Dr. Abhijit

When bacteria destroys the outer layer of your tooth (the enamel), cavities become inevitable. Cavities are usually treated with a simple filling procedure. But if the cavities manage to enter the interior of your tooth, they can cause extensive damage to the nerve tissues, which are encased by the pulp. This damage to the nerve tissues is termed as pulpitis an extremely painful condition.

The only way to prevent pulpitis is a root canal, which is a treatment to save and repair the badly infected tooth. During the procedure of a root canal, the pulp and nerve are removed and the interior of the tooth is sealed after it is cleaned thoroughly. Then to protect the hollowed space, a crown (a rigid cover which is stronger than the enamel) is implanted. Basically, root canal aims to preserve the tooth and not save it, since it is extremely infected and already dying. If the infection is not treated promptly, it can spread to the tissues around the tooth, causing you pain all over your head.

Root canal is minimally invasive and not at all painful. The pros of root canal include:

1. Tooth extraction is not needed
2. The tooth can remain intact
3. There is no bone loss around the tooth

How about you think twice?
A root canal takes up a lot of your time, and expenses. Sometimes, you may wonder if you should get a second opinion before undergoing such a transformative surgery.

Before your doctor can diagnose, he/she will perform an X-ray of your mouth. If abscesses (these show up in X-rays as dark spots) are found, you may need a root canal procedure. Usually, people refrain from a root canal, and go for a second opinion, especially when the tooth is not really bothering them and if there is hardly any pain. It all depends on how far the infection has spread.

If the infection is shallow, a simple amalgam filling can treat your problem. But if the infection has penetrated deep into your tooth and damaged your nerves, you have no choice but to get a root canal done.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

If you have been struggling with that thread we dentists call floss, it’s time you stopped and switched to something way easier.

Here are 3 powerful secrets to making flossing easier and a few simple steps to making you cavity proof !!

Let’s understand why dentists think flossing is sooo necessary. We all are aware of the fact that merely brushing is not going to protect our teeth especially with the kind of diets we have with processed foods and high sugar content in our foods.Floss when used properly tends to reach places where a normal brush does not and dislodging this processed food breaks up the bacterial buildup so decreasing cavities.

For people who have crowded teeth or a high tendency for decay flossing and other means of dental care become a huge priority if they don’t want to end up in the dental chair frequently paying large bills.While we may not want cavities the option of flossing seems extremely daunting. So let’s say we can have our cake and eat it too maybe we can better clean between teeth and at the same time not have to worry about flossing.

A few devices that make our life simpler.

Floss Stick 

A pocket friendly tool it is a floss thread mounted on a U - Shaped soft plastic stick which can easily go between your teeth without getting tangled. It is also more controlled as you can handle it better and so gums don’t get injured and bleed as they may with bad technique with a regular floss. These are disposable and should be used for all teeth at one time with rinsing the plaque of in between.Best is to stand and in front of a mirror and start off with the front teeth and then move to the back as u get better with technique.

Power Flossing 

The digital or power flosser makes for some powerful bacteria dispelling action. It’s a small pen like device that has changeable flexible tips that go between teeth and dislodge trapped food and debris which is then washed away by rinsing or brushing. If you’re still not convinced of the manual technique then going automatic makes perfect sense.The biggest advantage is the speed and ease of use for all ages .

Water Flossing

If you don’t want anything going between your teeth and want to eliminate all chances of poking and bleeding your gums,then the water flosser is for you as this is the best just a water jet cleaning between your teeth and all around your mouth.

The benefit is you just need to hold it against your teeth allowing the water jet to spray out all the trapped food and bacteria. So easy to use and portable and family versions allow it to be cost effective as well. This pressure jet comes with tips that can suit your use like a seperate tip for tongue cleaning and even cleaning between braces.

A great smile is priceless so practicing good oral care is like making an investment that will pay out in the  long term.