Your first visit
Bring along anything that helps Dr. Palak understand your history:
- A list of medicines you take, including blood thinners and diabetes or blood-pressure medicines
- Previous dental X-rays or reports, if you have them
- Any recent medical reports relevant to your health
Tell the clinic if you are pregnant, have a heart condition, diabetes or allergies, or have had a bad reaction to an anaesthetic. It changes how treatment is planned.
The consultation is Rs. 400 and is valid for 15 days. You'll leave with an explanation of what was found and an estimate for any treatment advised.
Everyday care
- Brush twice a day for two minutes, last thing at night and one other time, with a fluoride toothpaste.
- Use a soft or medium brush and small, gentle circles along the gum line. Scrubbing hard wears the gums and enamel.
- Spit, don't rinse after brushing, so the fluoride stays on your teeth longer.
- Clean between your teeth once a day with floss or interdental brushes. A brush can't reach those surfaces.
- Change your toothbrush every three months, or sooner if the bristles splay.
- Clean your tongue gently; it helps with fresh breath.
Food, tea and sugar
How often you have sugar matters more than how much. Each sugary snack or sweet drink starts an acid attack on the teeth that lasts a while afterwards.
- Keep sweets, biscuits and sugary drinks to mealtimes rather than through the day
- Several cups of sweetened tea a day add up; try less sugar per cup, or fewer cups
- Drink water between meals
- Wait at least 30 minutes after acidic food or drink, such as citrus or cola, before brushing
Children's teeth
- First dental visit around the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth
- Toothpaste amount: a smear the size of a grain of rice under age 3; a pea-sized amount from 3 to 6
- Help with brushing until around age 7 or 8
- No bottles in bed with milk or juice; it bathes the teeth in sugar overnight
- Sealants and fluoride can protect the chewing surfaces of back teeth; ask at the check-up
Kids dentistry at Tooth & Care
When to see the dentist
Book a check-up every six months, or as Dr. Palak advises. Don't wait for the next check-up if you notice:
- Gums that bleed when you brush
- Sensitivity that lingers after hot or cold food
- Pain when biting, or a tooth that aches on its own
- Swelling of the gum or face
- A broken tooth, lost filling or loose crown
- A mouth ulcer, white or red patch that hasn't healed in two weeks
- A loose adult tooth
Call or WhatsApp 96258 90920 to arrange a visit.
After treatment
After an extraction
- Bite on the gauze for 30 to 45 minutes
- For 24 hours: no rinsing, forceful spitting, straws or smoking
- Soft, cool food; chew on the other side
- From the next day, gentle warm salt-water rinses after meals
After a root canal
- Tenderness when biting for a few days is normal
- Avoid hard food on that side until the final filling or crown is fitted
- Eat once the numbness wears off, so you don't bite your cheek or tongue
After a filling
- Don't eat or drink anything, including water, for 30 minutes after a filling
- If the bite feels high, message the clinic for a quick adjustment
Contact the clinic if bleeding won't stop, swelling or pain gets worse instead of better, or you develop a fever.
If you're nervous
Dental anxiety is common and nothing to be embarrassed about.
- Say so when you book, and again in the chair
- Ask for each step to be explained before it happens
- Agree a stop signal, such as raising your hand
- Book a time when you're not rushed; Sunday afternoons are often quieter
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. For advice about your own teeth, book a consultation.