Patient guides
The questions patients actually ask
Direct answers, with the trade-offs stated rather than implied, and Lucknow prices where price is part of the answer. Every page is reviewed by Dr. Dhanya Saxena.
Orthodontics
Clear aligners or braces: which is better?
For most mild to moderate cases, aligners and braces reach the same final result, so the choice is about visibility, discipline and cost rather than quality. Braces are fixed, work regardless of compliance, handle severe cases, and cost ₹25,000 to ₹45,000 in Lucknow. Aligners are removable and nearly invisible but must be worn 20 to 22 hours a day, and cost ₹60,000 to ₹2,50,000.
Read the full answer →What is the best age for braces?
The usual window for full braces is 11 to 14, once most permanent teeth are through and jaw growth can still be guided. But the first orthodontic assessment should happen around age 7, because some problems, crossbites and severe crowding among them, are far easier to correct while the jaws are growing. Adults can be treated at any age with healthy gums.
Read the full answer →Veneers or braces for crooked teeth?
Braces move the actual teeth and remove nothing. Veneers change the appearance in two to three weeks but require cutting healthy enamel off crooked teeth to make them sit flat, and enamel does not grow back. For a young patient with sound teeth, orthodontics is almost always the better answer, even though it is slower.
Read the full answer →How long do braces take?
Most cases run 18 months to two and a half years. Mild crowding can finish inside a year; extraction cases and bite corrections run longer. Teeth move at a biologically limited rate of about one millimetre a month, which no appliance changes, so a treatment promised in six months is usually treating only the front teeth rather than the bite.
Read the full answer →Root canal
Is single sitting root canal treatment safe?
Yes, for suitable teeth. Research finds single-visit root canal treatment achieves success rates comparable to multi-visit treatment, with no meaningful difference in long-term outcome. Suitability is the real question: a tooth with active pus discharge, a difficult curved canal anatomy, or a patient who cannot keep the mouth open for ninety minutes is better treated across two visits.
Read the full answer →Does a root canal hurt?
No, not during the procedure. The tooth is fully anaesthetised, so you feel pressure and vibration but not pain. The reputation comes from the toothache that brings people in, which the treatment removes. Expect mild to moderate tenderness for two to four days afterwards, manageable with ordinary painkillers, easing steadily rather than worsening.
Read the full answer →Do I need a crown after a root canal?
On a back tooth, yes. A root-treated molar or premolar has lost internal structure and access was cut through its biting surface, so it is significantly more likely to fracture without full cusp coverage. Front teeth with small access cavities can often be restored with a filling alone. Skipping the crown on a molar is the commonest preventable cause of losing a tooth after successful root canal treatment.
Read the full answer →Dental implants
How long do dental implants last?
The implant fixture itself commonly lasts 15 to 25 years and often a lifetime, with published survival rates above 90 percent at ten years. The crown on top is the part that wears out sooner, typically at 10 to 15 years, and is replaceable. What ends an implant early is almost always peri-implantitis, gum infection around the fixture, driven by smoking and poor cleaning.
Read the full answer →How much does a dental implant cost in Lucknow?
A single dental implant with a crown costs ₹25,000 to ₹60,000 in Lucknow in 2026. The fixture alone is ₹18,000 to ₹40,000 and the crown adds ₹8,000 to ₹20,000, which is why a ₹18,000 quote and a ₹50,000 quote can both be honest and describe different things. Bone grafting, where needed, adds ₹8,000 to ₹25,000.
Read the full answer →How do I look after dental implants?
Implants cannot decay, so the risk moved from the tooth to the gum. Peri-implantitis, infection of the gum and bone around the fixture, is the leading cause of late implant loss and progresses faster than gum disease does around a natural tooth. Daily cleaning under the crown, three to four monthly maintenance visits, and not smoking are what protect it.
Read the full answer →Crowns
Zirconia or metal-ceramic crown: which is better?
Zirconia is the better default for most crowns today: it is metal-free, strong, and never develops the dark line at the gum that metal-ceramic crowns show as gums recede. Metal-ceramic still works and costs less, at ₹4,000 to ₹9,000 against ₹8,000 to ₹18,000 in Lucknow. For a front tooth where appearance is critical, lithium disilicate beats both.
Read the full answer →What are the types of dental crowns?
There are five you will actually be offered: full metal, metal-ceramic, zirconia, lithium disilicate and temporary. Zirconia is the sensible default for back teeth because it is strong and never shows a dark line at the gum. Lithium disilicate is best for front teeth because it handles light like enamel. Metal-ceramic still works and costs less.
Read the full answer →Choosing care
How do I choose a good dentist in Lucknow?
Check four things. That the dentist is registered with the State Dental Council and will tell you the number. That you get a written, itemised treatment plan before treatment starts, not a verbal total. That imaging is taken before a quote is given, because a price without a scan is a guess. And that the conservative option is explained alongside the definitive one.
Read the full answer →How often should I see a dentist?
Every six months for most people. Every three to four months if you smoke, have diabetes, have been treated for gum disease, or have implants, because deposits reform faster and the consequences of missing them are larger. The interval is a risk judgement, not a universal rule, and it should be set for you rather than applied by default.
Read the full answer →Is dental treatment safe during pregnancy?
Routine dental care is safe during pregnancy and actively recommended. Cleanings, fillings and urgent treatment can all be done, ideally in the second trimester when you are most comfortable. Local anaesthetic is safe. Dental X-rays with shielding deliver a negligible dose. The genuine risk is leaving gum disease or infection untreated, not treating it.
Read the full answer →What should I know about dental treatment if I have diabetes?
Diabetes and gum disease make each other worse, and the relationship runs in both directions: treating gum disease measurably improves glycaemic control. Well-controlled diabetes is not a barrier to any dental treatment, including implants. Poorly controlled diabetes impairs healing and raises infection risk, which changes planning rather than ruling treatment out.
Read the full answer →