The FINANCIAL — Smiling is one of the most important parts of our everyday lives. A beautiful and attractive smile exudes confidence, indicates happiness and conveys success.
The FINANCIAL — Smiling is one of the most important parts of our everyday lives. A beautiful and attractive smile exudes confidence, indicates happiness and conveys success.
According to Georgian dental clinics people have to pay about GEL 1,000 a year in order to have a healthy and good-looking smile. GEL 1,000 includes nearly all of the procedures necessary for the upkeep of healthy teeth such as a hygienist’s appointment for professional cleaning twice a year, teeth whitening and caries prevention treatment.
But if people want to restore heavily decayed, damaged, discoloured and lost teeth or need teeth corrective braces they have to pay a considerably larger amount of money per visit to the dentist. The prices of ordinary braces for upper and lower teeth start from GEL 1,000 in most Georgian dental clinics.
“A healthy smile and healthy breath plays a big role in forming relations and creates a good impression from the very start,” said Levan Chkhikvishvili, dentist of dental design studio Ekadent.
“The attitude of the population towards looking after their teeth has changed in recent times. Now more people are seeing that prevention and prophylactic treatment are more important than cure. It is a paradox, but if you want fewer dental treatments then you should visit the dentist more often. It is better to work on a problem earlier rather than later when it is in its final stages,” said Chkhikvishvili.
As dentist Khatia Gugberidze says, compared to in past years, people have started visiting dentists more frequently now. She says that the most common problem among Georgian patients is caries, so people often require tooth filling procedures.
“Caries is one of the main problems in the patients we see. There are many theories concerning the origins of caries. These include the environment we live in, but there are also genetic problems. Moreover lifestyle and stressful situations can cause not only caries but other diseases in the mouth too,” Gugberidze said.
“Caries are caused by certain bacteria which everyone has a certain quantity of in their mouths. When the environment is created in the mouth cavity for reproduction of bacteria it harms the hard material of the teeth and causes caries,” Gugberidze said.
At Dental House the cost of tooth fillings differs. An ordinary Helio, Spectrum Profile Filling costs GEL 40, Amelogen Plus – GEL 50, Gradia – GEL 60, Esset X – GEL 70, and Vitel Essence – GEL 90. At Albadent, the prices of teeth fillings start from GEL 35-40 and increase up to GEL 60-100 depending on the different types of fillings.
“Hygienic cleaning of teeth at our clinic with Scaler costs GEL 40. The price for teeth cleaning with Air Flow method is GEL 60. Chemical whitening of the teeth costs GEL 250. Teeth whitening with Zoom method is GEL 350 and teeth whitening at home – GEL 350,” Dental house noted.
“Teeth restoration is also one of the most commonly-requested procedures. In order to have nice smile people often use Zirkon teeth. We offer people veneers (thin, ceramic plates) which are fixed on to the front surface of the teeth. They are meant for front teeth with serious aesthetic defects (multiple fillings, diastema, dental fluorosis, irregular bite). Only the front surface of a tooth (teeth) is prepared. They are of high strength and excellent aesthetics,” said dental clinic DentArt.
“The advantage of whitening is that an individual can whiten the colour of their teeth by 7-8 tones, and as lighter coloured teeth are associated with a healthy mouth, the individual consequently always has a reason to smile and be in a good mood. The disadvantage of whitening is that during the process the individual might become sensitive to temperature change,” said Chkhikvishvili, Ekadent.
“Tooth whitening is still a luxury for many. The price of this service by Zoom Technology in foreign countries is between 900-1,000 USD while in Georgia the price is three times less. In general there are lower prices of dental service in Georgia as people do not have the same income as in foreign countries,” said Gugberidze.
According to dentists, the most frequent users of braces are teenagers, but in recent periods adults have also started using braces.
A lithonium brace for upper or lower teeth costs GEL 600 at Dental House. Braces for both upper and lower teeth cost GEL 1,000 and ceramic braces – GEL 1,700. At Alba-Dent braces cost 400-600 for 1 plate, and a ceramic brace – GEL 700.
For teeth to be healthier an individual should follow several pieces of advice. “It is necessary to visit the hygienist once every six months to get rid of strong plaque. During the cleaning process, teeth damage at the beginning stages can be revealed, which if paid attention to in time, will prevent further complications,” Chkhikvishvili said.
“It is necessary to clean the teeth a minimum of twice daily, moreover it is necessary to use dental floss, which cleans the surface and between the teeth and reaches those places where the brush cannot. Also, chewing gum for 15-20 minutes after a meal has a good effect,” he added.
The dentists interviewed advise individuals to eat natural, dairy products as well as fish. “Dairy products such as cheese have the ability to balance alkali-acid in the mouth cavity. A natural, slightly rough meal mechanically cleans the surface of the teeth. However, this does not mean that caries will not occur just because you eat well,” Gugberidze said.
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