

Your teeth have three protective layers: an outer layer called enamel, middle layer called dentin and an inner layer called pulp. The bacteria in the mouth along with acid and broken down food particles attack the tooth and erode it layer by layer. Tooth decay worsens as each layer is eroded.

Here are some common causes behind tooth decay:

1. Poor oral hygiene i.e. not brushing or flossing your teeth regularly
2. Eating foods that help bacteria grow, such as sugary foods and foods rich in carbohydrates
3. Dry mouth refers to very little saliva in your mouth. Saliva helps countering the effects of the acids
4. Smoking 
5. Diabetes

How to prevent tooth decay

Most cases of tooth decay can be prevented by a healthy oral hygiene regime and having a balanced diet. Here are some steps you can take to prevent tooth decay:

1. Regularly brush your teeth. Brush your teeth after each meal and especially before you go to sleep. Using a fluoride-rich toothpaste will help keep tooth decay at bay.
2. The space between your teeth is where food particles get lodged. Keep them clean by flossing regularly.
3. Make balanced diet a part of your life. Avoid food high on sugar or carbohydrates. Also, avoid eating too much sticky food, as it is more likely to cling to your teeth than anything else.
4. Mouthwash regularly using a solution rich in fluoride. Fluoride has antiseptic properties that help kill the bacteria,
5. Lastly, visit your dentist regularly for checkups

Tooth decay is one of the most common lifestyle-based problems. The right combination of dental hygiene and a balanced diet goes a long way in preventing it. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dentist.

Bad breath, also known as halitosis, can occur due to a multitude of reasons and is quite disconcerting. Chewing gum, using breath mints and mouthwash are just temporary solutions as they do not address the problem. Read on more to find all about the different causes, symptoms of bad breath and also about their prevention.

Causes:

1. Food: If food particles, which are stuck in and around your teeth start decaying, they promote bacterial growth, which causes a foul odor in the mouth. Eating certain foods, such as spices, onion and garlic also cause foul odor. 
2. Tobacco products: Smoking and chewing tobacco not only causes gum disease, but also causes a foul odor to be present, thus causing bad breath.
3. Poor dental hygiene: If you do not brush daily, food particles in your mouth get stuck in your mouth between the teeth in particular, which decay and cause bad breath. A form of bacteria known as plaque forms over the teeth, which over time decays teeth and also causes foul breath.
4. Dry mouth: A medical condition known as dry mouth, also known as xerostomia can contribute to bad breath as in this condition; the amount saliva produced from the salivary glands is reduced. This results in the growth of bacteria, which causes bad breath.
5. Medications: Some medications can cause foul breath in an indirect manner as they cause dry mouth as a side effect, which in turn causes bad breath. Other medications break down in your body and the chemicals, which the medicine contains can be carried on your breath.

Diagnosis:
Dentists would usually rate the odor from your mouth either by smelling or by using certain sophisticated odor detectors. The back of the tongue is often the source of smell and the dentist is also likely to scrape the region and rate its odor.

Treatment:

1. Maintaining oral hygiene: If the bad breath is due to the formation of plaque, brushing and flossing on a regular basis will prevent its growth, thus reducing or eliminating bad breath. Using mouthwashes also kills bacteria, hence eliminating the bad breath causing bacteria from your mouth.
2. Treatment of dental disease: Gum disease can also cause bad breath as in this disease, the gums pull away from the teeth, which gives scope for bacterial growth causing bad breath. Treating gum disease, thus would also eliminate the scope for bacterial growth and eliminate bad breath at the same time. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dentist.

Often we are caught by a piercing pain that shoots through the roots of our teeth right up to our cranial region, at fairly unsuspecting moments. The pain can either cause momentary discomfort or end up being excruciating and difficult to bear. Rushing to the dentist is usually the only recourse left for us to take at such times. Most of such complaints meet the same verdict, that of, ‘sensitive tooth’. The problem of sensitive tooth has emerged as one of the most recurring and prevailing dental ailments.

Usually exposing the affected tooth to extreme tastes like sweet and sour or hot and cold food items can trigger off sensitivity in your teeth. Tooth sensitivity usually occurs when the nerve endings are exposed to food and other foreign particles due to a condition of gum pull back. This primarily takes place due to insufficient oral care which results in the decomposition of tooth enamel. This also makes one vulnerable to tooth decay and cavity formation. Inflammation of gums and persistent intake of acid inducing food products are among the other prominent factors leading to tooth sensitivity. The incidence of tooth sensitivity also increases with age. However, it is a fairly defeasible disease and one of the foremost steps to rectify the condition is meticulous and regular dental care.

Some of the steps to follow while dealing with sensitive tooth can be as follows.

1. Regular oral care: Maintaining the oral hygiene is paramount to avoid the recurrence of tooth sensitivity. Use of a proper brush in the right technique at least twice a day is mandatory. For the best results and to avoid gum bleeding, dentists recommend the use of a soft bristled toothbrush. Over and above brushing, one must use fluoride and antiseptic mouthwash for rinsing purposes. Use of floss is also a good practice.
2. Using a proper toothpaste: The choice of toothpaste needs to be judicious. The best kind is a fluoridated toothpaste with a lesser proportion of tartar present in it. Regular use may substantially reduce the harm caused by tooth decay and work as a viable solution to sensitive tooth.
3. Regular visits to the dentist: Prevention is better than cure. As such, it helps to make periodic visits to the dentist to check the condition of your teeth rather than making an SOS rush to her or his clinic when disaster strikes. Oral hygiene can be best maintained when abiding by the instructions given by the dentists.

If you thought dental health could take a backseat amidst other demanding health problems, you surely haven’t experienced the unbearable pain of tooth cavities. Problems pertaining to your teeth could be many. From open nerve endings to weak and brittle teeth, anything could plague you. To take proper care of your teeth, you should visit your dentist frequently.

A few basic ways to maintain healthy teeth

1. Pay heed to the kind of toothbrush you use: The kind of toothbrush you use plays a key role in discerning the health of your teeth. Many tend to use toothbrushes with hard bristles for brushing; this causes the enamel of your teeth to wear away. As a result, the dentine shows and a person reveals yellowish teeth every time he or she smiles. To soften the bristles of your toothbrush, you could wash it in lukewarm water prior to brushing.
2. Certain food items should be strictly avoided: Junk food or packaged food is not just harmful for your overall health, but also for your teeth. Any food rich in starches or sugars can have acidic effects on your teeth enamel. Acids can corrode the enamel of your teeth. Hence, one should remember to consume food items that contain little amounts of sugar and starch. The reason why everybody around prohibited you from having too many chocolates as a child can be realized in the aforementioned point.
3. Brushing and flossing routine: It is absolutely essential to brush your teeth twice daily. Flossing is what makes brushing effective. Many people are not aware of the right way to floss. Flossing should be done in a way so as to get rid of plaque that tends to settle down in between your teeth or right underneath your gums. The floss should be curved in the shape of a C for proper cleaning. Deposition of food particles when left to rot inside your mouth can cause graver problems other than bad breath.
4. Give up your addiction: Smoking can kill the well-being of your teeth. It reduces the amount of blood circulated into a person’s mouth thus, making him or her more prone to the risk of oral cancers. Your chances of contracting periodontal diseases also increase when you smoke. So, healthy teeth and smoking can never go hand in hand.
5. Never eat too many snacks: Eating in between meals or binge eating generally causes a lot of harm to your dental health. The more number of snacks a person intakes, the more is the concentration of sugar on his or her teeth. Care should be taken to eat four complete meals a day and less of snacks which are rich in sugar or carbohydrates. If you wish to discuss about any specific dental problem, you can consult a specilized dentist and ask a free question.

A healthy mouth is the secret to a beautiful smile. To have good oral health, you need to keep your teeth, your tongue, as well as your gums healthy. To keep your gums healthy, you need to brush your teeth, use floss and mouthwash and take care of your gums. If you are able to do all this every day, then dental problems will be a mile away from your mouth. Taking care of your gums is extremely important for your overall oral health. Do not neglect even small problems like slight bleeding when using floss as it shows that your gums aren't totally healthy. Here are a few ways you can maintain your healthy gums:

1. Brushing regularly: You definitely need to brush your teeth regularly to maintain your oral health. Brushing your teeth at least twice daily is the best way to keep your teeth and gums healthy. But you need to know the proper way to brush so that you do not harm your gums. Apply a gentle pressure when you are brushing as, in a case otherwise, you might hurt your gums. Make sure you use a brush, which has soft bristles so that they do not cut into the gums. And while you are brushing, brush for at least two minutes as it takes a bit of time to kill the bacteria in your mouth.

2. Floss every day: Flossing everyday might seem a bit tedious, but it is extremely important for you to floss your teeth every day. It removes the plaque between your teeth before it can turn to tartar. Tartar and plaque attract the bacteria which later on harm the gums.

3. Regular use of mouthwash: Wash your mouth with mouthwash regularly. Not only will it help to keep your breath fresh, but it also helps to kill the bacteria in your mouth. There are a number of mouthwashes in the market manufactured only to do that.

4. Use sugarless gum to chew: If you chew a sugarless gum for about 20 minutes after you have eaten a meal, you will be able to clean your mouth as well as keep your breath fresh. But only do this if you cannot brush your teeth immediately. This is because if you chew gum regularly, then that might lead to certain jaw problems.

Keep your gums healthy and keep smiling. After all, a smile can melt a stone as well.