Sushma Dhiman – Omilights

What Are The Early Signs Of Gum Disease?

Sushma Dhiman — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 07:02:34 +0000

Many of us are familiar with the importance of dental hygiene and what this means in terms of looking after our teeth. What is less well known is that dental health encompasses gums as well our teeth and that without being proactive in the care of this area of the mouth, we are at risk of endangering our overall health. Below, we take a closer look at gum disease; how to recognise it, how to prevent it and where to seek further support and guidance from.

What is gum disease?

Most people, especially adults, will have a level of gum disease and it is likely that you will experience it at least once. It is not as common in children. It is caused by the build-up of plaque on and around your teeth. Plaque collects in the mouth due to a lack of or inefficient teeth brushing. It is the bacteria in the plaque that, if not cleaned away, will irritate the gums and in the longer-term cause gum disease.

Signs and symptoms of gum disease

Initially, any issues with the gums will present itself as bleeding when you brush your teeth. Bad breath is also common during the first stages. This stage of gum disease is also referred to as gingivitis.

If not treated, gingivitis can lead to a more serious condition of the gums, known as periodontitis. Periodontitis damages the tissue around your teeth which is essential for keeping them secure and in place. Lack of action in dealing with periodontitis can ultimately cause your teeth to fall out. This is because the bone in your jaw can be damaged, creating pockets between the teeth and gums. Without that support from bone and gums, the teeth are at higher risk of falling out.

If your gums are healthy, they should not bleed during your teeth brushing routine and will be pink and firm.

How to prevent and manage gum disease

The easiest and simplest way to prevent gum disease is to brush your teeth regularly – at least twice a day. Other oral hygiene actions such as flossing, using dental brushes and/or mouthwash also help to prevent the build-up of plaque.
Visiting your dentist regularly and keeping routine appointments is also a must.
If you are not currently registered with a dentist, look online for a list of dental clinics in Dublin and contact them to arrange your first appointment.
Your dentist will be able to advise if you have gum disease, particularly if you have missed this yourself. If deemed necessary they will use a periodontal probe (think stick with a bend on one end) to determine the extent of the disease.
They may also recommend an x-ray to review the underlying bone and jaw. Importantly, they will also be able to check how you brush your teeth and advise you if it is not efficient or how you can achieve a better outcome.

Depending on the level of built-up plaque, your dentist may suggest having this removed. They can either do this themselves or refer you to a hygienist. As well as robust cleaning and removal of tartar (hardened plaque) for more severe cases of gum disease, such as periodontitis, further medical and dental treatment may be required.

How often to see your dentist?

How often you will need to see your dentist will depend on if you have gum disease, have had gum disease previously and whether there are other circumstances which put you at high risk of developing this disease i.e. you smoke or have diabetes.

You shouldn’t, however, wait till you have a case of gum disease before seeing your dentist. It is good practice to see your dentist at least 1-2 a year to check your oral health.

Omilights Youtube video on Gum diseases

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7 Ways to Treat Gapped Teeth Effectively

Sushma Dhiman — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 05:35:04 +0000

Many people are unhappy with gapped teeth and look for a treatment that improves their confidence and overall smile. With the increasing need for cosmetic dentistry, there are plenty of treatment options to choose from to fix gap in teeth and improve your oral health.

7 Ways to Treat Gapped Teeth Effectively

Frenectomy

A frenectomy is a simple oral surgical procedure which reduces the size of the labial frenum. But this procedure alone won’t fix gap in teeth and is usually performed along with orthodontic treatment.
Porcelain Veneers

Your dentist uses thin pieces of porcelain to attach them to your front teeth. The benefits include closing unsightly gaps, correcting tooth discoloration, and fixing cracked teeth. While veneers are not able to close big gaps, they are perfect for smaller gaps. As long as the gap is small enough, your natural teeth are easily able to support the porcelain.
Dental Bonding

Dental bonding uses a composite resin to fix gapped teeth. Since the material is designed to match the color of your teeth, your dentist will make it look like a natural part of your smile. For patients with small gaps in the front two teeth, the diastema is closed with by using a bonded composite restoration on each tooth. A composite resin slightly widens each tooth and closes the gap, and the material is shaped until a natural-looking finish is achieved.
Porcelain Crowns

Porcelain crowns are tooth-shaped restorations and are designed to match the color of your teeth. They fit perfectly over the teeth to transform their shape and size to fix gapped teeth and protect it from future damage. Crowns don’t require any extraordinary care except for regular brushing and flossing.
Invisalign

Invisalign is a popular orthodontic treatment for patients of all ages. Its ability to seamlessly blend with your teeth provide a quicker solution than regular braces, and less discomfort than other orthodontic options, it’s a great alternative for most patients.

You will be provided with a few sets of removable plastic aligners that apply gentle pressure to align your teeth to the desired position. Simple cases are treated within six months, while most cases take about a year.

Once your Invisalign treatment is over, your orthodontist will fit a retainer to prevent gapped teeth from re-appearing.
Traditional Orthodontics

Traditional orthodontics is an efficient treatment option that closes gaps of all sizes while correcting mild to severe alignment problems. It’s still a popular choice for many adults and children since it effectively closes gaps without the addition of any material. Traditional orthodontics is also beneficial for people who have multiple gaps in their teeth.
Dental Implants

If you’re missing a tooth and it’s causing an unsightly gap, dental implants is your best bet. Not only is it a permanent solution, but it also helps retain the jawbone and holds your smile in place. Dental implants function as a permanent replacement for your natural tooth and are more secure than partial dentures.

In this procedure, a titanium rod is inserted into your jawbone or just above it to play the role of a missing root. The jaw and bone tissue grow around the rod. The custom-made replacement tooth is made from porcelain and is attached to function like a normal tooth.

Gapped teeth may prevent you from fully enjoying a smile. And one of these treatment options may be ideal for your situation. If you or your child have gapped teeth, it’s important that you consult a cosmetic dentist who can effectively treat your tooth problems.

Author Bio: Dr. Anu Isaac, DMD, runs a successful dental practice in Salem, MA. As the founder of Coral Dental Care, she is dedicated to creating healthy, beautiful smiles for her patients and also to educating dental and non-dental community with her engaging articles on all things related to oral health, recent dental innovations, and latest treatment modalities.

Frequently Asked Questions on Dental Health

Should I Go to the Dentist When I’m Sick?

Sushma Dhiman — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 07:13:20 +0000

If you are wondering, should you attend the dentist when you are sick, let us find out in this post.

Surely you have thought about canceling your appointment to the dentist, and the idea has crossed your mind on more than one occasion: fear, time, discomfort or illness. Perhaps of the four options presented, fear is the first, followed by discomfort, time or illness.

Many reasons are validly justifiable. After all, it’s about your oral health and only you decide or authorize assistance with your dentist. Before making any decision, it is better that you expose the possible excuses, remember that postponing will only worsen your dental condition among others.

Should you attend the dentist when you are sick?

Due to the multiple circumstances that would lead you away from your appointment with the dentist, today we have prepared an interesting article for you, in it, we will develop the answers you are looking for and clarify the doubts you have.

Do I have to attend my appointment?

Although it is difficult to extend any reason not to attend, we recommend that you do so. Why? Well, oral health and hygiene should be a matter of attention in your daily life. Remember that it is part of your body and many times, it is essential in your cover letter.

The time it takes since you enter the dental clinic will depend on the circumstances that led you to go. You should keep in mind that possibly the time in the dentist will be prolonged.

Now, if the above does not represent any problem and you are determined to go but, there are certain points that you should take into account. The first, your well-being and second that of the other patients and dentist near me. In the next paragraphs, we will answer what you should do.

Do I cancel my dentist appointment or not?

It is best to avoid canceling the appointment and we explain the reason. To schedule your appointment the dental clinic has reserved time, resources and dentists at your disposal. In addition, you have reserved a chair and a total performance to treat your check, whether emergency or routine.

The office may understand your reasons and postpone your appointment for another time. However, doing so will be detrimental to the results you expect. Another significant reason, dentists usually charge fees for canceling dentist appointment for managing resources scheduled for you.

The discomfort plays a crucial role since you have all the willingness to go and plan to do so it is important that you imagine in detail the possible complications.

Consider that with flu or any other condition, external factors around you will alter your stress levels and conditions. So, the first thing is to see everything from a very broad perspective.

Also, remember that you also think about the good of those around you. That is, take the preventive measures corresponding to the symptoms that are present to avoid contagion.

For example, if you have an intense headache, consider noise, clarity among other factors that intensify it so that you get to the dental office without the aggravation of pain. Remember that in this case, it is about pain tolerance.

If the pain you present is not so strong and constant, the most suggested is to assist the dentist, perhaps with certain pain relievers, reduce or eliminate the headache.

Are your symptoms contagious?

If you decided to attend your consultation despite the pain, congratulations! Most likely, your dentist clinic will consider your condition and adapt to those needs to avoid making you feel worse. However, if what you have is contagious, the story is different.

Highly contagious diseases deserve special attention. When you suffer it puts at risk the welfare of others if you do not take the correct preventive and hygienic measures. Then, you should think about how it would affect those around you, especially in the dental office.

You should make a detailed conjecture that is based on the symptoms present, for example, sneezing, cough, among others.

All in all, it is a fact, if you decided to go to your appointment, remember to take the necessary precautions for you and others. Do not go without first consulting the office managers to avoid unexpected complications.

Frequently Asked Questions on Dental Health

How to Reverse Tooth Decay and Dental Caries with Diet?

Sushma Dhiman — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 04:58:15 +0000

Many times we take all the preventive measures for our dental health, still feel the pain and need to go to Dentist.

Do you or your kids brush and floss your mouth regularly and still get dental caries? or Is your child using braces or has signs of tooth decay?

What is Dental Caries?

Dental caries is a diet related disease. To be more simpler, Dental caries is like tug of war between Tooth (Host) and bacteria (Guest, but not desirable). Bacteria uses the food we eat to multiply and grow and try to win the match by making tooth carious. So, the diet you take and the beverages you drink can have a direct influence on the incidence and progression of tooth decay.

Tips for Baby Bottle Caries

Does form of food make any difference?

Whether it’s liquid, solid, sticky or slow to dissolve makes a difference. Solid and sticky food have lower oral clearance are worst food to have. Gluey nature of food can increase the availability of food on teeth.

Which food is the main culprit of tooth damage?

Sugars and acids are the main culprit to damage to our teeth. The bacteria get energy from the sugar we eat, but produce acid in return, drops pH of mouth. To compensate drop in pH of mouth, tooth acts as a buffer and start loosing it’s calcium.

The amount of sugar you eat acts as substrate for bacterias to multiple and grow, so cutting back on your sugars can actually make bacterias to starve.

Beyond Tooth Decay-Importance of Good Oral Hygiene

Highly acidogenic snack foods should be consumed at mealtimes to reduce the risk, and between-meal snacks should be either nonacidogenic (such as xylitol products) or hypoacidogenic (such as sorbitol and HSH products).

Frequency of eating sugary foods

How often you eat sugary foods and beverages, and how often you eat or drink acidic foods and beverages determines caries risk. Frequent consumption of fermentable carbohydrates that have low oral clearance rates increases the risk for caries.

Frequent snacking can actually make pH of saliva to drop intermittently for longer duration and can make teeth prone to caries. So, if you feel hungry after short duration of time, choose something that is healthy like fruit or vegetables or a piece of cheese.

How much sugar is too much to much?

Eliminating sugary beverages from our diets would be best, but reducing the number of sugary beverages you consume and substituting healthier options with less sugar is already a step in the right direction.

In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) provided guidelines on restricting the consumption of sugar to less than 10% of energy intake. In 2015, WHO presented new guidelines to reduce the intake of free sugars throughout life.

Nutritional makeup of the Food

Empty calories with no other nutritional benefits are harmful for body and for teeth as well. Follow a balanced diet which should include food from each of the five major food groups, including:

Whole grains or cereals
Fruits
Vegetables
Lean sources of protein such as lean beef, skinless poultry and fish; dry beans, peas and other legumes
Low-fat and fat-free dairy foods. Milk, cheese and yogurt contain minerals such as calcium, casein and phosphorus that help protect tooth enamel.

Frequently Asked Questions on Dental Health

Dental Myths and Facts in Society-by Dr. Sushma Sharma(Dhiman)

Sushma Dhiman — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 16:06:06 +0000

We asked few questions on dental myths and facts to Dr. Sushma Sharma who is a Medical Practitioner and has Masters in Dental surgery (Orthodontics and Dento-facial Orthopedics)

According to Dr. Sushma Sushma, ignorance and illiteracy dwells myths and which lacks any scientific basis. Most of the time people inherit these myths from their earlier generation, and do not forget to pass them to the next generation. Though people are becoming more and more inclined to think rationally and logically, but still these myths are rooted deeper inside.

List of such dental myths is long but here we asked and she explained few, most commonly prevalent myths in society.

14 Common Dental Myths in Society

Myth 1: I will loose my eyesight if I get my tooth pulled outside.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Its one of the most asked questions asked to a dentist, and is actually a myth. Let me tell you, tooth extraction is nothing to do with your eyesight. Teeth and eyes have two different and independent nerve supplies. Removing upper, or any tooth for that matter has no effect on a person’s vision.
Myth 2: Dental treatment is always painful.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Dentistry has evolved a long way. Potent local anaesthetic and high speed drills with less vibration has made dentistry not only comfortable but painless too.
Myth 3: My teeth will become loose after cleaning
Dr. Sushma Sharma: There may be temporary increase in tooth mobility which is due to the damage already done by dental plaque but eventually teeth get firmer as plaque removal prevents gum diseases and dental caries.In fact, dental cleaning will stop further damage and your teeth will eventually start to feel firmer. In fact, in severe gum diseases with extensive bone loss, the teeth may become so loose that they are only held together by the tartar.So ,its natural the calculus removal shall increase mobility.
Myth 4: Rubbing an aspirin directly on your affected teeth can alleviate pain.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Well, don’t do this, it can lead to a pretty bad acid burn on your cheeks and gums and can actually make your enamel decay worse.
Myth 5: Swelling caused by painful teeth should be fermented with hot water.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Hot water will increase the swelling even more.
Myth 6: No need of regular dental checkup without problem
Dr. Sushma Sharma: No matter how good you are taking care of your teeth,six months visit to your dentist should be included in your routine.
Myth 7: Occasional tooth pain, not to worry about it.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: One of the earliest signs of tooth decay is sensitivity to hot, cold, and sweet. So, don’t ignore the signs. Occasional tooth problem may be indicating more serious underlying dental problem.
Myth 8: An artificial set of teeth or complete denture that is made once is forever.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Everything comes with a life time so as your denture too. Your denture is sitting on your jaw bone,which like any other bone,with age, tend to change shape , so it is recommended that an artificial set of the teeth or a complete denture should be made again after 5 years.
Myth 9: Dental treatment should be avoided during pregnancy.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Exaggerated levels of Pregnancy hormones make a woman more susceptible to gum diseases, so a routine checkup is recommended even during pregnancy for cleaning and fillings.The safest time period for the interceptive dental treatment is from the last period of first trimester to the first week of third trimester, generally second trimester of pregnancy is considered safest of all. Local anesthetics and X-rays are okay although they are to be done only when necessary.
Myth 10: Women loose a tooth for each child they have given birth to.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: After my son was born, elderly ladies used to advice ” Don’t brush your teeth for atleast one month, your teeth will fall down”. Myth is that fetus take calcium from your teeth. The fetus does not take calcium from its mother’s teeth.
Myth 11: More you brush the whiter your teeth will be.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Excess of everything is bad. Over-brushing the teeth is not going to help you in anyway, it is going to wear your teeth due to the abrasive property of toothpaste.This can lead to dental hypersensitivity and yellowing of teeth.
Myth 12: Avoid brushing, if your gums bleed.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Regular brushing and flossing is necessary. Absistence of oral hygiene aids shall deteriorate condition. You may require professional cleaning too.
Myth 13: Bleaching (“whitening”) my teeth will damage my enamel.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Present day bleaching materials will not damage your enamel. But have few contraindications : sensitive teeth, exposed roots, unfilled cavities, broken fillings, those under age 21, and pregnant or lactating women.
Myth 14: General body health and oral health are not related.
Dr. Sushma Sharma: Your oral cavity is the gateway of good health. Your mouth harbour bacterias when you have poor oral hygiene, enter into bloodstream via bleeding gums.

Also Read: Early Signs and Risk Factors of Oral Cancer

Please connect with Dr. Sushma Sharma on Linkedin for any queries:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sushma-dhiman-4a64b0101/

Sushma Dhiman – Omilights

What Are The Early Signs Of Gum Disease?

What is gum disease?

Signs and symptoms of gum disease

How to prevent and manage gum disease

How often to see your dentist?

Omilights Youtube video on Gum diseases

Frequently Asked Questions on Dental Health

7 Ways to Treat Gapped Teeth Effectively

7 Ways to Treat Gapped Teeth Effectively

Frenectomy

Porcelain Veneers

Dental Bonding

Porcelain Crowns

Invisalign

Traditional Orthodontics

Dental Implants

Frequently Asked Questions on Dental Health

Should I Go to the Dentist When I’m Sick?

Should you attend the dentist when you are sick?

Do I have to attend my appointment?

Do I cancel my dentist appointment or not?

Frequently Asked Questions on Dental Health

How to Reverse Tooth Decay and Dental Caries with Diet?

What is Dental Caries?

Does form of food make any difference?

Which food is the main culprit of tooth damage?

Frequency of eating sugary foods

How much sugar is too much to much?

Nutritional makeup of the Food

Frequently Asked Questions on Dental Health

Dental Myths and Facts in Society-by Dr. Sushma Sharma(Dhiman)

14 Common Dental Myths in Society

Frequently Asked Questions on Dental Health