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In conversation with one of the most renowned Dentists in Bhubaneswar Dr. Arpita Dash.

You’re a renowned dentist and also an entrepreneur, tell us about your journey so far.

As dental students, when we start our internships we always have guidance of our professors but we are
the ones who look after the patients, once the internship period is over and we get to see the real outer
world, that’s when I realized, I have to practice to become the best. I am very much interested towards
root canal treatment, laser treatment, cosmetics surgury so to become the better, I joined the clinic of a
renowned doctor to practice more in this field. I always have a lot of attraction towards my work. That’s
what brought me here as when my practice period was over, I had already gained a lot of knowledge,
completed a couple of courses. Then I decided to establish my own clinic cause I didn’t want to waste
the skills I have.

What are the dental technology advancements that have come to the fore in the last decade?

A lot if I’d say. First I’ll like to mention about a small thing, the injections. Varieties of painless injections
have come to the market in the past years. A major technology that has arrived is the change in tooth
restoration process. Before it was a complete lengthy process with full of toxic contents as mercury. But
with the advanced technology, it has become quicker with aesthetic results. With the time, the
technology has become effective and efficient.

How challenging it is for a woman to pursue being a doctor?

For every woman it is quite difficult and challenging as well to balance her personal and professional life.
In my initial days i had faced many such pebbles as I had lost my father at a very young age, no one in
my family was belong to medical profession neither was my in-laws. Being surrounded by engineers I
always had this pressure to keep a balance in both my circumstances. I had heard many tantrums in the
society like it’s easier for a male doc to get his business established rath than a young lady doctor. But I
was not ready to give up. The knowledges I had acquired, I couldn’t just sit back listening to all those
things. I anyhow had to start my clinic and make a name. My in-laws were quite supportive so yeah that
was the biggest motivation for me to follow my decisions.

Is pay gap a reality in this industry?

No I don’t think so. Yes I as a student heard about it. But that’s not the reality. A doctor whether male or
female is a doctor, we treat the patients with equal payscale.

As a medico, what challenges you had to face?

The first thing I’d like to mention is the language. Language was the first barrier for me as I’ve done my
dental studies from Tamilnadu. So when I was dealing with the patient, I had to prepare a complete case
study about their issues and past treatments and I had to interact with them on a daily basis. They don’t
provide a translator also but for me they had appointed a translator for a few days so that I can learn the
language. The second thing is another hardest one I guess. The anatomy thing. We had to stand in front
of a dead body for three hours without any objections. It was to respect the dead body as we were
learning all the things from it. So yeah it was quite complicated to stand continuesly for three hours
without complaining about anything.

What are the most common dental cases in Odisha?

Most common problems patients come to me with are cavity issues, gum swelling, bad breath and gum
pain problems. I’ll definitely say, one should chew the food properly otherwise the foods get stuck
between the teeth and destroy the enamels. That’s when cavity issues take place. With that, brushing
the teeth is very much important to avoid the bacterial infections which results in swelling and pain. So
these are the common dental cases we find.

There are so many myths about dentistry. How will you like to bust the misconceptions?

The most talked myth I’ve heard is tooth cleaning leads to gap between the teeth and it severely affects
the tooth health. No it doesn’t. If you won’t maintain oral hygiene or take a cleaning in three four years
then you’ll get your teeth affected with bacterial infections. Ultrasonic scalers are used in the cleaning
process so it doesn’t affect the teeth at all.

What is aesthetic dentistry? How do you define it?

These days a good smile is way too important when we socialize. We want to look good and have that
dazzling smile and if that doesn’t look good, we surely do feel awkward while interacting. There
aesthetic dentistry comes. Arguably, all dentistry is done for aesthetics or the beautification of your
smile. However, some procedures are more about form than function than others. Aesthetics or the
subjective quality of beauty and form is also covered by a certain dentistry type. Aesthetic dentistry is
faster than other dental treatments. It’s a short term treatment, generally takes one to two sittings to fix
the minor teeth issues. This thing can be done in a single day as well. It’s kind of a designing process as
we reesign the smile of a person in this so yeah it plays a vital role in dentistry.

What are the food habits for good oral hygiene? What diet do you follow in order to maintain it?

There are a lot of things I add to my daily diet that keeps the oral hygiene maintained. Be it calcium or
protein or vitamin D which we can get in cheeze, curd and milk, they help in maintaining a healthy oral
hygiene. You can have salad with cucumber and carrot as they are enrichment with high fibers and
vitamin A, very much helpful for good dental health. Most importantly, never forget to add green leafy
veggies as they have vitamins, minerals and folic acid which is beneficial for pregnant women, these
factors fight with gum diseases.

Apart from dentistry, what else are you passionate about?

I am way too passionate about singing. I’ve Immmese love and weakness for it since I was a kid. I’ve done
my Odissi vocal from Chandigarh University and currently doing my postgraduation in it. I am also an All
India Radio artist. If dentistry is my profession, then singing is my passion. I can live without any of them.
Apart from that, I love to do yoga. I do it daily to keep my mind free and relaxed.

Recently electronic toothbrush has been introduced to the market. What is the difference between
regular toothbrush and electronic toothbrush. What will you recommend?
Whether an electronic toothbrush or a manual one, the moto is to maintain oral hygiene. When we’ll
talk about electronic toothbrushes, those are battery operated with different settings, highly expensive
and have many features. So rather than focusing on all these things if we focus on oral hygiene then that
would be better. But it we find a patient with developmental issues or having braces on then we
recommend them to go for electronic toothbrushes. But when it comes to manual toothbrushes, there
are also many directions to look at, first the size of toothbrushes and bristles as per the age of a person.
One should be careful with choosing the toothbrush with soft or hard bristles according to his age.
Technique is the main criteria. Just use toothbrushes with proper technique to cover every surfaces by
brushing. That’s what that matters. If you’re brushing in the proper way then manual toothbrushes are
better cause they are easily available, not that expensive and better to focus on oral hygiene.

Dr. Arpita Dash on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3NmMcgm

www.yourdentistdentalclinic.com

Yourdentist Dental Clinic – Plot 190/2972, E Canal Rd, beside SHIBANI ENCLAVE, Bomikhal, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751010 For Appointment Call: +91- 70647 19630

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