DENTAL SPECIALITIES

The  DENTAL COUNCIL OF INDIA recognized nine different specialized dental fields. A dentist who wants to work in these fields must complete additional training beyond the three years needed for a general dentistry degree of MDS.

If you're looking to choose a dentist for specialized care, here are some of the established specialties to look for:

Dental Public Health: This field focuses on studying the causes and patterns or oral health diseases among groups of people, and how to manage them. This specialty is also involved in developing social policies related to oral health, such as the fluoridation of water.

Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics: This specialty focuses on straightening teeth and improving people’s bites using braces and retainers

Endodontics: This field focuses on the management of diseases of the tooth pulp and surrounding areas. A root canal is the most well-known endodontic procedure.

Prosthodontics: This field focuses on treating dental problems with prostheses, which include dentures, crowns, and dental bridges and replacing dental implants.

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology: This field involves the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the face, mouth, and jaw.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: This field involves a variety of oral surgery procedures including extractions, placement of dental implants and treatments of genetic conditions such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology: This field involves using x-rays and other imaging technologies to study diseases of the face, mouth, and jaw.

Periodontics: This field focuses on caring for the structures that support the teeth, primarily the management of gum disease (periodontitis) and placement and maintenance of dental implants.

Pediatric Dentistry: This field focuses on treating dental problems in children.

DENTAL SCALING

What Is Dental Scaling?

Dental scaling is the most common nonsurgical way to treat gum disease, which is also known as periodontitis.

If your disease is moderate, but not severe, your dentist may recommend scaling to treat the disease and keep it from getting worse. But if you have severe periodontal disease and your condition may require gum surgery, your dentist and periodontist may recommend a scaling and root planing before the surgery, as well as a thorough teeth-cleaning prior to the procedure.

The sticky, bacteria-filled plaque that causes gum disease tends to accumulate in the area along and just below the gum line. If you have gums that are slightly receded from your teeth, you may be at increased risk for gum disease and your dentist may recommend scaling. Scaling is nonsurgical, but it is a different type of procedure from a standard dental cleaning because it involves cleaning the areas of the tooth below the gum line.

There are two types of scaling instruments and some dentists or dental hygienists may use both:

• Scaling with hand-held instruments. Your dentist or periodontist will use a dental scaler and curette to manually remove (scale) the plaque from the teeth. Because the dentist or dental hygienist can't see the plaque, they rely on touch to identify areas of tartar buildup and rough spots.
• Scaling with ultrasonic instruments. Ultrasonic scaling instruments clean plaque from the teeth with a vibrating metal tip that chips off the tartar and a water spray to wash it away and keep the tip cool.

Food Choices That Prevent Tooth Decay

Food Choices That Prevent Tooth Decay

It's no fun passing up sugary treats like cookies and candies. But when it comes to tooth decay, food choices play an important role. Some foods can harm your teeth, while others contain essential nutrients to keep them healthy and strong. To help prevent tooth decay, keep the following food choices in mind.

Calcium

Calcium is a prime ingredient for preventing tooth decay, especially for growing children. Dairy is a great source, with choices such as milk, yogurt and cheese. And calcium isn't hiding in the fat, so skim milk and low-fat yogurt are just as good. Other options are leafy greens such as broccoli and bok choy, canned fish with bones, almonds, Brazil nuts and dried beans.

Fruit, Fiber and Veggies

Eating high-fiber foods keeps saliva flowing, which helps create mineral defenses against tooth decay. Good sources of fiber are dried fruits such as dates, raisins and figs, and fresh fruits, like bananas, apples and oranges. Other options include veggies, such as beans, Brussels sprouts and peas, along with peanuts, almonds and bran.

Whole Grains

Whole grains provide B vitamins and iron, which help keep gums healthy. Whole grains also have magnesium-an important ingredient for bones and teeth. In addition, whole grains are high in fiber. Look for foods such as bran, brown rice, and whole-grain cereals and pasta to be good sources of whole grains.

Sugar Snacks

When you get the munchies, focus on choosing healthy foods, like the ones we mentioned earlier. Try to steer clear of sweets, because sugar partners with plaque to weaken enamel, leaving you vulnerable to tooth decay. In fact, each time you eat a sugary snack, your teeth are under siege for the next 20 minutes.

The Food Pyramid

When looking to follow a healthy diet that's good for your teeth and the rest of your body, try sticking to the food pyramid. The pyramid is structured to give you a healthy serving of all the necessary food groups you need throughout the day

BRUSHING TECHNIQUE

How to Brush Your Teeth With a Manual Toothbrush
Brushing Your Teeth Properly
Learning how to brush your teeth properly is the first step to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Plus, it helps minimize the risk of tooth decay and gum disease, the major causes of tooth loss.
Before You Begin

While there are several methods of brushing teeth with a manual toothbrush, always ask your dental professional for their recommendation and be sure to follow their instructions. To start, use fluoride toothpaste with a soft-bristle toothbrush, and don't forget to replace it every three months.
Two Minutes, Twice A Day


To brush your teeth correctly, spend at least two minutes using a recommended technique, which includes 30 seconds brushing each section of your mouth (upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left), both morning and night. Since most manual toothbrushes don't have built-in two-minute timers, you may want to have a clock handy so you can be sure you're brushing long enough.

Positioning The Toothbrush


How you hold the toothbrush depends on which part of the tooth you're brushing.

Step 1: Start with outer and inner surfaces, and brush at a 45-degree angle in short, half-tooth-wide strokes against the gum line. Make sure you reach your back teeth.

Step 2: Move on to chewing surfaces. Hold the brush flat and brush back and forth along these surfaces.

Step 3: Once you get to the inside surfaces of your front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and use gentle up-and-down strokes with the tip of brush.

Step 4: Be sure to brush gently along the gum line.

Step 5: Brush your tongue in a back-to-front sweeping motion to remove food particles and help remove odor-causing bacteria to freshen your breath.

Now that you've learned proper brushing technique, a little discipline in practicing it every day will help make it feel like second nature. It's one of the easiest things you can do to maintain the health of your teeth and gums.

Bad Breath Worries

Worried about bad breath? You're not alone. Forty million Americans suffer from bad breath, or halitosis, according to the American Dental Hygienists' Association. Bad breath can get in the way of your social life. It can make you self-conscious and embarrassed. Fortunately, there are simple and effective ways to freshen your breath.


1. Brush and floss more frequently.

One of the prime causes of bad breath is plaque, the sticky build-up on teeth that harbors bacteria. Food left between teeth adds to the problem. All of us should brush at least twice a day and floss daily. If you're worried about your breath, brush and floss a little more often. But don't overdo it. Brushing too aggressively can erode enamel, making your teeth more vulnerable to decay.

2. Scrape your tongue.

The coating that normally forms on the tongue can harbor foul-smelling bacteria. To eliminate them, gently brush your tongue with your toothbrush. Some people find that toothbrushes are too big to comfortably reach the back of the tongue. In that case, try a tongue scraper. "Tongue scrapers are an essential tool in a proper oral health care routine," says Pamela L. Quinones, RDH, president of the American Dental Hygienists' Association. "They're designed specifically to apply even pressure across the surface of the tongue area, removing bacteria, food debris, and dead cells that brushing alone can’t remove."


3. Avoid foods that sour your breath.

Onions and garlic are the prime offenders. "Unfortunately, brushing after you eat onions or garlic doesn't help," says dentist Richard Price, DMD, a spokesperson for the American Dental Association. "The volatile substances they contain make their way into your blood stream and travel to your lungs, where you breathe them out." The only way to avoid the problem is to avoid eating onions and garlic, especially before social or work occasions when you're concerned about your breath.

4. Kick the habit.

Bad breath is just one of many reasons not to smoke. Smoking damages gum tissue and stains teeth. It also increases your risk of oral cancer. Over-the-counter nicotine patches can help tame the urge to smoke. If you need a little help, make an appointment to talk to your doctor about prescription medications or smoking cessation programs that can help you give up tobacco for good.

5. Rinse your mouth out.

In addition to freshening your breath, anti-bacterial mouthwashes add extra protection by reducing plaque-causing bacteria. After eating, swishing your mouth with plain water also helps freshen your breath by eliminating food particles.

6. Skip after-dinner mints and chew gum instead.

Sugary candies promote the growth of bacteria in your mouth and add to bad breath problems. Instead, chew sugarless gum. "Gum stimulates saliva, which is the mouth’s natural defense mechanism against plaque acids which cause tooth decay and bad breath,"  

7. Keep your gums healthy.

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is a common cause of bad breath. Bacteria accumulate in pockets at the base of teeth, creating bad odors. If you have gum disease, your dentist may recommend a periodontist, who specializes in treating gum disease.


8. Be alert to dry mouth.

Lack of saliva promotes tooth decay and can cause bad breath. If your mouth is dry, drink plenty of water during the day. Chew sugarless gum or suck on sugarless hard candy, which helps stimulate saliva. Use a humidifier at night if the air is dry. If your mouth is still unusually dry, talk to your dentist or doctor. Dry mouth is a side effect of certain medications.


9. See your doctor.

If your bad breath continues despite your best efforts, see your doctor. Bad breath can be a symptom of medical conditions such as a sinus infection, postnasal drip from allergies, lung infections, diabetes, or liver or kidney diseases.

GET WISE TO THE WAYS OF WISDOM TEETH

Get Wise to the Ways of Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are last in line in the back of the mouth. But not all of us have our wisdom teeth, for a variety of reasons.

For many people, wisdom teeth emerge from the jaw between the ages of 17 and 25 years, and they don’t cause problems. In other people, the wisdom teeth become impacted, which means that they are trapped within the jaw and unable to emerge. But that’s not always a bad thing. Impacted wisdom teeth often cause no symptoms or pain and stay within the jaw for life.

But in some cases, the impacted wisdom tooth does cause problems. You may experience redness and swelling around the area where the tooth is impacted as well as jaw pain, headaches, and a strange taste when you bite near the area of the impacted tooth.

Wisdom teeth are a holdover from the earlier days of humans, when we ate a more primitive diet and needed more teeth. Humans today have smaller jaws and many of us are unable to accommodate these late-emerging teeth. As wisdom teeth try to emerge, they can push other teeth out of the way and interfere with orthodontic work. Also, partially emerged wisdom teeth can provide a breeding ground for bacteria, and bacterial buildup can lead to severe gum disease.

Even if impacted wisdom teeth are causing no symptoms, some dentists recommend removing them surgically to prevent the possibility of future problems. Fortunately, wisdom tooth extraction is a common outpatient procedure, performed under local anesthesia. As with any surgery, expect some residual bleeding, swelling and bruising in the first few days, and limit your activities. But most people recover quickly and easily.

Decayed Teeth: When They Have to Be Extracted

One of the most important points about tooth decay is that you don't always recognize it when it's in the early stages.

Which is exactly why it’s important to see your dentist or dental hygienist regularly for a thorough cleaning and oral exam, in addition to following a consistent oral care routine of twice-daily toothbrushing and daily flossing.

Whether decayed teeth cause a toothache depends on where they're located. A cavity in the tooth enamel doesn't cause pain. In fact, you won't notice that you have a toothache until the decay reaches the dentin, the softer mid-layer of a tooth that lies between the enamel and the pulp. Decayed teeth can be saved if they are identified while they affect only the enamel or dentin, but if they decay reaches the nerve-filled pulp at the center of a tooth, a root canal or tooth extraction may be necessary.
A root canal will preserve the tooth, but in severe cases your dentist may recommend tooth extraction instead. If you have a tooth removed due to severe decay, it's important to practice good oral hygiene and follow your dentist's instructions for keeping the gum tissue clean while you consider options for a replacement tooth or teeth. Replacing missing teeth is important for oral hygiene for several reasons, in part because you will keep the neighboring teeth from shifting and affecting your bite.