To help clear all doubts about undergoing dental procedures and maintain oral hygiene while fasting, We will focuses on what dental providers and fasting patients know about Ramadan.

Can You Brush Your Teeth or Floss While Fasting?

You can always brush and floss thoroughly before sleeping at night and we recommend brushing after Suhoor.. Brushing twice daily is sufficient for oral disease prevention.

Can You Use Mouthwash while Fasting?

Mouthwashes are commonly prescribed by dentists as an adjunct to oral hygiene. Some patients may be reluctant to use mouthwash for fear of unintentionally swallowing some. If this is the case, you can use it outside fasting hours as advised by your dentist.

Does Going To Dentist Break Your Fast?

All dental work including fillings, tooth extraction, root canal or any other procedure should not break your fast as long as you do not swallow water.

A lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high.

There are 2 main types of Diabetes:

Type 1: where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin.

Type 2: where the body does not produce enough insulin or the body’s cells do not react to insulin.

Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1.

Prediabetes: Many people have blood sugar levels above the normal ranges, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. This is called pre-diabetes. If you are a pre-diabetic, your chances of developing into full-blown diabetes are increased.

WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR:

If you experience the following symptoms of diabetes:

• Feeling very thirsty
• Peeing more frequent- especially at night
• Feeling very tired
• Weight loss
• Frequent thrush infections
• Slow healing of cuts and wounds

RISK FACTORS FOR DIABETES DEVELOPMENT

• Weight – The more fatty tissue you have, the more resistant your cells becomes to insulin
• Family history
• Heart Disease
• High blood pressure
• High fat and carbohydrate diet
• High alcohol intake
• Prediabetes
• High blood triglycerides (fat) levels
• Age
• Gestational diabetes
• Polycystic ovary syndrome

DIAGNOSING DIABETES

Type 2 Diabetes is often diagnosed following a blood or urine test for something else unless you have symptoms. If you have diabetes, the doctor would explain the blood result, diagnosis and treatment recommendation.

Generally, the doctor would discuss:

• What diabetes is?
• What does high blood sugar mean for your health?
• Whether you need to take medicine
• Your diet and exercise
• Your lifestyle – for example, alcohol and smoking

COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES

• Heart disease and stroke
• Loss of feeling and pain (nerve damage)
• Foot problems – like sores and infections
• Vision loss and blindness
• Miscarriage and stillbirth
• Problems with your kidneys

Controlling your blood sugar level and having regular diabetes check-ups is the best way to lower your risk of complications.

Diabetes is serious and should be treated properly. Although diabetes cannot yet be cured it can be controlled and in some cases, it goes into remission.

The successful control is likely to involve lifestyle changes that will have enormous health benefits and allow a person to continue their normal day-to-day life.

Begins immediately after childbirth. The terms puerperium, puerperal period, or immediate postpartum period are commonly used to refer to the first six weeks following childbirth.

Postpartum care is a service provided to individuals in the postpartum period to help with postpartum recuperation and restoration.

Pregnancy changes your body in more ways than you might expect, and it doesn’t stop when the baby is born. Here’s what to expect physically and emotionally after a vaginal delivery.

• Vaginal Soreness
• Vaginal Discharge
• Contractions
• Incontinence
• Hemorrhoids and issues with Bowel movements
• Tender Breasts
• Mood changes
• Baby Blues – Childbirth triggers a jumble of powerful emotions. Many new moms experience a period of feeling down, anxious sometimes called the baby blues. Symptoms include mood swings, crying spells, anxiety and difficulty sleeping. Baby blues typically subside within two weeks. In the meantime, take good care of yourself. Share your feelings, and ask your partner, loved ones or friends for help.

Postpartum depression. If you experience severe mood swings, loss of appetite, overwhelming fatigue and lack of joy in life shortly after childbirth, you might have postpartum depression.

Contact your health care provider if you think you might be depressed, especially if your signs and symptoms don’t fade on their own, you have trouble caring for your baby or completing daily tasks, or you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.

After a C-section, in addition to the above changes, extra care is needed for;

Monitor C-section incision for signs of infection

Early Mobilization and prevention of blood clot

Department of Health recommends and encourages a higher percentage of women who give birth and had postpartum care visits within 8 weeks of giving birth. Postpartum care is an ongoing process rather than just a single visit after your delivery.

During this appointment, your doctor will check your mood and emotional well-being, discuss contraception and birth spacing, review information about infant care and feeding, your sleep habits and issues related to fatigue, and do a physical exam. This might include a check of your abdomen, vagina, cervix, and uterus to make sure you’re healing well. This is a great time to talk about any concerns you might have, including resuming sexual activity and how you’re adjusting to life with a new baby.

Cervical screening (a pap smear test) checks the health of your cervix. The cervix is the opening to your womb from your vagina.

It’s not a test for cancer, it’s a test to help prevent cancer.

All women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 should get it done.

During the screening appointment, a small sample of cells will be taken from your cervix.

The sample is checked for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to the cells of your cervix.

HPV is the name for a very common group of viruses.

Most people will get some type of HPV during their lives. It is very common and nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about.

You can get HPV from any kind of skin-to-skin contact of the genital area, not just from penetrative sex.

Some types of HPV (called “high risk” types) can cause cervical cancer. In most cases your body will get rid of HPV without it causing any problems. But sometimes HPV can stay in your body for a long time.

If you have a cervix and have had any kind of sexual contact, with a man or a woman, you could get cervical cancer. This is because nearly all cervical cancers are caused by infection with high risk types of HPV

Risk factors for cervical cancer include:

• Many sexual partners – The greater your number of sexual partners – the greater your chance of acquiring HPV.
• Early sexual activity – Having sex at an early age increases your risk of HPV.
• Other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – Having other STIs — such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV/AIDS — increases your risk of HPV.
• A weakened immune system – You may be more likely to develop cervical cancer if your immune system is weakened by another health condition and you have HPV.
• Smoking is associated with cervical cancer.
• If you’ve never had any kind of sexual contact with a man or woman, you may decide not to go for cervical screening.

Frequency for repeat screening :

Women aged 25-49 years – Every 3 years

Women aged 50-65 years – Every 5 years

Immune- compromised Women – Annual screening

All sexually active women, symptom-free, aged 25- 65 years (married, divorced, widowed) residing in the UAE, are eligible for screening, except were exclusion criteria for screening apply.

Breast cancer awareness is an effort to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of breast cancer through education on symptoms and treatment. Breast cancer awareness is a part of general body awareness. It is a process of getting to know your own breasts and becoming familiar with their appearance. Learning how your breasts feel at different times will help you to know what is normal for you.

If you are aware of any change in your breasts from what is normal for you, tell your doctor without any delay. Remember you are not wasting anyone’s time. If there is a cancer present, the sooner it is reported, the simpler treatment is likely to be.

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer among women both globally and locally. There is not a specific cause of breast cancer, however there are risk factors that can affect the likelihood of developing breast cancer:

• Your Weight and Physical Activity
• Breastfeeding
• Certain Oral Contraceptives
• Reproductive Gistory
• Drinking Alcohol
• Breast Density
• Getting Older
• Exposure to Radiation
• Family History
• Genetic Mutations
• Previous history of Breast Cancer

Early diagnosis offers the best chance of successful treatment of breast cancer, so getting screened (having a mammography) is the first line of defense.

The Department of Health recommends that women should get mammogram screening every 2 years from the age of 40, or earlier if breast cancer runs in the family.

More than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days. Symptoms can affect day-to-day life and can become very distressing. Many people know when they are depressed. However, some people do not realize when they are depressed. Some people might think that they have a physical illness – for example, if they lose weight. However physical symptoms can be caused by depression.

Symptoms of Depression:

• Persistent sadness or low mood
• Marked loss of interest or pleasure in activities
• Disturbed sleep compared with your usual pattern
• Change in appetite.
• Tiredness (fatigue), or loss of energy
• Agitation
• Poor concentration
• Feelings of worthlessness

PREVALENCE:

About 5 in 100 adults have depression every year.

WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION:

The exact cause is not known. Anyone can develop depression. Some people are more prone to it than others. There may be some genetic factor involved.

TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR DEPRESSION

In general, treatments are divided into those used for mild depression and those used for moderate and severe depression. Some people prefer one type of treatment to another.

• Self Help Guides
• Anti-depressant medications
• Psychological (talking) treatments

SOME DOS AND DON’TS:

• Don’t bottle things up and ‘go it alone’. Try to tell people who are close to you how you feel.
• Don’t despair – most people with depression recover.
• Do try to distract yourself by doing other things, such as watching TV.
• Do eat regularly, even if you do not feel like eating. Try to eat a healthy diet.
• Don’t make any major decisions whilst you are depressed.
• Do tell your doctor if you feel that you are getting worse.

WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR

It is important to seek help from your doctor if you think you are depressed. Many people wait a long time before seeking help for depression but it’s best not to delay. The sooner you see a doctor, the sooner you can be on the way to recovery.