Dr Kshama Chandan Talks About ‘Dental tips for a safer holi’

As we get down to preparing for grabbing ghujhiyas and splashing colors with water-guns and balloons here are few tips that you may never have considered worthy of a thought.

“Teeth are often the silent sufferers during Holi, and for a variety of reasons”, says Dr Kshama, Owner of House of tooth, An advanced Multi speciality clinic in Lokhandwala, Mumbai.

1. Children and youngsters are prone to falling on their face when being chased during Holi resulting in a cracked,chipped, fractured, knocked out tooth. If this is accompanied with excessive bleeding and swelling clean the area gently using a cotton or gauze and apply cold compression to reduce the swelling. Moreover, make sure the sharp edges of the tooth don’t contact lips,tongue or cheeks.

2.In case you are using a removable appliance ; a retainer or habit breaker; an invisalign aligner or a removable denture ,keep it at home. This will prevent injury, breakage, loss or staining of the appliance. If you have braces, wear a mouthguard or avoid any contact with the face as it may injure the cheeks, lips, tongue or cause breakage of the brackets.

3. Safeguarding your teeth against chemical colors is of utmost importance during Holi. Stained teeth can not only affect esthetics but may also shatter your confidence. “While best way is to avoid getting into a situation like this by being careful, if you do get it, I would recommend bleaching, scaling and polishing,” further said Dr Kshama. While on the other hand  If you already have a cosmetic filling or a teeth whitening procedure done wear a clear retainer to avoid staining of teeth.

4. Binge eating is most prevalent during Holi and this has implications on all aged groups. “Good brushing followed by flossing is often recommended. Prevention is key,” added Dr.Kshama
Dr Kshama Chandan runs her private practice at ‘House of Tooth’ in Mumbai and continues to provide the best quality dental care to all her patients.