1 Smile One Care

Root canal treatment is a go-to procedure when the decay has reached the pulp. At times when it is difficult to retreat the root canal or when the root canal treatment is not successful at resolving infection around the roots of the tooth, you may require the need for an apicoectomy procedure. The root canal treatment can fail due to various reasons like blocked or inaccessible canal, presence of intricate root canal network or a fracture or crack along the roots of the tooth. The source of infection is accessed through gums rather than the crown of the tooth in case of apicoectomy. How is it done? Under local anaesthesia, a small incision is made over the gum and the tip of the root is exposed. A small portion of the tip of the root along with infected surrounding tissue is removed. The end of the root is then sealed with an inert material. A bone graft may then be placed at the affected region followed by suturing of the gum tissue over the tooth's roots. Post-operative ins...

Did you ever have a boil over your gums along with pain? If pus oozes out of it and if it keeps coming back, it is definitely a case of an abscess. A tooth abscess is an accumulation of pus. These are of different types - periodontal abscess which occurs on the side of the tooth root whereas periapical abscess occurs on the tip of the root over the gums. They are caused by decay, periodontal (gum) disease, cracked tooth, lodgement of foreign object (ex. popcorn kernel) or involves partially erupted third molar. The abscess could lead to throbbing pain over the tooth, swelling and redness of the gums, pain while you chew, bad taste in the mouth or sensitivity. A tooth abscess can be diagnosed by clinical and X-ray examination. It can be treated by establishing pus drainage by making an incision over the most fluctuant part (a small cut over the abscess) and treating the cause - for example if decay is the cause then that should be treated. It could also be because of the underlying me...

Have you noticed pain related to your wisdom tooth when it is erupting in the oral cavity? It could be a sign of Pericoronitis (inflammation of the gum overlying the erupting tooth). It is associated with pain and swelling of the operculum (the gum or the flap that covers partially erupted tooth). It typically affects young adults in whom wisdom teeth erupt. It is caused due to food debris getting trapped beneath the operculum and trauma due to the opposing tooth eventually leading to infection. It could be associated with sharp radiating pain, swelling, pus discharge, difficulty in opening the mouth, difficulty in swallowing, fever, enlarged lymph nodes and subsequent spread of infection to the adjacent regions. So, what is the treatment? In case of a healthy tooth which is partially erupted, your dentist will perform thorough dental scaling and advise conservative treatment which would involve maintenance of proper oral hygiene and use of warm saline gargles or mouthrinse. Your...

  Lip tie is the fold of tissue that connects lip to the gum tissue of the teeth. Most commonly it is present on your upper front teeth. Tongue tie is that which connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth. It can sometimes be connected upto the tip of your tongue. How does that affect you? They could lead to increase in the space between your teeth, recede gums or cause redness of gums. They inhibit movement and cause speech impediments. A tongue tie could prevent self cleansing of your mouth and restricts tongue functions like licking, kissing or sticking your tongue out. This accumulates food on your teeth for longer; thus affecting your dental health and also your social life. These connections have no distinct functions and removing them cause no loss of function. The lip tie or the tongue tie could also interfere with your denture fit. In some cases, they may be needed when you are getting braces to avoid relapse (fibrotic tissue could open up the closed spaces). To d...

  A person who has lost teeth may desire replacement of the same by fixed teeth. Dental implants are the most successful option for replacement of your missing teeth. With proper care, they can last as long as your natural teeth. So what exactly are these dental implants? Dental implants are made up of three main parts - implant, abutment and crown. The dental implant is a screw-like structure that is made up of titanium and embedded into the bone. The bone fuses to the implant through a natural process called as osseointegration. The abutment is a connector of the prosthetic teeth to the implant which is fastened with a screw. The crown or the prosthesis is designed for single tooth or full arch of teeth. Why do we need dental implants? 1. To replace missing teeth lost due to decay, gum disease or trauma 2. For mastication (chewing) 3. For strong and esthetic prosthesis 4. To maintain the integrity of the jaw structure. Procedural Steps: 1. Prior to surgery, a CBCT s...

How to keep your mouth clean in this pandemic? Are any extra measures required? A link has been found between poor oral hygiene and severity of SARS COV-2 infections Sampson, V., Kamona, N. & Sampson, A. Could there be a link between oral hygiene and the severity of SARS -CoV-2 infections?. Br Dent J 228, 971–975 (2020).  Covid-19 is of viral origin, but bacteria play a crucial role in the severe forms of infection. High bacterial load in the oral cavity is linked to post viral complications from Covid-19 and improving the oral health can reduce risk of complications. Good oral hygiene can reduce the bacterial load in the mouth and chances of bacterial superinfection. Oral health is responsible for overall health. So it is important to vigorously follow an oral hygiene routine to combat the bacterial infection and lessen the viral load. Precautionary measures: 1. Wash your hands before beginning the oral hygiene routine. 2. Brush twice daily using a fluoridated too...

Crown lengthening is a procedure performed by a Periodontist. The portion of the gum is cut away under local anesthesia to expose more of the tooth structure below. Most of the times, minor reshaping of the bone beneath the gums is involved to allow the gums to permanently stay in the desired position. It is usually done in case of a broken tooth or inadequate structure of the tooth for placement of the crown. This facilitates additional retention for the crown. This procedure can also be performed for cosmetic purposes. In case of gummy smile (visibility of gums while smiling), crown lengthening procedure can be done on one or more teeth to produce a natural looking smile. Pre-surgery assessment is done by probing (moving a blunt instrument along your gumline) and X-ray examination to check the health of the tooth structures that cannot be assessed clinically. You need to have relatively healthy gums to undergo this procedure. In the presence of a gum disease, it is important to tre...