The Shot story

CHILD immunization schedule, approximate cost and local and general reactions of the body to the vaccines.
Just when you’re glad that you’re come a long way from getting the shots that prevent you from acquiring various diseases, its already time for your kid to have his. And the funny thing is that is begins sooner than you think, giving you hardly any time to wonder what to anticipate. Getting yourself pricked or watching your young one xanxiously getting his no dream come true, but its not a nightmare either.

Know your child’s immunization schedule, general reaction of his body you can expect after a shot, and how to manage it and you’re almost done.

The immunization schedule

The following is the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) as recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization). The entire schedule is rendered free of cost at all government hospitals and primary health centers (PHCs), but charges vary among private hospitals.

Bridge that gap, now!

FOR YEARS, people have been under the impression that the removal of a tooth by a dentist is the climax of an action packed gruesome tale which first began with the toothache. Wake up guys, its just the intermissions! Extraction of a tooth is only about half the job, the significant rest being the replacement of the missing tooth. Its neither a passable issue nor a lucrative con game devised by the dentist. It’s absolutely essential that a missing tooth be replaced for not one but several important reasons for better upkeep of oral health.

Consequence of not replacing a missing tooth:

For one thing, it is a strange feeling; your tongue tends to explore the empty space, food stuffs get lodged and the biting capacity decreases.Secondly, the neighboring teeth gradually drift towards each other closing the gap unevenly and in the process they become loose. Also, since that tooth opposing the missing tooth does not have a counterpart, it tends to move into the empty space over a period of time altering the bite.What to do to replace a missing tooth?There are two options you could choose from. One is the removable type where the appliance is not fixed to any part of the tooth or gums. It can be removed and placed at will by the patient. It is considered convenient by some and hygienic by some others, the baseline being that its embarrassing. It certainly won’t pop out of your mouth while talking or eating, but it could become loose and drift up and down although there have been in perfect order and have been worn for years with absolutely no problems. The appliance generally consists of an acrylic base which is seated on the palate or the inner aspect of the lower jaw, to which an acrylic tooth (or teeth) is attached replacing the missing tooth (or teeth).

A variation in this removable partial denture (or RPD as it is called) is the cast partial denture (CPD) where the base is made of metal which being stronger and thinner is more comfortable and metal being a thermal conductor can absorb heat and make the user more receptive of hot food stuffs. The Cast Partial Denture is preferred in cases where the back teeth have to be replaced; it consists of metal base on to which acrylic teeth are attached.

The other option is the fixed partial denture (FPD) where support from one or more neighboring teeth from both the sides are taken to replace the missing tooth/teeth which gives it the name dental bridge. The supporting teeth are called the abutments, which need to be strong to be able to carry the weight of the missing tooth/teeth (called the Pontiac) as well as bear the brunt of the biting forces. This is the most preferred manner of replacing missing teeth as once the dental bridge is fixed, you can forget about it. Its neither cumbersome nor embarrassing and is available in metal, ceramic or a combination at the dental clinic.

The making of a dental bridge is very similar to that of the dental crown. In the first appointment, the teeth and gum tissue in the concerned area are numbed, tooth structure of the abutments are adequately reduced and shaped to accommodate the dental crowns (which from part of the dental bridge) one them so that it is not oversized. An impression is taken and sent to the dental lab and the dental technician will fabricate the dental bridge.For ceramic bridges, the shade that closely matches the neighboring teeth is selected with the help of a shade guide. The dental bridge is seated on the teeth with dental cement and adjustments are made by a dental tool to correct changes in the bite if any.

By tradition, we are nation that neglects our teeth, a renowned dentist has said. But there is no reason why we shouldn’t be doing damage control. The popular adage ‘Cross the bridge when you come to it’ sure takes a beating in this case, as you should be bridging the gap, now!!ss