Dr Janai Jayapal is a famous dentist who has been enlightening and lifting up the spirits of so many young girls and boys who are looking for a perfect smile. Your teeth aka your smile is one of the most attention-grabbing thing on your face that everyone notices. So having an improper smile not only has physical pain and related ailments but can also affect one’s self esteem. Dr Janani of Sculpt Dental Studio has been creating a revolution with her knowledge by enlightening people on different ways to curate that perfect smile and how it can change one’s life.
She says, “This ( Sculpt Dental Studio) is very close to my heart. The very thought of raising and nurturing ‘Sculpt Dental Studio ’ began right from my teenage days. While growing up I was this kid who was always very isolated due to my inferiority complex and low self-esteem because of my looks. Until I underwent smile correction treatment by my orthodontist. Suddenly my whole world changed. Smile correction with braces treatment actually started building my confidence and helped me break open the shell in which I was trapped. The feeling of credence actually changed the way I looked upon life, changed the way I spoke to people and changed the way I smiled. Now when I walk into a room with the crowd, I lift my head high.
This beautiful feeling of comfort, confidence and a strange feeling of freedom was so enchanting for me that it commenced huge respect for the profession and I wanted to be in the same position as my dentist was to give away that one smile that everybody would dream of. This made me pursue ‘Dentistry ’as my profession and for the very same reason made me launch ‘Sculpt Dental Studio ’as ‘Chennai’s First Exclusive Braces and Invisalign Centre’.”
1. What are the top treatments Sculpt Dental Studio is famous for and how have you been able to revive in to change in technology and medical evolution?
As you would know already, ’Sculpt Dental Studio - Chennai’s First Exclusive Braces and Invisalign Centre’, We here unlike the regular dental setups employ the most advanced digital technology for smile correction and focuses on designing and providing a healthy and attractive smile one could possibly have according to their face, need and want.
2.What do you think keeps you motivated and driven to your profession?
It's the Joy and Happiness that I see in my patient's eyes, this is something very special for me. Every day I get this rare gift of making someone’s life beautiful. What more can I ask myself to be motivated? And so
the very thought of being able to give that one smile to my patients which could transform their lives is what keeps me going.
3.What all groundbreaking technological advancements have currently been used to help create better smiles?
The advanced digital development which is now enormous and overwhelming for the patients is the ‘Virtual Smile Simulation ’and ‘Smile correction with invisible braces’. With virtual smile simulation, you can now see how your smile and face is going to transform after smile correction, even before starting the treatment. This also means that you will now have a choice of being able to see and select which treatment plan you want for yourself out of the different treatment plans shown to you, based on the pre-planned outcome that we show you.
4. Can you share instances of cases where hopeless patients with (severe dental issues) went back happily with the perfect smile on their faces?
There have been many. But there’s this one girl who constantly got bullied by her friends in school for her brown teeth. She had been constantly ill-treated, been called all sorts of names and was never included in any events and was constantly isolated. She came to us and said I feel like an untouchable amongst my own family and friends. It was devastating to see such a young girl go through all this. She had a condition called fluorosis which tends to stain teeth intrinsically. We used our latest technology to transform the shape, size and colour of her teeth and transfigured her smile. I still remember the tears of joy she shed unstoppably after seeing herself in the mirror
5. Apart from being a passionate smile corrector, you are also an asst. Professor. Tell us how you manage time and what drove you to the education field?
Yes, but time management has always been difficult. I somehow manage because of my support system, my parents and my husband.
The drive to be in academics has always been the research activities, during my post-graduation days, I was always inquisitive about research activities and have published about 4 international and 7 national research articles.
And I also like being constantly updated on the latest technologies that evolve in my field.
6. What do you think is the best part of teaching your passion?
I always believe that the more we share the more we learn.
This has definitely helped me to become a better practitioner
7. Do you think the dental landscape has changed radically since COVID-19 descended? If so, how?
Ever since the Covid pandemic there has been a total shift in dentistry, the shift is towards minimal visits meaning the least possible visits for any dental treatments, and the most important being there is an increase in digital treatment planning a post-COVID breakout.
8. What are the common mistakes people fall back on in oral hygiene and how can they be taken care of?
In terms of oral hygiene, people have a very common misconception that if they don’t feel any pain or sensitivity, they don’t need to see a dentist. Whether it be a problem in the teeth, gums or jaw bones, it can be prevented or corrected less invasively when found out early. It’s very important to get yourself checked once every 6 months instead of magnifying minor problems (hitches).
9. What’s smile correction and how many possible ways are there for it? Is the process cost-efficient?
Smile correction is the process in which we can change the size, shape, alignment and even colour of teeth based on the patient’s want. And today, we have so many advanced procedures which can be chosen by patients based on the duration, affordability and different treatment plans.
10. We see a lot more people opting for braces these days. Invisible braces being a popular treatment at your studio, tell us more about its benefits and how differently it can help?
Back then, braces were the only option available for straightening teeth. Metal or ceramic brackets will be stuck onto each tooth with a wire passing through them. Since it is fixed, there come along with it problems like diet restrictions, difficulty in maintaining oral hygiene which might lead to decay and gum disease, breakage issues, wire pricking, monthly regular check-ups and obviously other visible problems. But now the entire scenario has changed with Invisible braces, since these are virtually invisible and removable, overcoming all the conventional difficulties encountered with the regular braces. Invisible braces can be removed before eating and brushing which makes them the first choice of parents for their kids. And also the risk of breakage and wire pricking is aught.
11. When and why does relapse of teeth after using braces occur and how can one identify and correct them?
Always remember, we are moving teeth using braces/invisible braces by constantly applying pressure to teeth which slowly forces them into a new position which was previously malaligned. So in a way, we are not only changing the position of teeth but also changing the surrounding structures like gums, bones and periodontal ligament fibres. In order to give some time for the bone, gum and fibres around the tooth to readapt along with the new position, retainers are given to maintain the teeth stable in the newly moved position for a specific period of time. The most common reason for relapse is not wearing the retainers properly, and not maintaining oral hygiene properly which can lead to gum diseases which ultimately lead to relapse, wisdom teeth eruption can be a contributing factor for relapse as it pushes the other teeth to make a way out. It is very important to keep track of your teeth with the dentist after orthodontic treatment to prevent such happenings.
12. Apart from the cosmetic aspect of using braces in what different ways can the treatment help? Are there any age constraints on wearing braces?
Braces/invisible braces are for so long believed to be a cosmetic procedure which is just an adjunctive aspect of it. Patients with malaligned teeth will find it difficult to maintain oral hygiene and hence more chances of developing decay and gum disease which will ultimately over a period of time loosens and weakens teeth. There are speech difficulties associated with severely misaligned teeth which break kids ’confidence. Severe malalignments can even lead to chewing difficulties which can lead to digestion issues. Sometimes the fault is not in the teeth but in the jaws. The upper or the lower jaw are sometimes underdeveloped or overly developed, such conditions can be corrected with braces/invisible braces when noticed at a very early stage. There’s a joint in front of the ears connecting the lower jaw to the skull which helps in opening and closing the mouth; malalignments can lead to joint issues.
13. Speech difficulty in kids has got a lot to do with teeth alignment and spacing. How do we identify and correct the issue in the early stages of speech development in kids?
Definitely! It does affect speech. And it is very important to keep proper track of the eruption pattern and alignment of teeth through proper dental appointments. A professional dentist would be the right person to judge whether it's normal or abnormal at that particular stage.
14. How can one get brighter and whiter teeth?
There are advanced temporary and permanent procedures for whitening and brightening teeth. Temporary whitening lasts for up to 1 year if maintained well and a permanent procedure for whitening is called veneering and is most commonly opted for by camera-facing celebrities. But, rather than whiter and brighter teeth, stronger and healthier teeth should be the mantra.
15. What are your hobbies that you make time for amidst your busy schedules?
In between my busy schedules, I keep updated on the latest developments in my profession. In addition, I am a Carnatic singer and I love painting and craftwork. I do like pets. Presently, I have a Persian cat, Milo. Keep playing with it, even while doing other things at home. It is fun.
16. Dental Studio or home; which is your favourite place to be at and how do you manage both?
I like both. They are not competing for places for your time. They are in fact complementary to each other. For me, both are important and both are indispensable.
17. What is your motto in life? Are there any quotes that you believe in?
My motto is the satisfaction of my patients. The quote I often remember is ‘Be You’
18. What do you like the best about your profession?
It offers unlimited opportunities and at the same time, one can limit the extent of involvement. It gives enormous satisfaction when you finally see your originally worried patients happy with the outcome. The happy smile of your patient is the best compliment for your effort.
19. You are pretty active on Social media?
How do you in this digital era, Instagram can be utilised to its fullest in generating content and enlightening people with knowledge and awareness? Yes. We are in the era of social media. It offers an excellent opportunity to simultaneously learn and explain. Its enormous reach potential is incomparable. It has instant reach, impactful and offers repetitive viewing potential. It can be target-specific and offers opportunity for content orientation.
20. Your message for SHE readers…
Always remember SHE is no less in anything.
Be confident, bold and more than all, be committed. Success will always be yours.