FAQs

The condition of your gums can show what your overall health is like. For example, abscesses in the mouth can be due to uncontrolled diabetes, spontaneous gum bleeding may represent a blood disorder, mouth ulcers can also be a response to physical or mental stress. Poor gum health can also affect proper eating causing poor nutrition, and complicate issues like heart conditions.

Every 6 months is ideal. But at least once a year, even if you feel super fine.

Even though you aren’t in pain, you might just be at risk of an issue with your teeth or gums or maybe early signs of decay on your tooth or maybe even a late-stage problem where the essential pain receptors are no longer functioning properly.

There are so many reasons you might be have toothache. The more common causes are tooth decay (dental caries), cracked or broken tooth, gum disease like gingivitis, tooth attrition and abrasion.

These are conditions where the surface of the teeth get worn down. Attrition happens on the top surface of the teeth and is caused by grinding the teeth together or eating a lot of hard or tough foods like bone or tough meat. Abrasion happens on the smooth surface of the teeth especially around the neck where the gum is and is mostly caused by hard or wrong toothbrushing.

Your teeth will retain a lot of debris and buildups that your toothbrush cannot remove. We call this buildups “tartar” or “calculus”, and they can lead to caries, mouth odour and issues with your gums from mild gingivitis to more severe gum disease that can caused severe pain, bleeding, mouth odour, and tooth loss.

Hard toothbrushes are very bad for you. They are will wear down your teeth and scrape away your gums (gingival recession), and they do not clean your teeth better than a soft or medium toothbrush.

Use a fluoride-containing toothpaste unless you have access to fluoride-treated drinking water.

Fluoride is an essential nutrient for the teeth to strengthen them and make them more resistant to decay. The quantity of fluoride in toothpastes are regulated and are in small enough quantity that they will not cause harm to the rest of your body...I mean, hey...even vitamins in high amounts are toxic to the body. This is also part of why we have age-specific toothpastes for kids.

Charcoal toothpaste...mmm... If you must use it, use with caution. They contain higher abrasives that can wear down your teeth overtime. It is more advisable to use your regular fluoride-containing toothpaste.

You may have gingivitis or periodontal disease. Don’t ignore it, your first step is to visit a dentist for a deep cleaning.

No, this is a myth. Tooth decay is caused by acid-producing bacteria, not worms.

Absolutely not. Tooth decay cannot be taken care of with just drugs; you definitely need to see a dentist and have your tooth treated, maybe you just need a tooth filling or a root canal treatment. At the most, you may need to take out your tooth to prevent any further infection of your bone. Other concoctions or mixtures are dangerous and can cause permanent damage to your tooth and gums.

Tooth extractions are done with local anaesthesia that block pain, so extractions should not be painful. Although there may be some discomfort because of the pressure applied during extraction, but this is manageable.

Unless the extracted tooth is a primary/baby tooth, your tooth will not grow back.

The tooth socket will heal and close up after extraction. You may expect the teeth around the extracted tooth to move (drift) and close up some of the new space, also the opposing tooth may grow longer into the space. But how much of these movements will happen varies and depends on other factors.

There is no age restriction to see the dentist. But generally, anytime from when the first teeth appear in the mouth (around 6 months of age).

Brush twice daily with a child-safe (age-specific) fluoride toothpaste. Avoid frequent sugary snacks and always get them to gargle their mouth with water after eating or drinking.

Yes! Routine cleanings and most fillings are safe—ideally in the second trimester. But elective procedures like whitening or braces are better postponed until after baby arrives. Inform your dentist about medications or supplements you’re on. Other procedures will need to be weighed for urgency or severity by your Dentist and your Obstetrician.

No, early removal without dental advice can cause misalignment.

Absolutely. Braces are not just for teenagers.

Teeth whitening is a matter of choice, not something to prescribe. Although there are situations when your dentist will advise against doing it.

No, teeth whitening will only bump up your tooth colour by up to 3 shades whiter. But if what you want to get is super white teeth, then what you need are veneers.

You can do your whitening once in a year or two. This is so that you don’t increase tooth sensitivity due multiple whitening procedure in a short time. Although you can top up with less powerful home kits once or twice within the year.

These can damage your teeth enamel and other areas of your mouth. Avoid DIY methods and consult a Dentist.

It may take up to 1–2 weeks, but it may also be possible at a shorter time with additional fee.

Dental implants are artificial replacements for your missing tooth. They are fixed (means you cannot remove them yourself), stronger and more aesthetic than other replacement options, and unlike a bridge, they do not require trimming of other teeth to serve as anchor.

No. Therapists assist with certain procedures but cannot do full dental diagnoses or surgeries.

YES!!!. If neglected for a long time or in case of poor immune system, dental caries (tooth decay) can eventually lead to devastating situations like massive abscesses, airway blockage, and sepsis that can lead to death. Look up "Ludwig's Angina".