Dr Muzzafar Zaman

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What is amalgam filling material?

Dental amalgam is the most widely used filling material. It has been around for many years and still continues to be used as it has many advantages. We still see patients who have had amalgam fillings placed 30 years or more and they are still going strong. Despite the scares around amalgam, dentists still advocate this filling material widely as some of these fears are totally unfounded and are…

My veneer has fallen off

What should you do if your veneer comes off your tooth? Whenever your porcelain veneer comes off, it is usually a big shock and a massive nuisance. Here is what you should do as soon as your all porcelain veneer happens to come off. The very first thing to do is to put the porcelain veneer in a safe place. We have seen so many patients who forget where they put their porcelain veneer by the…

The pulpal response mechanism.

The dentinal tubules are filled with fluid. The odontoblast processes extend to about two thirds of the way into the tubule. These odontoblasts produce dentinal fluid and the processes detect fluid movement which is relayed all the way to the brain. Tertiary dentin is of two types. Tertiary dentin is of two types. REPARATIVE AND REACTIONARY. When the stimulus is mild, there is an increase of…

Retention and stability for complete dentures.

A stable denture is one that is relatively immovable in relation to the underlying mucosa and bone during function. Complete dentures stay in place if the retentive forces acting on the dentures exceed the displacing forces and the dentures have adequate support. This support is determined by the form and consistency of the denture-bearing tissues and the accuracy of fit of the…

The first place to start as usual is taking a good dental history. The patient may already tell you that they had a recent filling or crown procedure done and since then the tooth has been painful. You should always ask about any previous history on the tooth that you think is causing the problem. One should never assume that the tooth that the patient is having problems on is in fact the one…

Why has my root-treated tooth fractured?

It is a well-known fact that teeth which have a root canal treatment are weaker. These teeth have a reduced capacity to resist forces during chewing and biting. Whenever you undergo a root canal treatment, the dentist may tell you the tooth will also need a crown also known as extra-coronal restoration. There are two clinical reasons why root treated tooth are weaker and more prone to…

Apical periodontitis occurs after irreversible pulpitis. After pulp necrosis, bacteria invade the pulp space. There are no white blood cells from a vital pulp for protection and no hydrostatic pressure from the dentinal fluid which is thought to prevent bacteria travelling down dentinal tubules into the pulp. The bacteria and toxins can only be contained for so long inside the pulp but then as…

Pulpitis is an inflammatory reaction of the vital pulp to bacterial, physical or thermal injury to it. It’s clinical symptoms are subdivided as being Reversible or being Irreversible Pulpitis. It is recognised by a patient describing symptoms to you or by clinical examination of the patient.  The difference between reversible and irreversible pulpitis is found by the patient’s history,…

Pulpitis is defined as an inflammation of the dental pulp. Based on the symptoms, it is defined as being reversible or irreversible. The dental pulp does have greater regenerative and reparative abilities than previously thought however at some point if it cannot withstand the trauma, it will ultimately become necrotic. This may be smaller repeated trauma or one excessive trauma to it. The main…

You may have noticed that initially your new porcelain veneers were perfect in colour but over time it is now not the case. The main causes of discolouration of porcelain veneers over time are the following. 1. Decay developing under the veneer. 2. The underlying tooth becoming non-vital. 3. Discolouration due to ageing. 4. Discolouration due to the underlying veneer cement. Before we look…

What Is Denture Stomatitis? – Dr Muzzafar Zaman

Denture stomatitis is characterized by an infection and inflammation of the mucosa under a denture. Denture Stomatitis alters the denture bearing area due to the oedema and the infection is implicated in angular cheilitis. The cause of denture stomatitis is multifactorial but important factors are prolonged wearing of dentures and poor denture hygiene. Usually there are no symptoms at all and…

What is burning mouth syndrome? Burning mouth syndrome is characterized by continuous burning sensation of the oral mucosa in the absence of any specific oral lesions. There is no cause so it is idiopathic and has no definitive cure. Although the cause is uncertain there are certain factors which seem to be common in patients suffering from burning mouth syndrome. Factors are highlighted…

Causes Of Dental Phobia – Dr Muzzafar Zaman

1.  An important cause of dental phobia, dental anxiety and dental fear is previous conditioning. This means that you would have had a previously unpleasant experience at the dentist. Let’s take an example. Let’s say that last time you had to have a tooth extraction and it turned out to be difficult and took a lot longer than you thought. Due to this conditioning, if you had to have another…

What is angular cheilitis?

Angular Cheilitis is actually a physical appearance of a lesion characterised by red   inflammation to the angles of the mouth. It is not an actual diagnosis but a clinical sign. It is most commonly seen in the older person with dentures. There is a primary infection TOGETHER with other  multifactorial conditions which predispose the patient to the primary infection. An  imbalance of the…

What is Sjogren’s Syndrome?

Sjogren’s Syndrome is an auto immune disorder where the body produces an increase in beta lymphocytes which infiltrate exocrine glands, mainly salivary and lacrimal glands destroying the tissue. An antigen has been identified and established. The condition is 10 times more common amongst women than men and the peak onset is during the menopause. The prevalence ranges from 0.1% to 4.8% of the…

Dealing with phobic patients

A dentist must have good clinical skills but equally as important is how they can deal with nervous patients. Patients who are phobic have poorer oral health and we know that oral health has a significant impact on the quality of life, appearance, and self-esteem of a person.  Firstly, identify these patients. The dentist must have a calm, uninterrupted conversation with the patient and try to…