January 2023 – Credence Dental

What to expect from a root canal procedure?

January 31, 2023 dev.abrar No Comments

Whose eyes don’t pop up by just listening to these words “You need a root canal treatment” Root canal treatment has earned such a bad reputation over the years, that they are used as a comparison tool by which a given situation is deemed more or less terrible. But gone are the days when this fear and pain were actually troublesome for patients. Thanks to modern advances in dentistry, these procedures are now fairly straightforward, painless, and undeserving of the terror associated with their name.

Root canal treatment is a treatment meant to repair and save a severely decayed or infected tooth. The process involves the removal of the tooth nerve and pulpal tissue, followed by which cleaning and sealing of the tooth inside is done. When the process is complete, the tooth and its surrounding tissue have to be protected from infection.

What is root canal treatment?

A root canal is part of the tooth. It is the hollow section of a tooth that contains the nerve tissue, blood vessels, and other cells known as the pulp. basically, a tooth has two parts – the part seen in the mouth is the crown part and the part inside the gums is the root part. Inside the tooth is the canal which has pulp. Pulp is the tissue that gives the sensation of hot or cold or pain when there is inflammation.

The name of the dental procedure commonly referred to as a root canal is endodontic therapy which means inside the tooth. However, the term root canal is commonly used as a term of treatment modality.

How painful is root canal treatment?

One of the scariest fears anyone has about root canal treatment is the pain associated with it but if treatment is carried out by a trained dentist, it is not a painful treatment. The pain that is felt comes from the infection and not from the technique. Hence treatment does not cause pain. It helps to alleviate it. The dental surgeon will relieve the pain of the procedure by numbing the tooth and surrounding area. After the treatment some tenderness is normal. It is normal and goes away with a few medications prescribed by your dentist.

Who needs root canal treatment?

If the pulp present in the root canal becomes injured or diseased, it can be repaired on its own. And the tissue dies. Also if there is a big cavity, broken tooth, or fractured filling, the bacteria can enter the pulp. this will eventually destroy the pulp and cause infection. Also if the infection proceeds further beyond the root, the bone present below the root also will be infected. This will break the bone and infect the ligaments too thus making tooth loss.

This kind of pulp injury makes the tooth sensitive to high and low temperatures or pain while eating. Also, some patients might have continuous dull kinds of pain. Without treatment, the infection will spread and eventually the tooth cannot be saved and will need removal. Root canal treatment will help save the tooth and thus prevent any form of abrupt tooth movement.

Recovery and Aftercare:

IS there a long recovery time after a root canal?

No. Besides giving local anesthetic which needs a few hours to wear off, things are quite normal. It’s important to take a few post-treatment precautions like not chewing hard, sticky, or crunchy food from the same side where treatment is done. Eat soft food until the permanent filling is completed. If you are sore it will probably be from the injection site or keeping your mouth open for a long time. To help with the discomfort take over-the-counter medication. Apply a cold compress to the side for a few minutes.

After the final crown is placed on your teeth, it’s important to floss daily and keep the area clean. That’s because plaque can still accumulate around the edges of the crown and may cause cavities or gum disease. Hence oral hygiene maintenance is a must.

Is Root canal treatment safe?

Yes absolutely. Root canal treatment utilizes safe, high-quality materials that are biocompatible and gives long-lasting support. It’s always better and safer to do a root canal rather than to avoid it and go for complex treatments in the future. Especially if the tooth is left untreated it could potentially put you in the hospital making it an emergency situation.

So if a root canal treatment is in your future, don’t panic. Instead, take time to familiarize yourself with the procedure so you can keep your anxiety in check.

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

Brushing Techniques for Children

January 17, 2023 dev.abrar No Comments

Brushing a child’s teeth or making children brush is the most tedious chore for any parent. At the
same time it’s the most important oral hygiene habit especially in growing age. As a parent it can
be challenging to help teach your child tooth brushing technique that works for them. To help
you out we have created simple guide to get your children for brushing their teeth regularly
without it feeling like a chore.

When to start Brushing your child’s teeth?

Good oral health habits should begin at an early age. Brushing your child’s teeth should begin
when their first tooth begins to come in or as directed by your pediatric dentist. Children need
help with brushing their teeth until they are 6-7 years of age. Even before your child actually has
teeth, it is important to perform oral health care. Use of damp washed cloth or a piece of gauze,
by gently rubbing it over infants gum helps in cleaning of gum pads. Also an infant’s mouth
should be cleaned after every feeding. This can be done by cradling head with one hand while
using free hand to wipe babies mouth with clean wet gauze.

General Brushing tips for children:

To brush an infant’s teeth, use a soft bristled, age appropriate toothbrush. Fluoridated toothpaste
if given at a smaller age, consult your pediatric dentist first for the exact amount of toothpaste to
be used.
For toddlers, just a smear layer of toothpaste is sufficient to use. For children below 3 years of
age use rice grain amount of toothpaste, whereas for children above 3 years of age use a pea size
amount of toothpaste.
Children aged 6-8 years are capable of brushing on their own. But still the brushing has to under
the supervision of parents if the child is unsure whether they have cleaned all areas of mouth.
Encourage children to brush their teeth at least twice a day , morning and night with a soft
bristled toothbrush. Hard bristles are too abrasive for young children.
If children are lazy enough to brush their teeth, battery powered toothbrushes can also be used
which can remove the sticky plaque from teeth easily.
Children’s toothbrushes have to be replaced every 3 to 4 months or sometimes sooner too if the
bristles get frayed. Also if your child has a recent cold or flu, it’s better to replace the toothbrush
to avoid reintroducing germs associated with those conditions.

Technique for brushing child’s teeth

As children cannot clean their teeth thoroughly, they need guidance. Hence parents have to
supervise children’s brushing until the age of 6-8 years.
Step 1: Brushing for kids has to be in a circular motion. Instead of just rubbing brush on teeth,
make them do circles on front and back teeth one at a time. Count the number of circles to 20
and see to it that circular motion is covering all teeth
Step 2: then angle toothbrush at 45 degrees towards the gum of upper and lower teeth and swipe
it
Step 3: tell the child to open their mouth and then the toothbrush should be moved gently in
back and forth motion with short strokes on back teeth
Step 4: the tip of the brush should be placed in upright position to reach behind front teeth on
top and bottom
Step 5: Brush the tongue to remove bacteria on the surface.

To get the children in routine brushing, brush your teeth at the same time as them so that they
learn by your example. This also helps to keep a check if children are using the correct brushing
technique.

Also you can have a check this way to see if your child is brushing the correct way.
The other way to get the child to brush is by playing their favorite song that they can listen to
while they brush. This way children will enjoy brushing and not think of it as a boring daily
chore.

Regular dental visits should usually start as early as six months or when a child’s first tooth
erupts or by child’s first birthday. When children are taught oral hygiene habits at an early age,
they are more likely to continue the same habit throughout adulthood. A healthy smile is a happy
smile, so help your kids to have the best possible smile by teaching them the importance of
brushing their teeth in the correct way.