Bruxism or Night grinding

Bruxism or night grinding is an excessive grinding of the teeth or clenching of the jaw. Causes of night grinding may include abnormal alignment of the jaw, intense concentration or situational anxiety or stress. Mild bruxism may not require treatment. However moderate to severe bruxism leads to jaw disorders, headaches, damaged teeth and other oral problems line flattened, fractured, chipped or loose teeth and decreased chewing efficiency. Worn tooth enamel, exposing deeper layer of your tooth causes sensitivity.

TREATMENT

• Self treatment – Taking steps to relieve stress, practising good sleep habits and avoiding caffeine in the evening may help reduce grinding.
• Dental treatment – The dental treatment for bruxism is dental guard, mouth guard, nocturnal bite plates or bite splints. The night guard is a plastic dental appliance that fits over the teeth. They work by putting a barrier between your teeth. When you clench your jaw, the night guard for teeth helps to lighten the tension and give cushion to the muscles in the jaw.

Methods of cleaning mouth guard

• Wash your night guard with warm water immediately after wearing.
• Keep your night guard on a clean surface and dry it fully, this will prevent it from bacterial growth.
• Do not keep your night guard in bathroom, it may cause humidity to wear it down with time. Best way to keep in bedroom in a strong and dry case.
• It is also important to clean your night guard with toothbrush but not with toothpaste, toothpaste can be abrasive and may cause it to wear out speedily. You can use soap and toothbrush to clean the night guard.
• When it comes to mouth safety and fitness, the dental custom made night guard is an excellent investment.

POST RCT DENTAL CARE

1. After root canal treatment (RCT), temporary filling is done which need 30 minutes to set. In this time dint touch tongue over treated teeth.
2. Don’t eat hard and sticky food until permanent filling and cap is done.
3. Don’t eat or chew until effect as anesthesia or numbness goes away.
4. For mild discomfort or swelling do saline water (Luke warm water plus salt) gargling
5. Don’t too much delay capping and fixing of crown over RCT treated teeth.
6. Practice good oral hygiene RCT treated side of the jaw. Do regular brushing.

REMEMBER ROOT CANAL TREATRMENT IS A PAINLESS AND TOOTH SAVING DENTAL PROCEDURE.

HOW CAN I PREVENT CAVITIES OR CARIES

*Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a fluoride containing toothpaste. Brushing especially before going to bed plays a very important role in preventing cavities.

*Clean between your teeth daily with dental floss or interdental brush (If gaps between teeth present) or water flosser.

*Have sealants placed- They are protective coating applied to the top surface of the teeth.

*Mouth rinse- Rinsing of mouth with antimicrobial mouth rinses after brushing or eating can aid in cavity prevention as suggested by your dentist.

*Chew gum- Chewing certain sugarless gums can actually help to prevent cavities by increasing the flow of the saliva in your mouth.

*Avoid frequent snacking and sipping of the beverages other than water, also those food which sticks easily on to the tooth surface should be avoided.

*Aerated cold drinks will cause demineralisation of your teeth and causes more risk of cavities.

*Visiting your dentists for regular check-ups and cleaning is a key for preventing cavities.

Choosing Brush wisely:

Toothbrushes come in all different sizes with various styles, angles, brush-head shapes, bristles & more. It can be difficult to know what is best for your teeth.

Here are some tips for choosing the right toothbrush for you: –

1.Soft Bristles – Its best, they are gentle on your gums & teeth.
2.Comfortable Handle – Look for a toothbrush that provides a non-slip grip.
3.Small Brush heads – This helps you reach smaller places better & till last teeth in the jaw.
4.Powered toothbrush – It is a good investment as it controls pressure & prevents damage to the teeth because of aggressive brushing.
5.Get what you like – Some brushes have flexible heads, different shaped heads & different bristle styles. Choose whatever is comfortable for you.
6.Replace regularly – Even if you choose a great toothbrush, it will lose its effectiveness after a few months. It’s better to replace your tooth brush every 3 months or fraying of the bristles is noticed.

Root Canal Treatments:

Root canal treatments are an essential treatment for successfully removing the infected tissue and bacteria throughout the canal. The procedure is delicate and done by a root canal specialist/ endodontist to avoid complications. A dental microscope provides these unique advantages to the patient.

● Magnification – It provides greater clarity and improved vision, which allows the best quality of the oral examination, enabling your dentist in detecting early signs of something as simple as caries or severe gum problems.
● Precision – Microscopic treatment is the new standard of care in dentistry. It helps in accurately locating and removing the nerve from the tooth root without damaging the remaining tooth.
● Low chance of complications – Dental microscope allows the dentist to get the job done with high precision, eliminating damage to surrounding tissues, reducing the healing time and lowering the risk of post-operative infection or discomfort to the patient. By incorporating a dental microscope into our practice, we strive to provide world-class dental care to our patients.

Root canal vs Extraction: which is a better choice?

Do you have a tooth which is damaged and causing severe pain? Consult your doctor for the same to take an opinion on its survival. When you get a root canal treatment, Endodontist removes all the infection present with in the tooth and fill it with biocompatible material so that form, function and esthetics are maintained.

Teeth are integral part of the jaw or body. They are priceless. If you get hurt on your finger you will never cut and throw it, you would rather find treatment for it. Similar way tooth is an organ it has important role to play in the mouth. If teeth is infected get it treated rather than removal as each teeth play different role in the mouth and if one is missing the whole balance is disrupted and causes more damage to the other teeth and jaw joint (TMJ joint).

Benefits of root canal treatment being you don’t lose your original tooth, you may pay less for the procedure, treatment takes less time  and the process is nearly painless and immediate pain relief can be achieved. Extraction is advised only when tooth is compromised and cannot be saved by root canal treatment.

What happens when tooth is extracted?

Instead of retaining the tooth if extraction is done – chewing efficiency, speech, lip and cheek support are lost. Missing teeth can cause drifting of other teeth leading to gaps and more cavities in between other teeth because of food lodgement ultimately leading to gum infection and bone infection. Finally where tooth is removed, bone loss will happen as there is no root to hold the bone.

As it is not advisable to leave the gap alone you have to go for artificial teeth like bridge or an implant to fill the gap which will increases the treatment cost almost 3 folds and and greater oral hygiene care and maintenance cost throughout the life.

Given a choice between root canal treatment or extraction, Root canal treatment should be the only choice as long as tooth can be saved.

IS DENTAL CROWN NECESSARY AFTER ROOT CANAL TREATMENT??

In root canal procedure, Endodontist thoroughly clean out infection present with in the tooth by using advanced equipments and devices. Tooth is then filled with unique dental filling material that seals the tooth and prevents from reinfection.

Thanks to root canal, tooth is saved from extraction and dental health and wellness is maintained.

After root canal treatment requirement of crown depends on various factors like location of the teeth in the mouth—teeth towards the back of the mouth like molars and premolars are needed more for chewing, and generally require crowns, where  as incisors or canines which aren’t needed for chewing don’t always require crowns but if they are week then post and core (fibre) followed by crown is important to protect the tooth and prevent it from fracture.

Bite of the patient plays a very important role – if patient has grinding habit, teeth is prone for breakage as excessive biting forces might create cracks in the tooth ultimately leadings to breakage of the teeth.

Crown requirement depends on how much healthy tooth is remaining after removing diseased tooth.

Studies reveal that dental crown following root canal treatment Improves longevity of the tooth. Crown protects remaining tooth structure from further decay, reinfection and fracture.

Laser assisted Gum Treatment

Gum disease (Gingivitis) is the disease which causes infection and inflammation of the gums. It is one of the most common dental problem worldwide. Dental plaque is the common cause of this disease which release toxins and irritate and inflame the gums. Inflammation destroys the gums and cause them to separate from the teeth.

Some researchers suggests that the bacteria responsible for periodontitis can enter your blood stream through gum tissues possibly affecting your heart, lungs and other parts of the body.

Symptoms of gum infection(Gingivitis) are mild toothache, gum swelling, pain, gums may be red, painful to touch and looks longer than normal and gums may bleed on brushing. Mild gum disease can be corrected by improving oral hygiene by brushing, flossing and having plaques and tartar removed. Laser play a great role in controlling gum diseases.

Benefits of laser gum treatment are laser stimulates stem cells in the tissue to form new connective tissues, bone and collagen and helps body to regenerate lost ligaments and bone around the teeth. Laser limits bleeding , kills bacteria from the gums and minimise the risk of bacterial infection. Laser removes diseased tissues and bacteria from the pockets along the base of the teeth and helps gums to recover from infection and halt the disease process.