Finally, reason to smile..

do you hurriedly cover your face nanoseconds after you flash a smile? or are you afraid of breaking into a full-throated laugh for fear of showing your teeth? well, it’s time to say goodbye to such worries. in today’s times of hi-tech medical care, you can replace anything — even your teeth! and with the designer label attached to all that comes for a price, you can now have designer teeth too! ‘‘when your teeth show too much or do not show at all when you smile, cosmetic dentistry can come to the rescue,’’ says ekta chadha, consultant dental surgeon. ‘‘and it’s not just models who need that winning streak on their faces,’’ she adds. a tooth can be designed for anyone depending on a person’s requirements. ‘‘a cosmetic dentist designs smiles. these teeth do not look like dentures though the dental structure remains same,’’ chadha explains. dentures are designed through the veneering process or laminates whereby the surface of the teeth inside the mouth is first made rough. this part, called micro-etching, is done in two ways — chemical and mechanical. then an impression of the teeth is taken and the denture is designed according to the shape and size of the person’s teeth. ‘‘this gives what is called the ‘curvaceous smile-line’. these laminates are actually stick-on teeth that are permanent.’’ earlier, if one or two teeth were missing, crowns and bridges were made and support was essential on both sides. but with cosmetic dentistry, even if one tooth is to be replaced and there are a few teeth remaining, then a ‘maryland bridge’ based on the cantilever principle can be made. the remaining teeth work as ‘abutments’ for a full mouth crown and bridge replacement. and if you’re looking for sparkling white teeth and want to remove those paan masala and cigarette stains, ‘‘a remedy has been created through the latest german equipment called prophyflex. the basic salt that it uses for cleansing is sodium hydrogen carbonate. a half an hour to 45 minute sitting later the patient emerges with a million dollar smile! the procedure is more like sand-blasting on the tooth surface where it doesn’t even touch your teeth,’’ says chadha, a trained aesthetic dental surgeon. bleaching, also used for cleaning teeth but not very effective otherwise, is now being used in gel form. when this bleach is applied, it does not flow on oral tissue. and the fluoride stains, tetracyline stains and other such stains are then cured by laser as it activates the oxygen in the hydrogen peroxide or carbimide peroxide depending upon the type of bleach used.