Dental wise

Dear Dr. Khan,
I am 31 years old. A few years back I experienced some pain in one of the molars and saw a doctor who advised me to go for a root canal procedure. Being reluctant, I asked the doctor to give me some painkillers and antibiotics for the time being. The pain subsided, but the tooth started to break, starting with a crater in the middle, until now I just have a fragment attached to the gum. The cavity is deep and big enough to accommodate 2-3 grains of rice and food, which I take off with a toothpick. It is painless and I can feel soft gum inside it, but recently it has started to bleed at times when I use toothpick too hard or try to suck the contents out. Kindly advice what should be done, the cost involvements, and how can I contact you for consultation. Thanking You,
Taher

Dear Mr Taher,
It seems we cannot preserve your tooth in this stage. It will be better if you extract that tooth and replace that by making a denture or bridge. It will not be a costly treatment. Yes you can consult me at BIRDEM hospital.

Dear Dr.Khan,
Would you please tell me about bad breath? I will appreciate if you give some tips.
Thanking you,
Gazi Shamim

Bad Breath (Halitosis)
The majority of bad breath problems begin in the mouth.
* Bad breath that is of oral cavity origin can be traced to a sulphur compound produced by bacteria. Dead and dying bacterial cells release this sulphur compound, which gives the breath an unpleasant odour.

* Bacterial plaque and food debris accumulate on the back of the tongue. The tongue's surface is extremely rough and bacteria can accumulate easily in the cracks and crevices. Large amounts of sulphur compounds can be produced in this area, making it a frequent site of origin for bad breath.

* The tooth attracts bacteria containing plaque and if not cleaned regularly and thoroughly, this can result in large accumulations of bacteria, which result in bad breath.

* People who have periodontitis (Gum disease) often experience bad breath because of bacteria accumulating in areas that are not cleaned easily, such as deep pockets around teeth.

* Fortunately, treatment is very effective for people who have bad breath of mouth origin.

Other reasons for bad breath (other than the mouth) are:
* Infections, especially in the sinuses or lungs
* Diabetes mellitus (acetone smell to the breath)
* Kidney failure (can produce a fishy odour)
* Malfunction of the liver
* Disorders of metabolism (foul, fishy odour that comes and goes and may be difficult to diagnose)
* Fasting (when the body is not provided with fuel in the form of food, fat and protein will begin to be broken down; the result is bad odour from the waste products of this metabolism)

If your bad breath continues once potential oral health problems have been treated, see your doctor to rule out any other causes.

Management:
* Treatment begins with a complete oral examination and health history, you may have an "odour-meter" test done. This test can accurately measure the volatile sulphur gases and the extent of a halitosis problem.

* Periodontal disease and/or cavities should be treated and repaired.

* Oral infections must be eliminated or impacted teeth may need to be removed.

* Good oral hygiene must be stressed, including cleaning the teeth and tongue (by using a tongue scraper). Once the oral infection is treated and cured, mouth rinses and toothpastes may have some effectiveness in managing oral odour. Ask your oral health professional for a product that may be helpful to you.

For more information please visit Dr.Khan's website: www.aikodental.com

Dr.Firdous Quader Minu M.B.B.S, D.L.O ENT, Head-Neck & Cosmetic Surgeon Consultant, Cosmetic Surgery Centre

Dear Minu,
I am 21 years old. I am suffering from oily face. How can I control it? Please give me a suggestion.
Mohammad Rajja
Gono Bishwabidyalay, Dhaka

Mr. Rajja,
Oily skin is a very common problem. It can be controlled in many different ways. First of all, you need to take good care of your skin and embark on a healthy diet. Use a face wash from any reputed company, making sure that it is suitable for oily skin. It is usually written on the product. Use this two times daily. Also use a toner at least once at night. Try to avoid direct exposure to sun by wearing a hat or using an umbrella.

Dear Dr. Minu,
I am a 20-year-old female, emailing you to enquire about a particular dermatological problem that I am facing. I have many beauty spots or 'tils' (in bangla) on my face, that are severely bothersome. I want to remove them but I need to know the process, how long the whole process will take (e.g. how many sittings etc.), whether it is safe, and the COST of the entire process, and who I should go to. If it is of any importance, I want to remove 5/6 'tils'. Eagerly waiting for your reply,
Sumaira

Dear Sumaira,
You didn't mention if these were small 'tils' or big ones, but I suppose since you want to get rid of them they must be bothersome. If they are moles and not freckles they can be removed easily by cosmetic surgery. Many methods can be used all of which are safe and done under local anaesthesia. First you need to consult a cosmetic surgeon for assesment and then the cost of the procedures can be determined.

Dear Dr. Minu,
I am a 40-year-old man and recently I have noticed wrinkles around my eyes, which become more prominent when I laugh or smile. I have become very self-conscious about this. Can anything be done about it?

Dear Reader,
These wrinkles are known as Crow's feet and yes there is help. There are different kinds of filler injections available to fill the wrinkles and Botox injections can also be used. The procedures, if done correctly are very safe and the results are usually very good. These services will be available by any cosmetic surgeon.

Dear Dr. Minu,
My son is 25 years old and has a big nose. He really suffers a lot because of this as he gets teased about it a lot. We have thought of taking him abroad to get this corrected but if it can be done here we would like to get it done here instead.

Dear Reader,
The procedure is called Rhinoplasty and can be conducted by a good and experienced cosmetic surgeon trained in doing such operations. This is a very fine surgery that is now being done in Bangladesh very successfully.

Even if you are not the smartest person around the computer, there is no harm to clean up the PC once in a while. Run regular disk checkups, clean the Temporary Internet Folders and rake through the Recycle Bin. This way you can prevent system crashes or hard disk flooding.

On A Different Note

Drowning in the Muck… Bile-raising Politics

Politics have never been this heated before. The flame- both literal and metaphorical- is scorching the civilians. The agony has climaxed. And the politics- well, is there for you to judge. With the caretaker government sliding in between the belligerent parties, life was expected to be smoother. But, it was rather a high-Richter scrape-through than a slide-in. The newspaper headlines have hollered the 'oborodh' updates, the satellite channels have supplied the picketing footages… yet, what really goes on behind the scene is still elusive.
Dhaka City. From a bird's eye view, there would be only empty streets to see. No cars. No buses. No CNGs. There are only rickshaws lethargically crawling along, a person or two. But that is about it. It may appear that finally, the city can breathe, and not suffocate with people and vehicles monopolising the streets.
At ground zero, however, life is different. The peace is sporadically intervened by several party staff running out on the street, and setting a (daredevil) car on fire. Gas cylinders explode. The flame flares up, coiling to the heavens. The police charge. People die. Up till that much, we know. The next day's newspapers just offer figures, the number of injuries, number of demises.
But what happens to these faceless, nameless bodies lying on the road? Many are dead on spot, bloody and mutilated. Many more scream in agony, while being dragged to the nearest hospital, leaving behind missing body parts and their dignity. With hospitals already overburdened with patients from yesterday and the day before, beds are a rarity. At the extreme, bodies are left outside. These have to be accommodated in the narrow verandas, where cats lay their litters. The lack of treatment often results in death.
These people fight for their political parties. Are they so dedicated as to offer their lives outright? If so, it seems that the dedication is strictly unilateral. With them croaking on their deathbeds, where have the parties gone? They do not come forward to help. Politics is a device that loves to take. But it does not like to give back in return. It destroys, but remains indestructible.
Death is just the beginning. Usually the men who volunteer to fight for the parties are the primary income generators of their family. A single death brings down the whole family. It cripples it. The children will now have to think twice about buying books for their upcoming academic year. Their mother will have to look for work.
The clash between parties does seem comic. But tragedy is always an inevitable companion of comedy. While the political leaders and the associates are left unscathed- with endless fruitless discussions in air-conditioned rooms- people are dying on the streets. Businesses are losing out on millions of dollars of profits; students are falling victims to session-jams. How much more bloodshed is required to purchase political certainty? If life is expended for such worthless a cause, it is a shame for the nation.
Fortunately, life is looking brighter these days. The 'oborodh' seemed to have taken a halt. Students no longer have the privilege to sleep in late- classes have resumed. Universities are cramming up their schedule with semester exams. And most of all, cars are back on the road. Although we are going to be hurled back to the era of traffic jams, at least people can move about. For the time being, we can simply live with the hope that we can continue with our “normal” life.
By Shahmuddin Ahmed Siddiky

Valued readers who send us queries for the expert columns (eg: Beauty Talk, Beauty Dissected, Dental Wise, Interpreter of Maladies etc.), please mail us your questions directly at lifestyleds@yahoo.com. We will direct your questions to our experts immediately. Please do not use the columns to make appointments.
There has also been some confusion with the readers regarding the columns: Beauty Talk and Beauty Dissected- Dr. Minu deals specifically with plastic surgery, while Sadia Moyeen is a beauty specialist. So, channel your questions accordingly.