Dr Sandesh Mayekar - More Than a Mouthful: Adventures of a Dentist

ADVANCE PRAISE

Dr Mayekar truly demystifies the medical nuances connected with dentistry. More Than a Mouthful is a sparkling combination of real stories that drive home the A to Z aspects of your teeth. The narratives are laced with humour, very practical advice and many useful tips Whoever thought that a book on teeth could be so lively, utterly readable and so insightful. You smile as you mull over the pages. Incidentally, most beauty queens and actors owe their million-dollar smiles to him. One last comment: his honesty to admit that one can be non-competitive, but do something that sets one apart. That is a profound statement [from] this pioneer of Aesthetic Dentistry in India

Dr Mayekar has been my dentist for over two decades. Due to my travel schedule I have seen quite a few dentists all over the world His hands have a heart of their own. He has an amazing aesthetic senseParmeshwar Godrej

My family: Shah Rukh, my two children, Shah Rukhs sister, we all swear by Dr Mayekar. His diagnosis is spot on. His treatment method is so personally professional that my entire family feels comfortable going to him. What I love and appreciate about Dr Mayekar the most is that he takes his work to an extraordinary level of dedication where he has helped treat my family sometimes at the oddest hours of the dayGauri Khan

If ever there was a dentist who actually made you feel good about getting into his chair, its Dr Mayekar! His cheery attitude, pleasant demeanour and unmatched professional expertise put you completely at ease. Hes been able to generate tonnes of goodwill among his patients, some of the biggest names in the media industry Siddharth Roy Kapur

Going to the dentist is always stressfulmost people get sleepless nights fearing the sound of the drill or the possible pain that they have to endure. Dr Mayekar is the one dentist I know who has made sitting on the chair the best experience ever; he makes sure every fear is erased. His sense of humour, his positivity and sense of calm and, most importantly, his immense talent make the dentist experience seamless. More power to a gifted man with a large heartKaran Johar

Dr Mayekar was first recommended to me by my then girlfriend Kareena, who said he was amazing and outstanding. I found this to be true, but I also discovered a wonderfully charming man whose ease and sense of humour made potentially painful engagements quite enjoyable! He helps a wide spectrum of people from stars to the underprivileged, and makes us all proud with his expertise and philanthropySaif Ali Khan

Dr Mayekar is the reason why I smile with confidence. I have been visiting him for the last ten years. He always cracks a joke and makes me smile. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart: Thank you, DocRiteish Deshmukh

My familyJackie, Tiger, Krishnahas known Dr Mayekar, or Doc as we call him, for the last twenty-five years at least. His great expertise in cosmetic dentistry can actually be called art! Hes truly the best
Aayesha Shroff

This book is for my Aaie who selflessly shaped me and made me who I am today

Contents

Suicide on His Mind!

Every Breath You Take

Four Wise Teeth

The Case of the Missing Tooth

Supermodel Smiles!

The Hole Story

Secret Roots and Canals

Mind the Gap

Extreme Dentistry: All about Implants

Yeh Hai Right Choice!

Caring for Two

Habits That Your Teeth Hate

Sixty Going on Ninety

Systemic Diseases

For Want of a Tooth

Aesthetic Dentistry

Why dont you write a book, Doctor?

How many times have I heard that question?

Each time I would think: A book on dentistry? Who would want to read it?

Young dentists perhaps. They were the ones repeatedly asking me to write a book.

I asked them each time they told me to write a book: Why is it important that I write? You have heard my lectures, you already know everything you need to know. What more can you learn if I write a book?

They told me it was not the subject but the manner in which I handled situations and people that they wanted to understand. The manner of communicating with a patient, listening and understanding the problem he or she faced explaining to them the treatment plan ... My juniors said, No textbook gives us these details, and listening to you we realize that dentistry is as much about doctor-patient communication as it is about oral health. Which is why we want you to write a book.

My patients come to me with questions. They want to know how cavities form. Why teeth hurt. Why a root canal is necessary. Pretty young patients ask me to mend a crooked tooth, hide their gums when they show through their smile, or give them a Hollywood-style smile.

Perhaps, I told myself, if I could demystify the medical aspects and explain how I create aesthetically pleasant looks by correcting natures lapses, the book I write will be readable and meaningful.

So here it is. Everything a dentist should tell you about your oral hygiene: from simple everyday habits that can affect your teeth adversely to serious procedures like implants and surgeries and the situations in which either would become necessary.

I have used stories from my experience to reveal dental secrets and procedures. There are funny stories, sad stories and some that end on a happy note. I like my stories to end on a happy note. It means I have done my job well.

To my dentist students who want to learn how to become what they say I ama celebrity dentistI say: Just help your patients. Read my stories beyond the procedures you know about, and understand how I try at every point to bring not just professionalism, but empathy and care to every job I do. Being a dentist is also being an advisor and friend to your patients, and ensuring that they smile brightly as long as they are in your care.

To all the others who pick up this book wondering if they should turn the page and start reading, I say: Here in these pages are real stories, stories that no dentist will tell you, and they could be relevant to you some day. Being aware of what your teeth can suffer or what you might inflict on them, being aware of new technical advancements that can make dental procedures smooth and painless is worth the time spent reading.

Your teeth are precious. They are used all through your life, many times a day. And ideally they should not hurt, or fall off, or break. Not if you know how to care for them.

So heres to a bright, happy smile. Yours!

A call for you, Doctorhe says its urgent.

I looked up, frowning. Involved as I was in an intricate job in a patients mouth, the last thing I wanted was to be disturbed.

But if I was being disturbed, there must be a good reason, I thought. I pushed down the blue mask, took off my gloves, and held my hand out for the phone.

Dr Ashish Bhumkar, the ENT surgeon from Thane, was on the line. I need your help, Doctor, he said without any preliminary greeting. I have a patient. I have been checking him for quite some time and have ruled out all ear problems. I think you need to see him. I think it is a TMD issue.

It was a Monday morning. There were yet other cases to be handled before that particularly troublesome one. Let him come on Wednesday, I said on the phone. I am going out of town this afternoon and coming back on Tuesday.