Listen To Your Dentist And Not The Drill

Going to the dentist's office is a pretty scary affair for a lot of people. Everyone either expects a traumatic experience or they may have had bad experiences in the past. None the less, whenever some say the word dentist we can hear the drill squealing in the background and we go into a series of childhood flashbacks. Keeping all the dentist horror stories in mind, you can make a few efforts at your end to avoid the drill.

First up you need to fix your brushing habit, listen to your dentist, try and follow the movements he/she demonstrates on a dummy set. The importance of using the right toothbrush, the right movement and the right pressure will not only help you retain your teeth and keep them clean but will also help in avoiding unnecessary and unintended damage that we inflict on our teeth by brushing like there is no tomorrow. The ideal brush is the one with soft bristles and a small head, use just about a pea size of the tooth paste and brush for about two mins with moderate pressure against the teeth. Don’t get to attached to the tooth brush, dispose of it after six months and get a new one. If the bristles of your brush are splayed before six months, then buddy it’s a warning sign that you are using too much pressure while brushing.

We all know we need to brush twice a day, but what time? Brushing after dinner makes sense, you clean your teeth and the bacteria can’t work overnight, but brushing before breakfast doesn’t. The reason being your mouth is already clean, all you need to do is rinse, have your breakfast and then brush. This way your mouth is clean till you have your lunch and the time of exposure narrows down to about 6-7 hours. Which can be further avoided by rinsing or by chewing on ph neutralizing gums like Orbit. The deal with the way bacteria works on making a tooth carious is simple, it works on a definitive Ph level. If you don’t allow the Ph in your mouth to drop, it won't be able to work.

Another thing that can save you from getting a cavity is by getting a sealant. A sealant is like a lamination for your vulnerable teeth, the molars. These teeth are known to have pits and fissures which allow efficient grinding of food but some of it gets too clingy. So the sealant gives it a smooth surface and doesn't allow any kind of sticky food to latch onto the surface. The application process is drill free and takes about two min per tooth. You need to get it done only on all molars, this lamination lasts usually from six months to a year. Cost per tooth can be from INR 300 to 500 which is way cheaper than getting a filling or an RCT not to mention its a pain-free process.

The last tip is a fairly new procedure and is case specific. We all know of the wisdom tooth, these days it doesn’t come out and 60% of the time it is surgically removed as the jaw size is reducing all thanks to evolution. Well if you find your doctor telling you that the unerupted tooth may not be extracted then let it sit there. The reason being that if you lose one of your molars, the space created can be filled by orthodontically moving the unerupted third molar to that position. This practice helps avoid bridges or implants which are a costlier than this simple procedure.

So all you need to do is listen to your dentist and you can avoid the drill. Most importantly learn to place your trust on the doctor. After all, they are working on your smile and health.