Frequently Asked Questions

How many branches are there in dentistry?

1. Conservative dentistry: Deals with decayed teeth.
2. Periodontia: Deals with the treatment of gums and the bone supporting the teeth.
3. Oral & maxillofacial surgery:Deals with the removal of impacted teeth and dentofacial trauma.
4. Orthodontics: Deals with the proper alignment of the malaligned teeth.
5. Prosthodontia: Deals replacement of missing teeth
6. Pedodontia: Deals with the dental care for kids.
7. Oral medicine: Deals with the diagnosis of oral & mucosal(skin) diseases.
8. Oral pathology-deals with the study and analysis of the tissues.

What is meant by tooth decay?

It is a microbial disease of the calcified tissues of the teeth, characterized by the demineralization of the organic portion and destruction of the inorganic substance of the tooth.

What will happen if the decay is left untreated in the initial stage?

The decay starts from the outer portion of the tooth called enamel, and if it is untreated here, it will progress to the subsequent layers dentin and pulp (where nerves and blood vessels are present)of the tooth.

Once the decay reaches the next layer what will happen?

Once the decay reaches the layer next to the enamel (dentin) you will have sensitivity, in such condition, the decayed portion can be removed and can be filled with special care using cements and other advanced materials.

If I have a painful tooth due to decay, what treatment has to be taken for that?

The tooth will starts to pain, only if the decay reaches the third layer of the tooth (pulp), which contains the nerve and blood supply. In such condition the tooth can be saved by a treatment called root canal treatment.

What is meant by root canal treatment?

Root canal treatment is the conservative procedure in which the decay and infection are removed from the tooth completely till the end of the root with special instruments. After removing the infection from the root canal, it is followed by filling of the canal by a special filling material ( gutta-percha).

Is it necessary to go for a crown( capping of the tooth) after the root canal treatment?

Absolutely yes! It is necessary, after the root canal treatment the tooth will become non-vital and brittle so it will get fractured in long run, so root canal treatment has to followed by a crown.

What are the different types of crown available (cap)?

1. Acrylic
2. Full metal
3. Metal with acrylic facing
4. Metal with ceramic facing
5. Full ceramic( porcelain fused metal)
6. All ceramic ( metal free ceramic)

I have bleeding from my gums during brushing what can be the reason?

There can be many reasons for bleeding of gums, the one common reason is deposition of calculus between the gums & teeth.

What treatment has to be done for this ?

The initial treatment for any kind of gum problem is cleaning(scaling)

What is mean by that?

Scaling (cleaning) is a dental procedure in which the deposits & stains are removed from the teeth & also between the gums & teeth using ultrasonic device.

Will scaling affects the health of the gums or the strength of the teeth?

No absolutely not: scaling improves the strength health of the gums & it does not cause any damage to the tooth surface.

How often cleaning is necessary?

There is no such time duration for cleaning because the severity of the deposition varies with people. So it has to decided by the dentist hence the dental check up is advised once in six months.

When is gum surgery required?

Gum surgery is indicated when the gum started to go down from the teeth or in condition where the gum bleeding is severe or when the tooth starts to shake.

What is meant by gum surgery (flap surgery)?

It is a minor surgical procedure done under Local anesthesia, to remove the underlying deposits and infection between the gums and teeth which cannot be removed by regular cleaning.

When the infection go deep and the tooth starts to lose its surrounding bone structure (bone loss) what treatment has to be done?

For such condition gum surgery has to be done and followed by placing of bone substitutes (bone graft)

Will Tooth removal be painful?

No! Tooth removal is done only after anesthetizing the particular area so there won't be any pain.

When the tooth removal is advised?

Tooth is a removed because of two reasons
1. Due to excess of decay- major portion of the tooth structure is lost because of decay & where root canal treatment cannot be done.
2. Due to bone loss -where major portion of the supporting bone structure is lost & where we cannot do gum surgery

When is the wisdom tooth removal indicated?

Wisdom tooth will come to the oral cavity after 18 years, so by that time for some people there wont be enough space for the tooth to come out so it may not come out or it will impinge on the soft tissue or hit the adjacent tooth ,in such condition it is advisable to remove the wisdom tooth.

Removal of the wisdom tooth- is it simple like the other tooth?

No. wisdom tooth removal is little different from the normal tooth removal. Because most of the time it will be surrounded by the dense bone, so bone removal has to be done but it is totally a painless procedure done under local anesthesia.

After the wisdom tooth removal how many days of rest is needed?

You can carry on with your normal work the next day & there may be mild swelling and pain for a few days

Is it necessary to replace the wisdom tooth after its removal?

The replacement of the wisdom tooth is not necessary.

I have a big swelling because of the tooth infection; can I get my tooth extracted on the same day?

When you have a swelling you can't get the tooth removal on the same day, since local anesthesia will not work in such condition. So you have to under go antibiotic therapy to reduce the swelling after that you can get your tooth removed.

Is it necessary to replace a missing or extracted tooth?

Yes! It is absolutely necessary. if you don't replace you teeth three tings will happen
1. difficulty in chewing
2. the adjacent tooth will move from its position to close the space of the extracted tooth
3. sameway the opposing tooth will come down or go up to close the space (supraeruption)

What are the methods to replace a missing tooth ?

There are two methods: either fixed or removal

What is a removal denture?

In removal denture the missing teeth will be fixed in a small plastic plate and it will be kept inside the mouth it has to be removed every night and should be kept in the water .
There are two types in this:
1. acrylic denture
2. cast partial denture

What is meant by fixed denture?

Fixed denture means the missing tooth will be replaced to your Oral cavity permanently which cannot be removed by yourself, and there wont be any plastic or steel plate seen outside
Two types of fixed prostheses:
1. Fixed bridge
2. Implant

What is the difference b/w bridge & implants?

In fixed bridge, in order to replace the missing tooth we need to take support from the two teeth adjacent tooth.

When is clip treatment necessary?

It is done when the tooth is not positioned properly in its Original place (malallignment), like
1. Forwardly placed front teeth
2. Crowded teeth
3. Spaced teeth

Does age a criteria for clip treatment ?

No, in younger age group bone remodelling is easier which is quite hard in older age, bone support and health of supporting structure is important.

Any side effect is there in taking the clip treatment?

There is no side effect in a properly diagnosed and planned orthodontic treatment

Is it a permanent one or it can be removed?

It is a permanent appliance, once it is fixed it has to be removed only when the treatment is completed.

What is the duration of the treatment?

The duration will vary from six months to one year or more depending on the severity of the case .

How important are baby teeth ?

Baby teeth are very important. Most of us tend to ignore the health of baby teeth thinking that they are going fall out but once ignored the baby teeth tend to decay which may cause pain to the child, the child may not eat proper finally effecting the child's health. Also baby teeth act as space maintainers for permanent teeth. Removal of baby teeth may cause closure of spaces for permanent teeth to erupt leading to crowding of the permanent teeth. When front baby teeth are missing the child may develop speech problems, may lack confidence, may develop an altered lip support etc. Thus care for baby teeth is of utmost importance.

Why does my baby gets diarrhea during the teething period ?

During the teething period the baby is restless and there is an itchy sensation in the mouth. To curb this irritation the baby tends to chew on various objects which may be unclean. In such cases bacteria travel within the baby's body through the oral cavity. This most frequently leads to diarrhea. My child is having a painful milk tooth is it advisable to remove it?
Milk tooth will fall by its own at certain period till that time it has to be there for the guidance of the permanent tooth to cum out so if necessary root canal treatment had to be done to save the milk tooth.

My child is having the habit of thump sucking even at the age of 6, is there any treatment for that?

Thump sucking is considered as normal till the age of 4 yrs, even after that if the child continues to suck the up coming new permanent front tooth will be proclined out, so this habit should be stopped at this stage by giving a habit breaking appliance. ( tongue spikes)

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