Get back that million dollar smile

As we grow up and begin noticing our physical attributes and comparing them with those of others around us, we sometimes lose confidence in ourselves and the dilemma for a majority of us begins at the mouth, literally. Reflects Raina Kapoor, a young teenybopper, “People take me to be grim and humourless because I choose to hide myself behind a shy smile where as the truth is that I am conscious of my crooked teeth”.

Similar sentiments are echoed by Vikas Jain, a class XII student, “Its not that I don’t enjoy being hilarious and animated all the time but how can I help if I have a lopsided smile and discoloured teeth which tends to put people off”?

Quite true, especially if we consider the fact that our mouth is often the focal point which receives a lot of attention from others and our teeth its crowning glory? So what should one do in order to restore glory back to one’s set of 32? “Aesthetic and cosmetic dentistry can perform miracles today and correct a great many imperfections,” comments Dr. B.R. Sachdeva, cosmetic and aesthetic dentist. “From crooked teeth, visible gums, discoloured teeth to wrongly-aligned, missing, delayed, crowded, fractioned, erupted and unwanted additional teeth — you can rectify it all — and what have you in just a few sittings,” he explains.

All this become possible thanks to the new era of aesthetics which has seen the introduction of new materials like composite resins and techniques like light wiring.

Exemplifies Dr A.K Sharma, a dental surgeon, “Composite resin has a great ability to firmly and compactly be bonded with it. Apart from this, it also has good physical and chemical strength to sustain the various problems that teeth have to cope with,” he adds.

But this is not all. There are several other teeth related problems like swollen and bleeding gums, tartar formation, pus formation, protruding teeth and teeth sensitivity.

Meet Kanwal Shastri, a 29 year old executive and you’ll come to know about his sensitive gum margins. “Actually my gums have receded so much that even after getting the filling done I fear losing all my teeth”.

Arun Grewal, a school teacher has another problem, that of irregular, protruding teeth. “I use to wear braces but somebody suggested proclaim crowns. Then I heard of the hybrid composite treatment but am afraid once I get it done I’ll loose my natural capacity to bite into hard things,” he explains anxiously.

Dr. S.J. Singh, an orthodontist says, “Receding gums can occur due to the fracturing of enamel which in turn exposes the dentin and causes sensitivity.” One can go in for toothpastes containing potassium nitrate or opt in for filling and bonding,”he adds. And as far as the hybrid composite method goes, it has no effect on bones and gums but the teeth get discoloured faster. Therefore, utmost care has to be taken that one does not exert too much pressure on the upper front teeth as it can cause them to chip. Porcelain laminates or veneers last longer but can cause damage to the tooth structure in the long run, he warns.

Explains Dr. O.P. Nagpal, a dentist, “A large number of people come to me with the problem of tender, swollen of bleeding gums, tartar formation, yellow teeth, foul breath, stained teeth, et all. I normally ask them to consult a periodontist.

So one might wonder what are the causes of such unwanted problems?

Well bleeding gums can be due to inflammation, pus formation due to degeneration of bones, whole discolouration of teeth could be due to overly aggressive brushing which causes the enamel to wear off exposing the yellow coloured dentin. Stained teeth are usually the result of the intake of coffee tea, pan masala and certain other food stuffs. So what are the remedies?

Suggests Dr. O.P. Hunjal, a specialist in orthodentistry, “To change the colour of the teeth one can go in for beaching bonding or lamination depending on the reason for discolouration. However bleaching cannot be done on decayed and sensitive teeth with broken enamels, leaky margins and old fillings as it causes teeth sensitivity,” he adds.

Dr Nitin Jain, another surgeon suggest mouth rinses to improve oral health. “Plaque, an amorphous, sticky, gelatinous film of bacteria that collects on the teeth and causes tooth decay and gum diseases is usually formed when people don’t brush and floss teeth regularly. The best way to control plaque is through antibacterial agents which are present in the mouth rinses. The most common agents used in mouth washes are triclosen, chlorohexidine, herbal extracts like sanguinarine and fluorides but the most effective antiplaque agent is the chlorhexidine,” he explains.

“So how much can aesthetic or orthodontic dentistry rectify?” Can it be an answer for missing or lost tooth? asks an anxious Rohit Sharma who recently lost a tooth in an accident.

Similar doubts are raised by Malti Desai, a housewife who had to get four of her molars extracted.

“Why not?” assures Dr. R.P. Sethi, an aesthetic and cosmetic dentist. Aesthetic dentistry has many solutions to this problem. Apart from the partial or complete removal of the denture, made up of acrylic resin, fixed bridges can also he used to close the gaps between the teeth. Then one can also go in for dental implants,” he add.

So now what are you thinking of? Whether you have a sheepish grin or a seemingly ugly smile or whether you guffaw, grimace or appear to be grim and humourless, just because your set of 32 isn’t the right one should not be a cause of concern for you. For you now have the sophisticated means to restore your million dollar smile. Rush to an aesthetic dentist with all your problems right away.