2022 – Credence Dental

Is teeth grinding a Problem?

December 16, 2022 dev.abrar No Comments

Grinding teeth is a common activity which is done by many people from time to time. This teeth grinding, also called as bruxism in medical terms, does not usually cause harm, but when teeth grinding occurs on a regular basis, teeth can be damaged and lead to oral health complications.

Usually a person himself does not recognize the grinding of their own teeth. It is always your family members or parents who can hear the noise of teeth grinding or make you realize your habit.

Why do people grind their teeth?
Teeth grinding can be caused by stress and anxiety, but this usually occurs during sleep. It can also occur due to abnormal bite or missing or crooked teeth. Sleep disorders like sleep apnea may also be the cause of teeth grinding.

How do I find out if I grind my teeth?
As said, grinding of teeth usually occurs at night time, hence many people are unaware about their habit. However a dull constant headache or sore jaw after waking up in the morning is a symptom of teeth grinding. Mostly it is your family members who come to know about the noise you make in sleep.

If you suspect or are told by someone about teeth grinding, talk to your dentist. They can examine your mouth and jaw for any signs of bruxism like jaw tenderness or excessive wear of your teeth.

Risk factor for teeth grinding
● Stress, anxiety
● Alcohol, Smoking
● Drugs: Antidepressants, Anti psychotics, Cocaine
● Excessive use of caffeine

Your dentist or oral health professional can assess the influence of these risk factors.

Is teeth grinding harmful?
In some cases, if teeth grinding continues for a long duration, like every night, then it can result in fracture or loss of tooth structure. Grinding wears off the tooth completely making it sensitive to cold or hot foods and thus increasing teeth sensitivity. Also teeth might wear completely down to the stumps. This causes the need for treatments like placement of bridges, crowns or even root canal of such teeth to reduce teeth sensitivity.

Not only can severe grinding of teeth damage teeth or result in tooth loss , it can also affect your jaws or worsen TMJ and change the appearance of your face.

How can I stop teeth grinding?
Your dentist can fit you a mouth guard to protect your teeth from grinding during sleep. This will prevent wear of your teeth and prevent it from chipping . Also the jaw soreness or muscle tension is eliminated with no morning headaches or sore jaw.

What else can I do to stop grinding my teeth?
Your dentist may also review your medication just to see if that’s what is contributing to stress. If stress is causing you to grind teeth, ask your doctor about options to reduce your stress. Attend a stress counseling session, see a physical therapist or obtain a prescription for muscles relaxant for soothing effect.

Cognitive behavioral therapy , a type of talk therapy can help reduce stress. Exercise, medication and physical therapy is also of great help.

Other way to cut back grinding of teeth:
Do not chew on pencils or pen or anything that is not food Avoid chewing gums as it allows your jaw muscles to get more used to clenching and more likely to grind teeth If you have a habit of day grinding, position the tip of your tongue between your teeth just behind the front teeth , with lips together. This helps your jaw muscles to relax and prevents teeth clenching. Avoid or reduce caffeine in foods and drinks like colas or coffee

Outlook for people with Teeth grinding:
Follow your doctor’s recommendations. If a nighty guard is given to you, wear it regularly. Sticking to your treatment plan helps in improving the symptoms and making you feel best.

Conclusion:
Teeth grinding or bruxism happens when you clench and grind your teeth. It can happen when you are awake or during night time. Night teeth grinding can cause more problems as we don’t realize the severity with which we are grinding our teeth. Without treatment teeth grinding can cause jaw muscles and joints to get sore and give you bad headaches. If you are facing such problems visit your dentist immediately and find the right treatment option for you.

Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today! or just drop into our Dental Clinic at RR Nagar in Bangalore

Pediatric Dentistry

SILVER DIAMINE FLUORIDE – A BOON TO DENTISTRY

November 23, 2022 dev.abrar No Comments

Untreated dental cavities in kids are a serious dental problem that is faced by many parents. One in every five children has a problem with dental cavities. While we know the application of dental fluoride is a well-known preventive measure in children, it’s not the choice of treatment when there are deep cavities present.

Untreated dental decay extending in deeper layers of the tooth requires mechanical removal with hand instruments or drills. This lost tooth structure is restored using filling material.

But can we really follow all clinical steps and complete the treatment in uncooperative patients too?

Children with low cooperation levels need noninvasive intervention until a certain age, after which the drill and fill concept can be applied to them. Hence non-invasive interim intervention i.e. no drill concept is necessary for arresting dental cavities. One such intervention which has helped all Pediatric Dentist is the application of Silver Diamine fluoride (SDF)

What is SDF?

SDF is an inexpensive, non-invasive medicament that is applied topically. It is 38% SDF, a silver fluoride with the addition of ammonia. SDF has FDA and drug administration approval and can be used in arresting dental cavities

Is SDF effective?

SDF has been used internationally for decades to arrest caries in primary as well as permanent teeth. SDF is twice the strength of commercially available fluoride varnish hence proving to be effective means of arresting cavities.

Who is the right candidate for the application of SDF?

SDF has its main use in children and adolescents when patients co-operation for dental treatment is limited may be due to young age, situational anxiety, or developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Applying SDF will not restore the form and function of teeth like the traditional filling. It’s just a means to stop the decay process and prevent the child from developing any form of deeper cavities.

If the SDF application is done without a plan for future filing, it could provide a reservoir for exacerbation of the decay process via the food impaction in the cavity and thus increasing the

SDF has clinical utility in children and adolescents when patient cooperation for restorative dentistry is limited due to young age, situational anxiety, or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Application of SDF does not restore form and function to teeth with dental caries as do traditional restorations.

The use of SDF without a plan for restoration of the decayed teeth could provide a reservoir for exacerbation of the caries process via food impaction in cavitated lesions and subsequent metabolism of fermentable carbohydrates to acid by cariogenic bacteria.

Also, if teeth are not restored with appropriate fillings it can lead to disturbance in the child’s bite relationship and jeopardize the space needed for permanent teeth to erupt. Hence the application of SDF IS not a replacement for the filling of a tooth. Rather it is an effective interim therapy that is used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan supervised by a dentist within a dental home.

Side effects of Using SDF?

SDF applied to any dental cavity or any tissue of mouth, lips or skin causes significant black staining due to the presence of Silver oxide. Staining of skin and oral mucosa tends to resolve within a few days as the cells present in the skin slough off. In contrast, any dental cavities treated with SDF remain permanently black which is a significant aesthetic problem, especially in anterior teeth

How does SDF work?

SDF works because Silver and fluoride can stop dental decay. Silver has antibacterial properties which makes it a perfect agent to stop decay. Fluoride increases the rate at which the tooth can be remineralized and it also increases resistance to harmful acids. Also, fluoride has antimicrobial properties

Benefits of SDF

Non-invasive – As treatment just required the application of the solution without drilling

Safe – It’s FDA approved and does not contain harmful agents

Cost-effective – Compared to invasive treatments, the cost of treatment is less

Quick – Treatment can be completed in a short time

SDF vs Drilling

SDF is the best alternative to filling cavities in small children. This is a non-invasive treatment that requires minimum time compared to the time needed for filling. The sound of the drill or its sensation can at times be scary for children and make them dislike dental clinics. So to avoid these factors, it’s always better to use a non-invasive procedure for the start and later move with the invasive part.

Talk with your Pediatric Dentist today for more details on SDF.

Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today! or just drop into our Dental Clinic at RR Nagar in Bangalore

Benefits of implant-supported dentures

November 3, 2022 dev.abrar No Comments

Are you tired of loose ill-fitting dentures and don’t feel like wearing your dentures at all?

Denture fitness is a widespread problem faced by multiple patients. There can be various reasons for the ill-fitting nature of dentures but don’t worry we have a solution for your dental concern which is implant-supported overdentures.

Implant-supported Dentures are a special type of prosthesis which use dental implants as the main source for stability and tight fix. In other words, implant-supported overdentures have a combined quality of dental implants and removable Dentures. So if we have an alternative to the route removable dentures with good stability and support why not opt for the same!!

Who can benefit from implant-supported overdentures?

If your old dentures are not comfortable for you and they just slip when you are speaking, Implant-supported overdentures can be a great option to look for. These Dentures provide a sound foundation, thereby improving chewing and speech efficiency. But the main requirement for placement of such dentures is excellent and sufficient density and thickness of residual bone available so that it can hold implants firmly in place.

How do implant-supported dentures function?

On the inner side of dentures, overdenture attachments are placed whose corresponding part is seated over the implants. Both these corresponding attachments fit into each other perfectly, thus preventing the moving or slippage of dentures.

Fixed versus removable prosthesis design

Most patients prefer fixed types of dentures to have the feel of natural teeth. Also in most situations with good bone present and if patients maintain adequate oral hygiene, a fixed implant will be a comfortable and suitable treatment option

As there is an extra cost associated with the fabrication of fixed dentures, they are costlier than removable ones. However, implant-supported dentures appear to have fewer routine maintenance requirements.

Utilization of two or four implants leads to excellent function and gives good support. During the treatment planning, it is important to ensure all criteria of the amount of bone present, and the space present is adequate so that the fabrication of denture is not vulnerable to fracture

Steps involved

Initially, your dentist will evaluate entirely to check if you are the ideal candidate for the procedure. This will involve clinical examination and medical and dental history.

If you are fit for treatment, the next step will be of extraction of all remaining teeth. Following this, a healing period of a few months will be needed to allow for bone to regenerate and this is followed by further CT scan to evaluate the condition of the bone.

Immediately after tooth extraction, a temporary denture will be given.

The next step involved the placement of implants which is a surgical procedure carried out under local anesthesia which will again be followed by a healing period. The waiting period after the placement of implants is of 3 to 4 months. After a few months depending on healing next step will be of placement of screw caps for implants following which measurements will be made and sent to a lab for fabrication of overdenture.

Once overdenture is received from the lab they are attached to the implants placed in the jaws with fine precision so that the denture gets engaged with the implants and prevents any movement of the denture.

What are the Advantages of implant-supported overdentures?

For some patients who are not satisfied with the removable dentures because of poor fit or loose nature of denture, implant-supported overdentures can be a boon for any form of defects in gums as generally, the normal Dentures become loose if any growth occurs on gum or if the bone height is reducing.

Patients have superior mastectomy, functional and quality score
Maintenance of oral hygiene is easier
Aesthetics is superior
It’s a long-term fixed kind of treatment option.

Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today! or just drop into our Dental Clinic at RR Nagar in Bangalore