Aesthetic Dentistry:

However, if you suffer from tooth loss, stained/yellow teeth or crooked teeth, smiling can be an unpleasant experience.Tooth loss can be an embarrassment and it’s unfortunate when people do not know how simple it can be to fix.

Take a look in the mirror and imagine a bright, sparkling smile. I’ll bet it would make you look and feel at least 10 years younger. With the latest advancements in the dental field, this doesn’t have to remain an imagination anymore. Thanks to developments in the field of cosmetic dentistry, people can change the smile they were born with; into a smile they love.

There are a variety of cosmetic procedures to improve patients’ smiles. These include cosmetic procedures include short term solutions such as bleaching, bonding, reshaping, contouring, etc and long term solutions including orthodontia, implants, surgical corrections, etc.

Bleaching is a common and popular procedure that is used to whiten teeth and can be performed by a dentist in the office or under supervision at home.

Veneers are a thin layer of ceramic or porcelain that is bonded to the front of your teeth to cover stains, chips, spaces and other imperfections.

Bonding is the use of tooth colour material to fill in the gaps or change the colour of the teeth.

Tooth reshaping or recontouring are used to alter the length,shape or position of the teeth and are generally ideal for patients with normally , healthy teeth seeking subtle changes in their smile.

Dental implant is a metal screw that is placed into the jaw bone in the same area where the roots of your teeth once were. They can be used to anchor crowns , bridges and dentures.

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Apollo White Dental

Root canal treatment is done for retrieve infected teeth permanently. Root canal treatment is a dental procedure where the infected or damaged pulp of a tooth is removed and the inside areas are filled and sealed. Little or no discomfort is there and the procedure is performed in either single visit or multi visits.

Root canal treatment saves the teeth that would otherwise need to be extracted. The most common cause of pulp infection is a cracked tooth or a deep cavity. They let in bacteria to the pulp and cause infection inside the tooth. If not treated, pus builds up at the root tip in the jawbone forming a “pus-pocket” called an abscess, which can cause damage to the bone around the teeth.

No preparation is needed for root canal treatment. Once the tooth is opened to drain, the dentist may prescribe an antibiotic. With the infection under control, local anaesthetic is more effective, so that the root canal treatment may be performed without discomfort.

Jaw Deformity Correction:

Orthognathic surgery or corrective jaw surgery

The size and position of face bones, jaws and teeth determine the facial appearance. If the jaws are not proportionate or out of alignment, it may cause difficulties in speaking, biting, chewing or breathing, jaw joint pain and affect the appearance. Such imbalances can be easily corrected surgically.

Orthognathic surgery is basically surgery performed on the bones of the jaws to change their position and size. It involves repositioning all or part of the upper or lower jaw or chin in alignment. Sometimes, bone may be added, taken away or reshaped. When the jaws are moved forwards or backwards, up or down, or rotated, the soft tissue in the chin, cheeks, lips and tip of the nose move accordingly. Therefore, once the jaws are correctly positioned, the architecture of the facial skeleton is changed and a harmony between the facial features is achieved. This results in a facial profile that is pleasing or in fact even more beautiful to look at.

If the upper jaw is comparatively bigger than the lower jaw, it may lead to a “gummy” smile. Excess gum tissue may be visible which may deflect from the beauty of the smile. This disparity in the size and shape of the jaw bones can be corrected by Orthognathic surgery. The jaw size is decreased and the jaw is placed in a normal position drastically improving smile and appearance.

The shape of the nose is influenced by the shape of the upper jaw. Sometimes, the sharpness of the nose is not apparent because the upper jaw is too big and protruding. In such cases, correcting the shape, size and position of the upper jaw also results in giving the nose a sharp pristine look. More severe variations in the shape of the nose can be corrected along with jaw correction in the same surgical procedure.

Before deciding the line of treatment, a detailed assessment and analysis of the face & facial bones needs to be done. Many a times, there is often a short period of orthodontic treatment done for subtle and fine detailing of the tooth positions.

The advantage of orthognathic surgery is that immediate results are seen. Also since these surgeries are approached from inside the mouth there are no visible external scars.

Jaw correction surgery brings the teeth and jaws into proper position for better health and appearance. For some patients, the surgery can dramatically enhance appearance and self esteem. Such surgeries hold the key for youngsters who go through a lot of psychological stress over their facial appearance.

Dr. S.M. Balaji is a world-renowned Facio-Maxillary Surgeon and has performed more than 20,000 surgeries in the last two decades. His expertise and skill in jaw correction surgery or orthognathic surgery is unsurpassed. Jaw surgeries are very complicated and require extraordinary precision and presence of mind.

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Dr.Balaji Dental Clinic, Chennai

What is cleft lip and cleft palate?

Cleft lip and palate are facial birth deformities. A cleft lip is a gap or discontinuity in the upper lip. A cleft palate is an opening in the roof of the mouth, which divides the mouth and nose. Clefts result from incomplete development of the lip and/or palate in the early weeks of pregnancy. It is during this time that the face is being formed. Separate plates of bone and tissue gradually move towards each other and join to form the lip and palate. When these parts do not join completely, it results in a cleft.

Occurrence and causes of cleft lip and palate

On an average, one in every 700 children worldwide is born with a cleft. It is the fourth most common birth defect, and the first most common facial birth defect.
Causes

Genetic factors: Sometimes a cleft can be genetic. The risk may be higher for children whose sibling(s) or parents have a cleft or who have a history of cleft in their families. Consanguineous marriage (marriage between close relatives or cousins) can also be a cause.

Environmental factors: Not all birth deformities are hereditary. Even in the absence of any genetic factors, there are some external factors that may result in cleft formation.

1. Maternal exposure to smoking, use of tobacco, illicit drugs or alcohol consumption during pregnancy is extremely harmful for the developing baby.

2. Certain medications like steroids and others as those prescribed for Seizures, Cancer, Arthritis, Tuberculosis etc have been linked to the development of a cleft. Harmful medications and erratic dosages taken without consulting a doctor may have detrimental effects on the foetus. Women taking oral contraceptive pills unaware of their pregnancy may also contribute to clefting.

3. Studies have shown cleft is also related to advanced maternal age and also to some hormone deficiencies and dietary deficiencies namely that of folic acid, iron, iodine and zinc.

4. Cleft lip and cleft palate may also occur as a result of exposure to viruses or infectious diseases like measles while the fetus is developing in the womb.

5. Exposure to certain harmful chemicals, vapours, pesticides, gun powder fumes, nuclear radiation, X-rays, gamma rays or dangerous reagents like in industrial workplaces have dangerous effects on the genetic composition and growth of the developing baby.

Classification of Cleft Lip and Palate

1. Cleft can occur either in the lip, palate or both. The cleft of both the lip and palate mostly involves the upper alveolar (teeth bearing portion of the jaw) bone.

2. A cleft lip can be either unilateral (one-side only) or bilateral (both sides).

3. Cleft lip can either be incomplete (mild notching of the lip) or complete (large gap from lip to nose).

4. Cleft palate can either be Cleft of the Hard Palate- cleft in bony portion of roof of the mouth, Cleft of the Soft Palate- in the soft, muscular part of the palate, behind the hard palate or Cleft of both the Hard and Soft palates including the Uvula (soft tissue projection from middle of soft palate).

Submucous Cleft Palate – This cleft occurs in the tissues beneath the mucous membrane that covers the palate. Hence it is often called the “invisible cleft”. This cleft is detected only when the child has a difficulty in speaking.
Treatment for cleft lip and cleft palate:

Primary lip repair

The main concern is creating a lip seal to enable the child to suck milk. But before the child is healthy enough to undergo the surgery, a feeding plate may be given to prevent aspiration of milk from the mouth to the nose, through the gap in the palate (roof of the mouth). Specially designed feeding bottles may also be used to help in feeding

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Balaji Dental & Craniofacial Hospital, Chennai.

Specialised Trauma Care Center

Whether the result of an accident or sports-related injury of the face or mouth, trauma can significantly change your appearance and can make breathing and eating difficult. Dr. Balaji is an expert in treating facial fractures and can repair most of these injuries through the mouth, eliminating visible scars.

Injuries to the face, by their very nature, impart a high degree of emotional, as well as physical trauma to patients. The science and art of treating these injuries require special training involving a “hands on” experience and an understanding of how the treatment provided will influence the patient’s long term function and appearance.

Facial trauma can range between minor injury to disfigurement that lasts a lifetime. The face is critical in communicating with others, so it is important to get the best treatment possible. In some cases, immediate surgery is needed to realign fractures before they heal incorrectly. Other injuries will have better outcomes if repairs are done after cuts and swellings have improved.

Pediatric facial trauma differs from adult injury because the face is not fully formed and future growth will be a factor in how the child heals and recovers. Certain types of trauma may cause a delay in the growth or further complicate recovery. Difficult cases require surgeons with great skill to make a repair that will grow with your child.

New technology, such as CT scans and 3D CBCT scans have improved surgeons’ ability to evaluate and manage facial trauma. Balaji Dental and Craniofacial hospital uses the 3D Cone Beam CT (3D CBCT) scan- the latest technology in Maxillofacial Imaging. This enables accurate and detailed imaging of facial fractures and that too with a much reduced radiation exposure than conventional CTs. With these modalities under a single roof here, we provide immediate diagnosis and efficient treatment.

Our twin operation theatres are equipped with ultra-modern equipments for the safety of our patients. We have an infection free zone in our operation theatres to cater to dental and facial surgery needs. We follow strict infection control measures and microbiological monitoring protocols.

We have the latest and safest machines including advanced fiberoptic endoscope – a sophisticated anesthesia administration method. Some patients have very limited mouth opening either due to Craniofacial defects, very small jaws or retruded chins. Such patients cannot be subjected to general anesthesia in the traditional way. The flexible Fiberoptic Intubation Endoscope (FFI) is a boon in such instances.

FFI is a most powerful technique for efficient easy intubation of “difficult laryngoscopy” patients otherwise impossible to intubate during general anesthesia.

Zygoma Implant (Graftless Dental Treatment)

What are zygoma implants?

People wear dentures (artificial teeth) when they lose their natural teeth. The most common dentures are called `removable dentures’ because they are placed and removed by the patient on a regular basis. However, dentures can also be ‘fixed’ to the upper jawbone using titanium implants, thereby resembling the natural jaw-teeth relationship. Such ‘implant dentures’ increase the comfort and confidence of the patient

However, many a time there is not enough bone in the upper jawbone to anchor the implants. In this case a ‘bone graft’ surgery is required – that is, some bone is taken from the hip region, grafted to the jaw bone and after about six months of healing, the patient is ready for the implant denture treatment.

A new technology was developed in Europe to do the upper jaw dental implant treatment without using the hipbone graft. This ‘graft-less technique’, also called the ‘Zygoma technique’ (developed by Prof. Branemark& Nobel Biocare, Sweden) uses the cheekbone (Zygoma bone) to anchor the longer zygoma implants. This has the following advantages over conventional implant techniques:

Fixed row of teethwithin 72 hours as opposed to up to 6 months
No need for hip or any bone graft (graft-less technique)
Significantly less discomfort for patient
Immediate ability to bite and chew crunchy and hard food stuff
Immediate confidence boost with great looking teeth!

Who can benefit from (requires) Zygoma implants?

Zygoma implants are appropriate for any person with missing or shaky teeth in their upper jaw as well as those who are wearing a complete denture in the same. They are appropriate for all age groups except children. In fact, a majority of our Zygoma implant patients have been young people between the ages of 25 and 40. The new artificial set of permanent teeth are fixed almost immediately (2-3 days) allowing them to eat normal food and smile confidently. The functional, aesthetic and psychological benefits of this procedure are tremendous.

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Vasan Dental care

Why would I need endodontic surgery?

Surgery can help save your tooth in a variety of situations.

Surgery may be used in diagnosis. If you have persistent symptoms but no problems appear on your x-ray, your tooth may have a tiny fracture or canal that could not be detected during nonsurgical treatment. In such a case, surgery allows your endodontist to examine the entire root of your tooth, find the problem, and provide treatment.

Sometimes calcium deposits make a canal too narrow for the instruments used in nonsurgical root canal treatment to reach the end of the root. If your tooth has this “calcification,” your endodontist may perform endodontic surgery to clean and seal the remainder of the canal.

Usually, a tooth that has undergone a root canal can last the rest of your life and never need further endodontic treatment. However, in a few cases, a tooth may not heal or become infected. A tooth may become painful or diseased months or even years after successful treatment. If this is true for you, surgery may help save your tooth.

Surgery may also be performed to treat damaged root surfaces or surrounding bone.

Although there are many surgical procedures that can be performed to save a tooth, the most common is called apicoectomy or root-end resection. When inflammation or infection persists in the bony area around the end of your tooth after a root canal procedure, your endodontist may have to perform an apicoectomy.

Prosthetic Dentistry:

Prosthetic dentistry is that branch of dentistry that deals with replacing lost teeth. Teeth can be replaced by means which are fixed, e.g. crowns, bridges, implant, or removable e.g. complete dentures, partial dentures etc. Each case is different, and at beyond smiles after thorough consideration we advise on various possibilities on each case differently. Depending on individual needs, financial consideration, we advise an array of options to replace missing teeth; all explained in great detail including the advantages and disadvantages of each option and leave the ultimate decision to the patient.

Dentures

Dentures are a means to replace missing teeth in the mouth. Incase where all the teeth are missing, we make COMPLETE DENTURES and when only a few teeth are missing we make PARTIAL DENTURES. These are not fixed in the mouth and can be removed. However against popular belief, at beyond smiles, with the latest impression materials and a specialist prostho-dentist working on the patient, we can achieve good results with patient comfort even with removable dentures. Also today with the advent of implants, we can also offer implant supported dentures for superior stability and better functions not the mention superior esthetics with imported porcelain teeth incorporated into the denture.

Metal Free Crowns and Bridges:

Traditional crowns and bridges consist of a metal core on which the porcelain is built up to make them strong. These are known as PORCELAIN FUSED TO METAL (PFM) Crowns. These crowns are strong, but however are very unaesthetic, opaque and look very artificial. The porcelain around the edges tends to wear off, chip off with time to expose the underlying metal. This metal then tends to stain the gums around the cap, and hence the gums around these caps tend to look black and tend to recede.

Nowadays with the latest is porcelain research and superior materials, we are able to achieve the same amount of strength and superior aesthetics with a more natural looking crown with metal free crowns. Here the core is made of a stronger porcelain (ZIRCONIA) which is as strong as a metal core and then built up with more natural looking. Also the gums around this crown more readily accept this crown and also remain healthy. These crowns come with international warranty and will be replaces free of cost by us incase of breakage, any porcelain chip etc. Every patient gets a warranty card directly from company with a personal name in association with beyond smiles.

Crowns:

Crowns traditionally known as caps are made in a special dental laboratory. In a tooth that is badly decayed, or after root canal treatment, after permanently filling the tooth, the size of the tooth is reduced, and after taking your impression, these caps are fabricated in the laboratory. These crowns are the same, size, shape and shade of color as your natural tooth, and no one can tell the difference. These crowns can be with a metal core with porcelain built up on it. These crowns are known as PORCELAIN FUSED TO METAL CROWNS. Also at beyond smiles we offer FULL CERAMIC or METAL FREE CROWNS that are more esthetic and safe.

Bridges:

When a tooth is lost dude to decay, and is removed, the tooth can be replaced by means of a fixed bridge. In this process, we take support of the neighboring teeth to the empty space, and make a bridge in the laboratory and cement it onto the neighboring teeth hence replacing the missing tooth. This is fixed, strong, and can serve you a lifetime if done correctly. At beyond smiles we offer a warranty on all our crowns and bridges and replace / re-cement them at no extra cost incase of breakage, loosening etc.

Cosmetic Dental Treatment:

Aesthetic Dentistry is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of dentistry available today. More individuals than ever before are looking to their dentist to improve their appearance. They realize that embarrassing dental imperfections and ugly stains can be corrected by their dentist.

Cosmetic Dentistry covers a broad range of dental services. It typically involves Appearance Related Dentistry. We offer comprehensive treatment to improve your smile. We work together with specialists and provide all services in our clinic to give you a perfect smile!

COSMETIC CORRECTION PROCEDURES:
Tooth Colored Restorations

Tooth colored fillings are known as Composite Resin Dental Fillings. Composite Fillings are made of a plastic dental resin which are tooth coloured, strong, durable, that would perfectly match the shade of your tooth and thereby provide a very natural smile!

The tooth coloured composite fillings are also done.

Chips/rough spots/cavities/cracks: These can be filled with a tooth-coloured material called composite. The colour of the composite can be chosen so that it matches the color of your teeth.

Uneven teeth: It’s not uncommon for a tooth to be slightly longer or have a different shape than its neighbours. With a procedure called recontouring, your dentist can reshape the tooth so that it’s a better match.

Gaps between the teeth: Small gaps can be closed by applying composite material between the teeth.

Broken or crooked teeth: Mild chips of enamel or mild alignment corrections can be done with composite fillings.

The full conservative cosmetic dental procedures have greatly enhanced a dentist’s ability to give their patients a better smile.
Bleaching

Tooth whitening is a procedure that lightens teeth and helps to remove stains and discoloration. Whitening is among the most popular cosmetic dental procedures because it can significantly improve the appearance of your teeth at much less cost and inconvenience than other techniques.

Bleaching has become enormously popular and successful. With bleaching, you can have whiter teeth in just one sitting.
Porcelain Veneers / Laminates

Veneers are a thin layer of porcelain, which are cemented to the tooth, act and appear like normal, natural tooth structure. The laminates are then cemented to the teeth and highly aesthetically pleasing.
Gum Contouring

Gum Contouring may be required for a ‘gummy smile’- excess gum exposure during smile, where the gums cover the top third of the teeth due some erratic eruption of the teeth. In which case the gum contouring is a conservative procedure done by the dentist that would significantly enhance your smile!
Tooth Jewellery

A jewel is fixed on the tooth surface. The jewel does not damage tooth tissues and has no side effects except for the increased charm of your smile! Call it an oral fashion statement to stand out among ordinary mortals or simply an effort to blend in with the bold and the beautiful. it can be easily removed without any side effects as the procedure is non-invasive.
Article by
Apollo Hospitals

Anyone with maligned and irregular teeth, buck teeth, crowded teeth, overlapping teeth or ones with with gap in between may require orthodontic treatment.

Why is Orthodontic treatment Improtant?

Orthodontic treatment can improve your dental health and change your facial appearance for the better, and it can boost your self esteem. Crowded teeth are difficult to clean and may contribute to tooth decay and gum diseases.

When should the treatment begin?

There is no single answer for this question because each orthodontic problem determines its own best starting time. For this reason it is recommended that every child first visit an orthodontist at the age of seven years. In many patients early treatment achieves better results that are unattainable once the face and jaws have finished growing. Another plus point is that early intervention frequently makes the completion of treatments at a later age easier and less time consuming.

What about adult treatment?

Orthodontic treatment can be successful at any age. The health of an individual’s gums and supporting bone is what’s most important in determining the prospects of improving an adult’s smile. Because an adult’s facial bones are no longer growing, certain corrections cannot be accomplished with braces alone and may require surgical intervention.

What does treatment involve?

This is commonly done by fixing braces to teeth and straightening them out. In some cases a patient may need to get some teeth removed in order to fix the braces. However, if the patient is seen at a young age and if the problem is not severe then entire treatment may be carried out without removal. It is critical therefore to visit an orthodontist at the earliest sign of irregular teeth.

Is the treatment very painful?

The treatment is certainly not painless, but the pain is mild and lasts for 2-3 days after initial visit to orthodontist. Recent advances in orthodontics have made treatment far more comfortable.

Does this treatment affect my performance at school/ work/ sports?

Not at all. You will only need to take reasonable care of your braces during contact sports like boxing, football, hockey, cricket etc . to prevent damage to the braces and injury to the teeth and lips. Treatment timeActive treatment with orthodontic appliance ranges from one to two years. The actual time depends on the growth, the co-operation of the patient and the severity of problem.

Lingual Orthodontics

Lingual orthodontics technique involves use of very small braces from behind the teeth,making them perfectly invisible!The best part is that the patients can appreciate the corrections of their tooth alignment as and when they happen.We use the S.T.B. line of lingual brackets, which are, arguably, the most advanced and smallest brackets in the world. Due to small size, speech is not at all disturbed and comfort is even more than with the conventional braces. Dr.Gandhi is specially trained to treat patients with this latest technique. Apart from lingual orthodontics, we also offer CLEAR ALIGNERS to treat moderate irregularities without using any wires or braces!