You or your dentist may notice a gray, blue or black spot in your mouth that looks like a tattoo. Dentists call these spots amalgam tattoos. They can appear in the mouth of someone with amalgam fillings or metal false teeth (also known as “caps” or “crowns”). Amalgam tattoos are made up of tiny metal particles from the filling or crown that become embedded in the tissue. They can appear on your gums, cheek, lips, tongue or the roof of the mouth (palate). The tattoos are flat and usually quite small and relatively easy to see. Amalgam tattoos are quite common, although many people don’t even know they have them. These tattoos are not dangerous and will not cause you harm but getting them removed is advised to bring back the normal colour of the tissues.

Earlier, dentistry was normally associated with pain, fear and discomfort. But times have changed. Dentistry and dental treatments are now one of the necessary aspects of a healthy life. Other than normal aesthetic and smile enhancing procedures, few more aspects of dentistry have developed that can be truly called as out of the box fashion-TOOTH JEWELERY & DENTAL TATTOOS. In simple words, Dental Tattoos are the designs that are incorporated on to the artificial tooth crown before it in cemented on to the prepared tooth in the mouth.Dental tattoos are most commonly seen on the rear teeth, but they can potentially be applied to any tooth, and they run a wide range of styles, colours, and designs. The design and markings are created on metal ceramic/full ceramic caps, and not on the actual tooth. So apart from being a fashion statement, dental tattoos are a painless and non permanent way of showing off your personalized and exclusive art!!!

Dental fluorosis is a cosmetic condition that affects teeth. It’s caused by overexposure to fluoride during the first eight years of life, when most permanent teeth are being formed. Flourosis can be associated with excessive fluoride levels in drinking water or sometimes inappropriate use of toothpastes or mouth rinses. Sometimes, children enjoy the taste of fluoridated toothpaste so much that they swallow it instead of spitting it out. The affected teeth by fluorosis may appear mildly discoloured that only dentists can detect.In more severe cases, the teeth may have stains ranging from yellow to dark brown, surface irregularities or pits that are highly noticeable and difficult to clean. This condition is not painful but can have a psychological effect on an individual due to its appearance. For mild cases, treatment might include teeth whitening or micro-abrasion. But in moderate to severe cases, veneers or crowns may be advised by the dentist.

It is with great pride and pleasure that we would like to announce that Tricity’s very own Dr. Vijita Mehta, proprietor of The Dental Arcade, was awarded the “Smile Centre of the Year” award on November 15^th 2014 in Mumbai and has returned to us this evening. This honor was bestowed upon her by Famdent for excellence in dentistry. This award is given at a National level where out of the hundreds of participating clinics are judged by Elite & venerated dental professionals from all over the country. Apart from this, she was also nominated in the six more categories; Clinic Interiors of the Year, Dental website of the Year, Entrepreneur Dentist of the Year, Clinic of the Year, Outstanding Dentist of the Year as well as Specialist Dentist of the Year. The Smile Centre of the Year award makes The Dental Arcade only clinic in North India to be given this prestigious accolade for this year. Dr. Vijita Mehta got Famdent Award for the second year in a row; last year she was awarded the “TechnoSavy Dentist of the Year” award, which was a Special Jury Award by Famdent, for the Year 2013. Her goal from the very beginning has been to provide the best possible care and treatment to the all using the latest equipment and techniques available today.

Erosion is the irreversible loss of tooth structure due to chemical dissolution by acids not of bacterial origin. Teeth are one of the hardest substances in the human body. However, sometimes due to our habits, we can cause damage to our teeth .Erosion of the tooth enamel is one of the many causes of tooth pain. Tooth erosion occurs when excess acid wears away the tooth enamel, which is the hard outer layer that gives teeth their structure and strength. In general, minerals in saliva helps neutralize the acid in the foods we eat and protect your tooth enamel from erosion. But if we consume a lot of highly acidic foods or drinks, we may be increasing our risk for tooth erosion. An eroded tooth can cause sensitivity to hot and cold, look discolored or even develop cracks or small dents on the chewing surface. To reduce this risk, keep acidic foods to a minimum, drink carbonated drinks using a straw, or chew sugar-free gum so that your mouth produces more saliva in order to recover from exposure to excess acid. In severe cases, your dentist might advise crowns in order to protect your teeth from further damage.

Attrition is the wearing down of teeth due to tooth to tooth contact. It occurs when opposite teeth touch each other for long periods of time and with higher pressures than normal. It can also be caused by clenching (squeezing the teeth together) or bruxing (grinding the teeth together). Our teeth should normally only meet together for a few minutes in every 24hrs, but in such cases this increases significantly, causing teeth to wear. Bruxism may occur during sleep and so many patients are totally unaware.Others notice that they clench when tense or when doing certain activities. The result is that the teeth flatten and appear shorter. They are often painless and as tooth wear progresses very gradually, it is easily overlooked but some patients may experience cold and sensitivity. In mild cases, a night-guard is adequate to prevent further damage. In moderate to severe cases however, a combination of treatments such as fillings, root canal, crowns or even full mouth rehabilitation may be the treatment of choice.

Abfraction lesions on teeth are small notches caused by stress (forces) on your teeth. Biting, chewing, clenching and grinding put pressure on your teeth. Over time, this pressure can cause cracks and splits in the outer layer of your teeth near the gum line. Such lesions are fairly common in adults. Older adults are especially likely to have them. They occur more often in the back teeth, called premolars and molars. But they can occur in the front teeth as well and appear as V-shaped or wedge-shaped notches.Abfraction lesions don’t usually hurt but if the deeper layers of the tooth are involved, sensitivity might occur. These lesions do not heal over time. Some may worsen, and if left untreated, can cause the tooth to fracture. In order to prevent this, your dentist might recommend fillings of these lesions. This will not only strengthen the tooth, but also decrease the sensitivity if present.

Abrasion is the loss of tooth structure by mechanical forces from a foreign element. Brushing regularly is considered vital for healthy teeth and gums, but be warned, you can overdo a good thing. The people most at risk for tooth or gum damage from over-brushing are those who are very particular about their oral care but use faulty brushing techniques. Also in people who use medium- or hard-bristled toothbrushes or excessive pressure while brushing. Tooth abrasion can also be caused as a result of a combination of both these factors.

Vigorous brushing can wear down the enamel on the teeth as well as damage and push back the gums, exposing the sensitive root area. This can then lead to other dental problems such as gum disease and cavities on the roots of the teeth which may then require treatments such as fillings or root canals. To put it simply, brushing technique is vital to ensure cleanliness of teeth and you’re not going to achieve any extra benefit by brushing hard.

Normally the back teeth, especially molars, have deep grooves which are known as pits & fissures. These pits & fissures are generally deep in kid’s teeth but with age become shallow. It can be difficult to remove all food particles from these depressions and grooves. Hence the food gets stuck more in kid’s teeth leading to decay. 

This situation can be prevented by placing fillings known as pit & fissure sealants. The purpose of sealants is not to replace the oral care routine of twice-daily tooth brushing and daily flossing but to provide an extra layer of protection to these deep depressions                                                       on teeth. Sealants usually last for several years before you need a reapplication, but you should still visit your dentist regularly for a professional cleaning and evaluation to ensure good oral health.

Today we would like to give a brief introductory information about our organisation “The Dental Arcade Here, at The Dental Arcade, we strive to give all those who walk through our doors a complete and detailed exam as well as treatment, using the absolute latest dental technologies available today, all for an affordable rate. Now, one of the most important aspects in any health field is sterilization. At The Dental Arcade, computerized sterilizers (or autoclaves as we call them) ensure to give the best, safest and most consistent results every time. That means clean and sterilized instruments only are used to treat you!! Apart from autoclaves, we also use ultrasonic cleaners. The next thing that obviously crosses each of our minds is the kind of equipment that is being used on us. Now we can give you a bunch of names of the equipment we use here, but it wouldn’t mean anything if you didn’t have the facts to back them up. But, since you can read this blog, it means you have internet so you can always do a search for these big names that are at the forefront of dental equipment. Names such as:

• Carl -Zeiss dental operating microscope– for micro dentistry, used in Root Canal Treatments and Re-treatments.
• Morita- most reliable apex locators of teeth, also used in RCTs.
• Planmeca- one of the top dental chair manufacturers.
• Dentsply- one of the best manufacturers of dental equipment and materials.
• Coltene Waledent- ultrasonic cleaner
• 3m ESPE visible light cure units- for tooth colored fillings.
• Zolar soft tissue laser
• Satelec Xray unit
• Kodak RVG (RadioVisioGraphy)
• Intro Oral Cameras.
• Nobel Bio care dental implants
• Carestream CS 7600 – computerized x-ray developer

These are only a few of the scientifically advanced equipments used here. This information is to inform you of the level of services we have to offer you. So you see, this guarantees you the best possible treatment and outcome as possible when compared to lesser equipped clinics. Please, feel free to comment or question us about any dental related query and keep following us as in subsequent blogs, we will touch upon some of the most common dental related problems and their solutions and dispel any fears or myths that are or may be related with dental treatments.