A Fabulous Smile :-)

Saturday, 23 June 2007
By Kholood F. Al-Rhamah

Dental hygiene is a very important matter to every person for it is the open gate to the whole body. Today, dental cosmetics is a desirable and popular procedure.

A beautiful and glamorous smile is what everyone wants. Also, other treatments include fillings, whitening and covering the tooth with a porcelain layer for protection and style. It's a process and blend of traditional dentistry and new teeth cosmetics. The new dental cosmetics and dental surgery.

Dr. Alaa Metwaly A'mera, B.D.S at the Al-Falak Dental Polyclinic, makes a distinction between a surgical and conventional approach to dentistry. Surgical, based on the structures of the tooth bone, the gingiva (gums that surround teeth) and the form of the teeth in general, is what A'mera evaluates in patients visiting the clinic.

Whitening teeth: It's the trend these days for people who want a bright smile. The procedure usually takes 45 minutes in the clinic and there are follow up visits required after the initial session. The process involves a bleach that changes the color of the teeth according to the original or the current color. Generally it changes it brighter by about two or three degrees. Dr. A'mera explained he applies a special type of paste on the teeth and then concentrates a certain degree of spot-directed light.

The cost of this procedure varies from clinic to clinic but the average cost is SR700 to SR1000. A full treatment bleaching process can take up to six months with initial visits and follow up in-clinic appointments," offers Dr. A'mera. He says there are alternative treatments that include at home treatments once supplied with the proper home bleaching kit.

The most important thing after whitening your teeth is to understand that a change of habits must occur since bleaching is permanent. "Carelessness is unacceptable at this point.

The patient must stop drinking tea and coffee and stop smoking because all these things will affect the teeth and the degree of the whitening," said Dr. A'mera. If the patient follows the prescribed steps, the bleaching will be maintained for at least two years.

The problem in teeth bleaching: While bleaching in the clinic is safe, patients can have an allergic reaction which translates into pain and sensitivities.

"If the patient feels sensitive or any pain at all, we stop the session immediately." There is a balance to maintain with the degree the patient wants the whitening and any allergic reactions he may encounter, says the doctor.

In a case of dental surgery, full anesthesia is used only for specific reasons. "If the patient is so scared of the clinic or the doctor, we may select full anesthesia. This is usually recommended for children and any patient who suffers any phobia or fear of surgery. Also, we prescribe sedative pills to calm patients in some cases," says the doctor.

Contagious cavities are a myth. The doctor says when food is lodged between two teeth it is only logical for both teeth to have a cavity; they share the food that rots the side by side space of each tooth. But the cavity itself is not contagious.

What to check for in a dental clinic? Walking in, cleanliness is the most important criteria when looking for a dental clinic up to standards to serve you. Ask the staff about safety standards if you don't see them posted or the staff doesn't invite you to read or see something about the clinic.

Instruments and clinical sterilization procedures and the tools they use also give you an indication of standards. Ask about certifications