A beautiful smile does not come cheap
Sep 12, 2010
THERE is only one dental surgeon for every 150,000 Ugandans. This is about one surgeon for 1,900 buses of Ugandans. With such a shortage, it is best to look after your teeth and avoid the queue at the dental clinic.
THERE is only one dental surgeon for every 150,000 Ugandans. This is about one surgeon for 1,900 buses of Ugandans. With such a shortage, it is best to look after your teeth and avoid the queue at the dental clinic.
By Vicky Wandawa
One reader’s story
My visits to the dentists started when I was nine years old. I was not so much of a sweet tooth but from my father I must have inherited the ‘weak teeth’ because he too is a frequent caller to the dentist.
By the age of 16, most of my molars and pre molars had been filled because they had developed holes. At 18 and 20, I had two teeth extracted because they were beyond ‘repair’.
At 22, my dentist yet again said I had a tooth that had to be extracted. At that point, I realized that by 30, I would have no teeth if I kept having them extracted. Then, he briefed me about the option of a root canal.
At first I was skeptical because it was much more expensive than tooth extraction. I gave it thought and realized it is way better than losing my all molars after all. It cost me 350 000shs, which expense did not include the crown of the tooth to be replaced.
The crown cost another 350,000shs and for just one tooth, I spent 700,000shs. That was three years ago and the tooth has not given me any problems since, but that was really expensive
Prevention is cheaper than cure
Prevention is always better than cure but for dental care, prevention is also cheaper than cure. Dentistry services are expensive but why is it so?
“The cost of the conventional dental equipment and dental instruments to set up a dental surgery is extremely high and what’s more, costly as regards maintenance,†says Luke Awio, a dentist in Nsambya.
Brian Rushaju, a dentist with Run Dental Clinic explains that the primary dental treatment such as tooth extraction is not expensive because these may be carried out without a dental unit but the secondary level of treatment where activities such as drilling are necessary, the materials required are expensive.
It is, therefore, important to learn habits, such as the ones listed below, to avoid dental problems.
Routine check up
For starters, Awio advises routine check- up at least once a year, even when there is no pain. Similarly, Rushaju notes that dental disease is a silent epidemic, hence the need for routine checkup.
Early diagnosis often costs less. Fissure sealants for molars “On a daily basis, the patients we receive are those that require their molars to be filled,†Rushaju says.
Physically, the molars and incisors differ. While the incisors are flat at the top, the molars are rugged with fissures. As a result of their rugged nature, molars have a high retention capacity for bits of food, attracting bacteria whose activities ruin the tooth.
“It’s not the bacteria which cause dental carries, but the acidic excreta they release, after they have fed on the plaque or bits of food stuck on the teeth,†Awio explains.
Brushing teeth limits the activities of the bacteria. However, the molars’ location at the back end of the mouth makes it difficult for them to be effectively cleaned.
This is where fissure sealants are necessary. Rushaju explains that fissure sealants are a protective inorganic material with which the molar fissures are filled. Because the sealants are inorganic they cannot be destroyed by the acid from the bacteria, thereby acting as a protection over the molar.
He continues that fissure sealants should be fitted for children as young as six or seven, as soon as they develop their first molars.
Fissure sealants can be fitted for adults as well after the teeth have been cleaned medically. Besides, fissure sealants, Rushaju advises that use of fluoride varnish and fluoride gels to prevent dental carries. They should be
done after seeking medical advice.
Common dental conditionsDental cavities
“A dental cavity refers to a hole in the tooth structure which usually begins in the outer part of the tooth called enamel,†explains Brian Rushaju, a dentist with Run dental clinic. “When
not controlled, cavities can progress to the dentine and later into the pulp cavity.â€
He explains that dental cavities originate from fluctuation of the PH in the mouth,
when one eats food especially
fermentable carbohydrates and does not follow it with brushing.
The bacteria in the mouth will process those carbohydrates into plaque (bio film) which eventually begins to demineralise the tooth (removes calcium ions). Consequently, what remains is a chalky phosphate substance that collapses resulting into cavities.
Sensitive teeth
Atugonza describes sensitivity of teeth as a condition where an individual feels discomfort when they their teeth exposure to cold or hot things, sweet things and brushing among other things.
This discomfort he notes, could progress into pain. Among the causes of sensitive teeth are,
Gingival recession
When the gums recede, or grow lower towards the tooth bottom, then the root part is exposed and yet it’s sensitive, Atugonza explains. Poor brushing is among the thin gs that leads to gum recession.
“As a result of poor brushing, tartar collects on the teeth. Tartar contains bacteria which produce enzymes that digest the soft tissue on the teeth, eventually exposing the soft parts of the teeth.†Brushing roughly is also likely to contribute to the gum recession.
Carious lesions
This is when the teeth have holes, therefore, when the individual takes cold or hot substances, these substances reach the sensitive dentine, Rushaju explains.
Decay
When the decay progresses to the dentine, an individual is likely to develop sensitive teeth because the dentine contains ive structures called dental tubals.
By Vicky Wandawa
One reader’s story
My visits to the dentists started when I was nine years old. I was not so much of a sweet tooth but from my father I must have inherited the ‘weak teeth’ because he too is a frequent caller to the dentist.
By the age of 16, most of my molars and pre molars had been filled because they had developed holes. At 18 and 20, I had two teeth extracted because they were beyond ‘repair’.
At 22, my dentist yet again said I had a tooth that had to be extracted. At that point, I realized that by 30, I would have no teeth if I kept having them extracted. Then, he briefed me about the option of a root canal.
At first I was skeptical because it was much more expensive than tooth extraction. I gave it thought and realized it is way better than losing my all molars after all. It cost me 350 000shs, which expense did not include the crown of the tooth to be replaced.
The crown cost another 350,000shs and for just one tooth, I spent 700,000shs. That was three years ago and the tooth has not given me any problems since, but that was really expensive
Prevention is cheaper than cure
Prevention is always better than cure but for dental care, prevention is also cheaper than cure. Dentistry services are expensive but why is it so?
“The cost of the conventional dental equipment and dental instruments to set up a dental surgery is extremely high and what’s more, costly as regards maintenance,†says Luke Awio, a dentist in Nsambya.
Brian Rushaju, a dentist with Run Dental Clinic explains that the primary dental treatment such as tooth extraction is not expensive because these may be carried out without a dental unit but the secondary level of treatment where activities such as drilling are necessary, the materials required are expensive.
It is, therefore, important to learn habits, such as the ones listed below, to avoid dental problems.
Routine check up
For starters, Awio advises routine check- up at least once a year, even when there is no pain. Similarly, Rushaju notes that dental disease is a silent epidemic, hence the need for routine checkup.
Early diagnosis often costs less. Fissure sealants for molars “On a daily basis, the patients we receive are those that require their molars to be filled,†Rushaju says.
Physically, the molars and incisors differ. While the incisors are flat at the top, the molars are rugged with fissures. As a result of their rugged nature, molars have a high retention capacity for bits of food, attracting bacteria whose activities ruin the tooth.
“It’s not the bacteria which cause dental carries, but the acidic excreta they release, after they have fed on the plaque or bits of food stuck on the teeth,†Awio explains.
Brushing teeth limits the activities of the bacteria. However, the molars’ location at the back end of the mouth makes it difficult for them to be effectively cleaned.
This is where fissure sealants are necessary. Rushaju explains that fissure sealants are a protective inorganic material with which the molar fissures are filled. Because the sealants are inorganic they cannot be destroyed by the acid from the bacteria, thereby acting as a protection over the molar.
He continues that fissure sealants should be fitted for children as young as six or seven, as soon as they develop their first molars.
Fissure sealants can be fitted for adults as well after the teeth have been cleaned medically. Besides, fissure sealants, Rushaju advises that use of fluoride varnish and fluoride gels to prevent dental carries. They should be
done after seeking medical advice.
Common dental conditionsDental cavities
“A dental cavity refers to a hole in the tooth structure which usually begins in the outer part of the tooth called enamel,†explains Brian Rushaju, a dentist with Run dental clinic. “When
not controlled, cavities can progress to the dentine and later into the pulp cavity.â€
He explains that dental cavities originate from fluctuation of the PH in the mouth,
when one eats food especially
fermentable carbohydrates and does not follow it with brushing.
The bacteria in the mouth will process those carbohydrates into plaque (bio film) which eventually begins to demineralise the tooth (removes calcium ions). Consequently, what remains is a chalky phosphate substance that collapses resulting into cavities.
Sensitive teeth
Atugonza describes sensitivity of teeth as a condition where an individual feels discomfort when they their teeth exposure to cold or hot things, sweet things and brushing among other things.
This discomfort he notes, could progress into pain. Among the causes of sensitive teeth are,
Gingival recession
When the gums recede, or grow lower towards the tooth bottom, then the root part is exposed and yet it’s sensitive, Atugonza explains. Poor brushing is among the thin gs that leads to gum recession.
“As a result of poor brushing, tartar collects on the teeth. Tartar contains bacteria which produce enzymes that digest the soft tissue on the teeth, eventually exposing the soft parts of the teeth.†Brushing roughly is also likely to contribute to the gum recession.
Carious lesions
This is when the teeth have holes, therefore, when the individual takes cold or hot substances, these substances reach the sensitive dentine, Rushaju explains.
Decay
When the decay progresses to the dentine, an individual is likely to develop sensitive teeth because the dentine contains ive structures called dental tubals.