Various dental hygiene aids are available for dental care at home - the regular, angular, interdental tooth brushes with soft bristles, dental floss, tooth pastes-fluoridated, medicated, Interdental or Proxa brushes.

Toothbrushes need to be changed on an average of once in three to four months if you are brushing twice a day.

At once in case of a dental problem and once every 6 months for a routine check-up.

Irregular food habits and poor oral hygiene cause accumulation of food, debris (plaque) on and around the teeth. This leads to bacterial action forming acids that dissolve the enamel and form cavities.

Gum problems, cavities, gastric problems can lead to bad breath.

These are fixed replacements for broken, discolored or missing teeth. These can be retrieved only by a dentist and not by the patient.

A dental implant is an artificial root form of a tooth made from any inert material, (e.g. titanium) that is embedded in the bone over which crowns are then fabricated.

It is a bleaching procedure in which dark & discolored teeth are whitened to give a lighter shade.

Solutions containing fluorides are applied on teeth to resist decay and prevent cavities. It is recommended for all patients as preventive care.

Sealants are tooth-coloured materials used to seal pits and other irregular surfaces on the teeth. This prevents food from getting stuck in these areas and causing decay.

This can be any material like composite resin, ceramic/porcelain etc. which is used to replace and restore the damaged or the lost part of the tooth.

This happens due to aging and certain habits (incorrect brushing, clenching, wrong food habits, gastric acidity etc.). Worn down teeth are brought to their original form by rehabilitation. The entire dentition is treated as one unit and the teeth are restored to normal form and function.

If your teeth are dark or worn and make you look older, if gaps or chips make you feel self-conscious, or if crooked or discoloured teeth stop you from smiling fully, Cosmetic Dentistry can help.

Although each case is unique, some new smiles can be completed in a single visit.

Cosmetic Dentistry offers many different options. All your questions and doubts are answered and treatment fees are discussed before the treatment begins.

Yes, "Change Your Smile" (Quintessence Publishing Company, 800/621-0387) is excellent source of consumer information on every phase of cosmetic dentistry.

The first step is to get a cleaning and tooth polishing done. This will help your dentist evaluate the type and amount of real discoloration present in your teeth. Then, a two-step in-office bleaching technique heat / lamp or the new laser approach is combined with the usual "matrix home bleach" for the safest, quickest way to whiter teeth. Subsequent follow-up is recommended to maintain your new tooth color.

It's time to replace with newer bonding or porcelain laminates for longer lasting results. Remember, only replace filling after bleaching in order to match the new improved color of your own new tooth.

Yes. External bleaching may or may not help. If not, the teeth can be covered with a light composite resin bonding or beautiful "stick on" porcelain laminates. However, continued heavy smoking will unfortunately shorten the longevity of any treatment result.

Most "whitening toothpastes" remove some surface stains but they will not bleach the teeth as effectively as bleaching gels or solutions do that contain the bleaching agent. Even if the toothpaste does contain some bleaching chemicals, the time the paste is in contact with the teeth is insignificant compared with using a bleaching solution and a form fitted matrix or especially an in-office treatment. Also, these toothpastes may have harmful abrasives that can wear away tooth structure over time.

Bonding is a tooth colored plastic (composite) resin material and is done in one visit (little tooth reduction, no anesthesia required). Porcelain laminate veneers can mask dark stains better with less long-term chipping than bonding. They are made by a ceramist and do not stain, offering greater choice in color, shape and vitality. They do require only two office visits.

Losing a tooth can be the beginning of many more lost teeth. Saving the tooth maintains space, keeps other teeth from shifting, and eliminates the need & cost of a bridge or implant and crown. Although seemingly expensive, it is actually quite cost effective.

To be able to wear a denture comfortably requires sufficient retention. Bone is invariably lost when teeth are pulled and then continues to reabsorb and shrink back, resulting in poor fitting loose dentures. These consistently require remaking and never function as natural teeth. Taste, speech or overall functions are severely compromised. Most times, if even the root can be saved, a good dentist can give a patient good functioning and esthetically pleasing, long-lasting teeth. Today, dental implants used to anchor a denture adds stability and is an ideal choice for most denture patients.

There are several ways in which this can be corrected:
1. Orthodontics is the best way (multiple visits)
2. Bonding (one visit)
3. Porcelain laminate veneers (two visits)
4. Crowns (two visits)

Cosmetic contouring or reshaping your natural teeth would be the best possible procedure for this. It only takes one quick painless appointment to improve your look.

Cosmetic contouring, porcelain laminate veneers, orthodontics, bonding or crowns can be used to correct this.

Yes. Possible tooth colored replacement choices include:
1.Composite (plastic) resin
2.Porcelain inlay/onlay
3.Porcelain crowns

Orthodontics is your best bet -- the teeth can usually be brought down enough to show. However, at times orthognathic surgery may be suggested as well.
Bonding or porcelain laminate veneers or full crowns are a possible compromise

No. Many adults are choosing tooth-colored ceramic braces which hardly show. A removable appliance may even work with certain patient problems. Orthodontics is usually the most cost effective treatment because treatment means eliminating the cosmetic problem while retaining your natural teeth. Restorative treatment always has a "life expectancy" on any restorations meaning you will have to continually do whatever treatment you choose.

Orthodontics is a good place to start, but most times the treatment will have to be coordinated with an orthognathically trained oral surgeon.
Orthognathic surgery (jaw advancement)
Work with a team -- orthodontist and oral surgeon and restorative dentist.

The first step is to arrange for a cosmetic evaluation as your lipline (smileline) can be evaluated and proposed correction can be shown to you using computer imaging. This way you can be certain you will like the look of the new dentures.

They are an excellent means of replacing missing teeth. The titanium implant, osseointegration to the bone, and a full crown goes on top. The result is a natural looking secure means of replacing teeth.

Often the lost bone can be restored -- bony ridges can be augmented and even places where there is no bone can be improved considerably. These procedures are called guided bone regeneration or "bone grafts". Ask your dentist if you are a candidate.

An evaluation with diagnostic records and a CT-Scan which is a 3-dimensional type x-ray that accurately measures the amount of bone remaining to anchor the implants.

Statistics indicate that they may last in excess of 30 years. Once successfully integrated with the surrounding bone, implants have long-term potential as natural teeth, if properly taken care of.

Highly successful. Low infection potential. No rejection by the body. Ninety-five to ninety-eight percent success rate for the lower jaw, and eighty-six to ninety-two percent success rate for the upper jaw. However, implants must be maintained by the patient with proper oral hygiene and frequent dental exams and cleanings.

This requires a visit to a dentist or oral surgeon who treat temporomandibular problems. Sometimes these problems require no treatment.

No problem. Although orthodontics is the ideal way to correct this condition, sometimes an alternative using restorative treatment with bonding, laminating or full crowns can make a pleasing result.