Hold that Smile

Keep smiling because you never know who’s falling in love with your smile. Dr. Suchetan Pradhan, cosmetic, laser and implant dentist, gives you a four step way to that winning smile.

Teeth tips

Someone once said, “People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a good smile.” But for that, you have to have perfect teeth. That’s a given where smiles are concerned. According to Dr. Suchetan Pradhan, when it comes to teeth, two aspects have to be taken into account- preventive and treatment. Under the preventive aspects comes your basic and regular care like brushing and using a whitening toothpaste and mouthwash. Whitening toothpastes are mild and work only up to a certain level. So if you have teeth that need more than whitening toothpaste, you should look at the treatment aspect of oral care. Teeth beautifying techniques include laminate veneer, bleaching or orthodontics (this includes braces). All this treatment can work in conjunction with one another and are not exclusive and only a whitening treatment done at the dentist’s clinic is really effective.

A note of caution from Dr. Pradhan. There are a lot of over–the –counter whitening products available; these products when used without a dentist’s supervision could have a dangerous effect. Another way to get a perfect smile if you have less than perfect teeth is to correct it by going for tooth-coloured fillings. If the problem’s a missing tooth, tooth implants can be made to replace the missing tooth. Here’s what you should know about toothbrushes. Toothbrushes must be cleaned every day before use. They must be replaced every three months and when the tips start wearing out and look frayed. Go for soft or medium brushes, never hard. Brushing too hard is also harmful for the teeth.

Take care of your teeth and your smile will take care of everything else!

Gum Game:

A flash of pink, healthy gums makes a smile attractive and healthy. So caring for your gums is as important as brushing your teeth. To maintain healthy gums, flossing is a must. Regular flossing takes care of the food particles lodges in the gums, which cause bad breath and gum infection. Automatic toothbrushes help and so do devices that spray water with great force and blast away food particles hidden below the teeth and gum line.

Treatment:

Cleaning or scaling of gums is a must every six months. If you are suffering from gum disease or severe gum infection, laser surgery is recommended. It’s a non-invasive surgery.

Most Indians have dark purplish gums because of a condition called melanin pigmentation. In this case, stripping the gums with laser takes care of the pigmentation and allows the healthy colour to come through.

Tongue Twister:

Dr. Pradhan says tongue cleaning is not absolutely necessary unless you have a dry mouth condition. Your saliva is the best cleansing agent for your tongue. But it is important to maintain basic hygiene.

Breath of fresh air:

If your breath is not fresh, you’re going to have problems with your social life! Think of all the toothpaste ads. Almost all of them harp on the connection between fresh breath and a rocking social life. Breath is directly related to your oral environment. Other causes of bad breath are on infected throat or stomach. Bleeding gums, cavities where food gets stuck, are also common causes of stale breath. Mouthwashes help in curbing bad breath as it contains bacteria-killing powers and it is the bacteria, which causes the release of noxious odours.

IF YOU HAVE YELLOW TEETH THEN THERE ARE CERTAIN SHADES OF LIPSTICK YOU SHOULD AVOID. DEEP REDS AND PINKS MAKE YOUR TEETH LOOK MORE YELLOW WHILE SHADES WITH BROWN TONES WILL MAKE IT LOOK WHITER.

Source:  April 15 2005, Dentalwise, Femina