IF EYES are the window to the soul, your mouth is the doorway to your health.
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The mouth is one of the first places in your body to show signs of a medical condition.
That’s why regular dental visits are vitally important when it comes to detecting early signs and symptoms of systemic diseases.
It’s this proactive approach to dentistry that has seen Dr Amrita Ranchod of Echuca Dental Clinic become such a highly sought-after dentist in the region.
So much so, the principal dentist continues to book out months in advance and patients are happy to wait to be seen by Dr Ranchod.
Her conservative approach and gentle touch mean children as young as three to patients aged in their 90s are happy to sit in her dentist’s chair and always leave with a smile.
“Dentists are not scary professions anymore,” Dr Ranchod said.
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“Some children and many adults have a lot of anxiety about going to the dentist due to a previous experience with another dentist. It’s important and our constant endeavour to ensure the patient experience is the best it can be.
“We work with our patients slowly and steadily. I like to explain what I am doing before I start anything. We have a trust that goes both ways.
“I am very mindful and careful. I like to do the right thing by my patients. I’m conservative but also realistic about what we can and can’t achieve.”
With an emphasis on prevention and longevity of one’s own teeth, the clinic only carries out necessary treatments.
“We are realistic about what options we have about restoring teeth and treating different dental problems,” the New Zealand-born dentist said.
“It’s about finding solutions that will work with patients.”
Treating patients without extracting teeth was something her own dentist did, when she was a teenager growing up in Wellington.
“At the time, it was quite unique and something I wanted to learn more about,” Dr Ranchod said.
“Back then, it was more common for dentists to pull a lot of teeth and line everything up afterwards, but I always wondered why you would do that to healthy teeth just to make room.”
This had an immediate impact on the teenager, who later began observing her family dentist during a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Auckland University and diving headfirst into clinical dentistry.
“I enjoyed the hands-on aspect and the challenge of working with patients and helping people,” Dr Ranchod said.
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Dr Ranchod thrived during her early years, co-authoring a research paper on drug resistance, spending time at the University of London Dental school, working with a non-profit group in India and being awarded the prestigious David B. Scott Fellowship from the International Association of Dental Research.
With a thirst for knowledge, Dr Ranchod later completed courses in cosmetic dentistry, jaw joint dysfunction (TMD), snoring and sleep apnoea, and orthodontics among others.
Employed at leading dental clinics around Australia, including Melbourne, it was her sense of community that lead her to work in remote communities throughout Queensland and NSW.
Now calling Echuca-Moama home, Dr Ranchod brings her expertise to a clinic that has been servicing the community for more than 65 years.
A clinic that is focused on giving back to the community - epitomised by its new logo which encompasses the area’s three rivers as well as helping the less fortunate through local initiatives such as Angels Amongst Us.
“I’ve always wanted to work in a small country town and that all comes back to my love of community,” Dr Ranchod said.
“You have the chance to get to know almost every patient you see, and you create that relationship and trust. It’s a beautiful thing.”
In the time she has been here, technology in dentistry continues to evolve, which has not only made life easier for dentists but for patients too.
“We can see and diagnose so much more than we ever used to and help people in ways we haven’t been able to before, purely because of the diagnostic tools we have,” Dr Ranchod said.
“I’ve always been a big believer in craniofacial development and looking at jaws from a positional, functional and airway point of view.
“It’s not just about tooth structure. It’s about function and longevity and trying to make the most of these and make them last as long as they can. And being as conservative as we can to try and preserve natural tooth structure there for as long as possible.
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“Technology has also allowed us to use lasers, 3D imaging and scanning to enable us to be more precise and more accurate in our diagnosis and treatments offered. The periodontal laser is an excellent tool for disinfecting and removing excess gum tissue (without trauma) and freeing up areas of skin that have a functional problem, allowing patients to speak or swallow better.”
Again, it all comes back to prevention and early intervention through education.
“By making patients aware that what they consume, and their lifestyle choices can actually make a difference to their overall health,” Dr Ranchod said.
“Rather than the symptomatic treatment, we’re proactively looking at signs of relieving underlying conditions for the greater good. It’s a completely different approach.
“Recognising conditions earlier in younger patients will prevent the destruction as they get older and save their teeth.”
Seeing the difference that can be made to a patient’s teeth is reward enough.
“I’ve had patients who don’t smile because they are embarrassed by their teeth,” Dr Ranchod said.
“Getting a smile makeover can be life-changing. It boosts people’s confidence in a way that they feel better about themselves.
“I think dentistry is more about that than just fixing a tooth. Nowadays we can see a lot of positive change in people and that’s what I get excited about because we can truly make a bigger difference in people’s lives than we actually anticipated.”
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