LW

Why are you greeting the world with a little Mona Lisa smile when you really feel like flashing a great big grin?

Few things can age a woman’s appearance more quickly than bad teeth. When you were young, a little dental neglect might have led to an occasional filling. But as you get older, ignoring your teeth can set you up for more serious problems, such as periodontal disease (gum disease). And if not arrested promptly, long-term neglect can eventually cause you to lose teeth entirely.

But what if you’ve always been conscientious about care? Age still brings changes in the appearance and health of your smile. Years of chewing wears down tooth surfaces and actually shorten your teeth. Gums recede with age and even careful brushing has its downside if you’ve used the wrong technique for decades. Hard scrubbing wears down the translucent enamel coating of your teeth so that the yellowish material underneath, called dentin begins to show through. Many otherwise lovely women as young as age 40 are frustrated dingy-looking teeth. AM I OLD OOH NO.

As you age, your teeth will also show the telltale signs of years of indulgences. Coffee, tea and food dyes can work their way deep into microscopic cracks in the tooth enamel, resulting in brown or yellowish stains. Even with scaling & polishing you can’t have a better result.

When you were young, the dreaded cavity count might have been foremost in your mind when you went to the dentist. But these days, your dentist will tell that the greatest enemy to your mouth is not cavities but gum diseases.

There’s little moat around each tooth that forms a tiny crevice between tooth and gum. When bacteria get in and linger, they cause inflammation, which overt time deepens the crevices into pockets. As the inflammation simmers, bones, gums and connective tissue may get eaten away, leaving you with less foundation to hold your teeth in place. All that simmering can also cause soreness and bleeding as well as bad breath.

The other enemy is cavities (Yes they still count). Cavities start when a sickly film called plaque builds up on your teeth, trapping bacteria and bedding decay. Even though you may not have gotten many new cavities in your first years of adulthood, hang on that toothbrush. Many women approaching middle age begin to get cavities along with gum disease. That’s because as gums recede with age, the root (which has no protective enamel) is exposed to decay.

It is high time to visit the dentist.

I really want to attend to my teeth
I have enough funds to attend my teeth
I have enough time to spend for that.

My young smart children are ever ready to take me to the dentist.
“AMMA, TELL US WHERE EVER YOU WANT TO GO TO GET TEETH DONE”

BUT? BUT? I FEEL VERY NERVOUS WHEN I THINK OF BEING AT THE DENTIST CHAIR. I DON’T KNOW WHY? BUT I DIDN’T HAVE A PROBLEM WHEN I WAS YOUNG. HOW AM I GOING TO COME OUT OF THIS PROBLEM?

ARE YOU IN THIS CATEGORY?

Be frank with your dentist.
It doesn’t matter to shop for an understanding dentist who can understand your fear

Ask for a demo, ask your dentist to explain unfamiliar procedures step by step and to demonstrate how he’ll use the instrument. Ask what sort of sensations to expect while the work is being done.

Plan to communicate. Ask your dentist to alert you to any upcoming pinching or pressure, so you can relax in the meantime and agree on hand signals that will tell her when you want to sit up for a minute, pause or rinse.

Use relaxation techniques. Try deep breathing, concentrating on a pleasant image such as a day at the beach or listening to your favourite tunes on a headset to soothe your stay in the chair.

Ask for more pain relief. If you need extra anesthesia, go ahead and ask. Post surgical pain can be relieved with good pain killers.

Await
I am hoping to discuss some wonderful treatment plans for your problems in the next issue.