Q&A about Dentistry-Answered by a qualified Goan Dentist

Goandentist

As a new member of this forum and having read numerous threads about problems/queries of Dentistry i would like to start this thread as a forum for everyone to ask and discuss tooth related problems and solutions thereof.

Fell free to ask .. I am ever ready to help . I will also post patient related educational material here so do check often

Cheers

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Dr. Ambert Pimenta
www.goadentist.com

The India Mike Dental thread

Nick-H

Thanks for offering your services in this way

Maybe the IM Deities might bless this thread with stickyness? ;-)

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Peyompian

Do all goan dentists have autoclaves? Is it going to hurt like hell to have a few cavities filled?

Goandentist

To answer the first part of your question ..YES most dental surguries do have autoclaves. Benefits of an autoclave being that its steam under pressure and the temperature rises to about 121 degrees at which most disease causing pathogens die (though not all of them), UV radiation is also a good option.

In modern dentistry having fillings done is considered as a procedure that does not really cause pain. You can ask your dentist for Local Anesthesia around that tooth or a nerve block if your having several fillings done at once. I would say for most patients the pain comes out of apprehension ( you have heard some horrible tale narrated by a friend at the dentist and associate fillings and that nasty sound the drill makes with pain). The pain in shallow fillings comes from Dentinal hypersensitivity .. a very mild sort of pain but rather bearable !

In short... fillings are not something you should be too worried about. Opt for Glass Ionomer Fillings (White filling) or Resin Bonded Composite fillings (Lazer Fillings) . A Silver Amalgam fillings is a defintie NO NO ( and Frooty may not agree on this one), simply because the way it works is called mechanical bonding and even though u may have a small cavity, the dentist has to drill a good part of the normal "unaffected" tooth in order to retain the silver filling in your mouth. With the other two newer filling materials only the portion thats effected will be removed as the material bonds to the tooth by chemical bonding and Adhesive systems.

Price range you can expect in Goa India should be :

300-600Rs for Glass Ionomer Fillings (White fillings)
400-700 Rs for Composite Fillings (Lazer Fillings)

Price range in US : $100 & 110$ respectively
Price range in UK: 70 pounds & 120 pounds respectively

Hope this information is understandable and in simple language !

shere

What qualifications do I need to get into an Indian Uni to study dentistry ?

Goandentist

I would say you need a minimum high school diploma or the equivalent of Standard 12 in india. Most foreign students will be chargesd in US$ and expect to pay about 50,000$ + as intial entrance fees and more yearly fees. It would be a good idea to look online for resources and correspond directly to the universities


Cheers

katcalls

Hello Doctor,

Perhaps you can help me. I use a splint when I sleep at night to stop me from grinding my teeth. It's very comfortable and has been moulded to fit my top teeth perfectly.

I have had my current splint for several years and it's probably going to need to be replaced soon. Is this a common dental appliance in India? Can you give me a rough estimate of costs. They want to charge me over A$600 here for one and if it's cheaper in India, I'll hold off until I get there at the end of the year.

Many thanks.
Katcalls

indiadreamn

As someone who has never had a filling, What exactly is a lazer filling?

Goandentist

Hi Katcalls,

Lets first talk about what splints are and how they are made in short for the benefit of the group

1.Based on clear, thermo-elastic material with memory.
2.Combines fit and comfort of a soft splint with the wear resistance of a hard acrylic occlusal surface.
3. Base becomes flexible when placed under hot tap water for easy insertion. As it cools, splint returns to original shape, conforming to shape of patient's teeth (allows use of natural buccal undercuts and lingual interproximal spaces for reliable retention).

Yes its used in common practice by newer professionals . You can expect to pay between 100-120 Australian $ for the same here . Simple procedure ..the dentist takes impressions of your mouth, makes models in dental stone and then the splint is fabricated as cited in para 3.

Goandentist

Lazer filling is kind of a common name we use (for easier patient understanding) for Composite Restorations. The name comes from the Curing light that is used for Composite fillings ..emits a blue lazer like light and therefore the name. These restorations are tooth coloured ..meaning there is a good chance of the colour of your tooth and the filling matching and as such its difficult to see where the filling is in your mouth. They are preferred more for the front teeth for aesthetic reasons (obviously u dont want a black silver filling on yr front tooth ) and because of their ease in placement and good results.

*jyoti*

Thanks so much for you help! I do have a question, if you don't mind. I have an old silver amalgam filling (maybe 10 years old) and now it's either wearing off or has a cavity right alongside it. How much trouble is that going to be to fix/fill again? Would a dentist take out the old filling or just fill in the "crack"? I've noticed it for about 6 months now. How urgent is it to get it done? (like can it wait another 6 months to get to India...) The tooth is sensitive to cold water and aches a bit when I have a sinus infection, but otherwise hasn't been a problem.

Also, I had a root canal several years ago on a problem tooth, and it's becoming a problem again. The gum is slightly swollen and it "feels funny." I don't know if it hurts as the nerve was taken out. I would honestly love to just pull it and have an implant. Is it that much less desirable than leaving the sliver of tooth that's left under the crown? How much of a procedure is that? And how much would it cost in India? (Here's it's pushing about USD$2000.00, I think).

Thank you! I appreciate your generous offer in answering these questions! (And yes, I'm one of the overly formal-polite Americans. *grin*)

--Jyoti

Goandentist

Hi Jyoti,

If your filling has cracked and it is silver amalgam it is not possible to fix the crack ..the filling must be replaced. However do not do a silver filling again..opt for Glass Ionomer Fillings (ask your dentist for Flouride releasing material GC VII cement is a good option as it acts by remineralising tooth). If your coming to India soon and its not too much of a bother get it done here ..refer to my earlier posts for prices.

As concerns you Root canal .. you need to take an X-ray , ascertain whether the root canal treatment was done properly. You however fail to mention if the tooth was capped...Its general pracitce to crown root canal treated teeth as teeth become brittle after treatment. The swelling around our gums could be for several reasons ... u will need to seek help for this ..i have no picture or X-rays to see what the case is so cant advise there. Root canal treatment will vary from 1,500 Rs - 6,500 Rs depending on the Specailist .

As regards implants .. the cost in india for a single implant ranges from 20-40,000 Rs depending on the case

Hope that answers your query !

traceyam

Doctorji, do you have a cost range for:

1. The kind of laser teeth whitening (like BriteSmile) that is popular in the U.S. right now?

2. Filling small chips (caused by grinding) and evening out front teeth ?

3. Replacing a 20-year-old tooth-coloured filling on a front tooth that has become discoloured?

US$350 for a root canal... I may become a dental tourist after all! Thank you for all of this information.

__________________
"Don't you sometimes wish the arctic was strawberry flavoured?" -- Thermoman

Goandentist

1. Cost of Lazer teeth whitening: Rs 5000-Rs 7500/-

2. Composite restorations 400- 700Rs

3. Same price as No.2

katcalls

Dear Doctor

Just a quick thank you for your information, it was most useful. I think I'll just wait off until I get to India at the end of the year.

Best regards
Katcalls