From toothache to quest for perfect smile. Dental care in India is evolving, enabled by tech

 Dentistry in India has seen a paradigm shift from being primarily focused on basic oral health issues to offering specialised, high-end treatments—and people are willing to fork out.

SUMI SUKANYA DUTTA, The Print, 27 October, 2024, New Delhi: For decades, a popular name for dental clinics across the country has been “Smile”. The aim is quite simply to draw people with the promise of a perfect smile—even if they don’t need any other medical treatment.

It seems to have worked.

Earlier, people rarely went to a dentist unless they had to. But now they don’t wait until they are in excruciating pain to visit a dentist: they go to dental clinics for cosmetic reasons alone.

And celebrities aren’t the only ones going for dental makeovers. The average middle-class Indian is also forking out big bucks to get that perfect smile.

“People rarely went to a dentist unless they had a toothache that could not be ignored any longer,” says Dr Supriya B. Bhatia, a dentist who runs Smile Delhi – The Dental Clinic in an upscale Delhi neighborhood.

“But dentistry has changed over the last decade or so from need-based to want-based… Now, nearly half the patients at the clinic come for a smile makeover,” she adds.

Dentistry in India has seen a paradigm shift in the last few years from being primarily focused on basic oral health issues, such as pain relief and extractions, to offering specialised, high-end treatments.

This shift—from basic services such as tooth removal to implants and aesthetics now—has been aided by modern dental techniques, preventive care and cosmetic enhancements. This means that patients now have access to a range of treatments that prioritise both functionality and aesthetics.

Many dentists the ThePrint spoke to said it was no longer unusual for brides-to-be, job-seekers or students headed to college to splash out on services like dental veneers—which can cost as much as Rs 12,000-25,000 per tooth.

Dental veneers are thin shells made of porcelain or similar materials that can be customised to cover the front surface of teeth to correct issues like chips, discolouration or misalignment, thereby creating a uniform and natural look for teeth.

But if dental veneers are in vogue, demand is also high for procedures and products like teeth whitening, gum depigmentation and contouring, clear aligners (invisible braces) and cosmetic restorations.

Dr Dhiraj Setia, who runs two clinics named The Dental Roots in Gurugram, says half his patients come for such aesthetic services. His clinics see an average footfall of 70-80 patients a day, including expats and dental tourists.

“When I started practicing 22 years ago, cosmetic dentistry at the most included procedures like teeth alignment. Now patients come even with specifications like how their laterals should be like,” says Setia.

Setia recalls fitting a 55-year-old housewife from a middle-income family—who had spent “nearly a lifetime” with stained and crooked teeth—with dental veneers.

“It’s not only celebrities who want that perfect smile; it’s nearly everyone now,” Seti says.