General Dentistry

General Dentistry in Johar Town, Lahore

Our general dentistry services cover everything from routine check-ups and professional cleanings to fillings, crowns, and root canal therapy. We focus on accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and long-term prevention — so you spend less time in the chair and more time enjoying a healthy smile.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Manahil Iftikhar, BDS, FCPS Trained (Operative Dentistry & Endodontics)

General dentistry covers the everyday care that keeps teeth and gums healthy for life — check-ups, professional cleaning, fillings, gum treatment, extractions, and root canal therapy. If you are looking for a dentist in Johar Town, Lahore — or searching for a daant ka doctor near you — Happy Tooth offers all of this under one roof, for every member of your family. Consultations happen in Urdu or English, whichever you are more comfortable with. The clinic was founded in 2020 by Dr. Manahil Iftikhar, a PMDC-registered endodontist with 13+ years of experience who examines every patient herself. Since opening we have cared for over 5,000 patients, and most of what we do is exactly this kind of routine, unglamorous dentistry: finding problems early and fixing them simply.

When Should You See a Dentist?

See a dentist every six months for a routine check-up, and sooner if you notice lingering sensitivity, bleeding gums, persistent bad breath, a dark spot or hole, pain when biting, or a loose adult tooth. Pain is a late signal — a tooth can decay for months before it hurts, so waiting for it means treating a bigger problem.

Book a visit if you notice any of the following:

Sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet foods that lingers after the trigger is gone
Bleeding gums when you brush or floss — this is never normal
Persistent bad breath or a bad taste that brushing does not fix
A dark spot, hole, or rough edge you can feel with your tongue
Pain when biting or chewing on one side
A loose adult tooth, or gums pulling away from the teeth
Jaw soreness, clicking, or frequent morning headaches — often a sign of night grinding

And if you have none of these? Come anyway, roughly every six months. The most valuable appointments are usually the ones where we find a small problem you could not feel yet. We've written more about why in our guide to the importance of regular dental check-ups.

What Happens at a Dental Check-up?

A check-up takes about 30–45 minutes. The dentist examines every tooth for decay, cracks and wear, checks existing fillings and crowns, screens the gums for periodontal disease, and looks at the soft tissues including a basic oral cancer screening. Digital X-rays are taken only when there is a clinical reason. Most visits end with a professional cleaning.

A check-up at Happy Tooth is unhurried and thorough. We examine every tooth for decay, cracks, and wear, check that your existing fillings and crowns are still sound, screen your gums for early periodontal disease, and look at the soft tissues of your mouth, including a basic oral cancer screening. If something needs a closer look, we take digital X-rays, which use far less radiation than older film systems — and we only take them when there is a clinical reason to.

Most check-ups end with a professional cleaning to remove the hardened tartar a toothbrush cannot shift, plus honest, specific advice about your daily routine. If treatment is needed, we explain your options in plain language and give you a written estimate before anything begins. Our guide to what dental treatment costs in Lahore explains every factor that moves the figure. Nothing happens in your mouth that you have not understood and agreed to first.

What Treatments Does General Dentistry Cover?

General dentistry covers check-ups and professional cleaning, fillings for decay, gum disease treatment, extractions where a tooth cannot be saved, and root canal therapy when decay reaches the nerve. It also includes preventive work such as fluoride application and sealants. Anything more specialised — braces, implants, jaw surgery — is handled by the relevant specialist at the clinic.

Fillings

When decay has created a cavity, we remove the softened tooth structure and restore the tooth with a tooth-coloured composite filling. Caught early, a filling is a quick, comfortable procedure — usually finished in a single visit.

Gum disease treatment

Bleeding gums are the first stage of gum disease (gingivitis), and at that stage it is fully reversible with a professional cleaning and better home care. If it has progressed below the gum line, we perform scaling and root planing — a deeper cleaning of the tooth roots — to stop the disease before it damages the bone that holds your teeth in place.

Extractions

We always try to save a tooth first, but some teeth — severely broken ones, or impacted wisdom teeth — are better removed. We use effective local anaesthesia and take our time; you should feel pressure during an extraction, never sharp pain — and we will tell you honestly when a troublesome wisdom tooth needs to come out and when it can safely wait.

Root canal therapy

When decay reaches the nerve inside a tooth, a root canal removes the infected tissue, cleans and seals the canals, and lets you keep your natural tooth instead of losing it. As a clinic founded by an endodontist, this is genuinely our home ground: root canal treatment here is a careful, routine procedure, not something to dread. A back tooth usually needs a crown afterwards to protect it — you can read about crowns and other repairs on our restorative dentistry page.

What Happens at Your First Visit?

Your first visit starts with a conversation about your symptoms, medical history and past dental experiences, followed by a full examination and X-rays if needed. You get the diagnosis explained in plain words and a written estimate before anything begins. Simple treatment such as a cleaning or small filling can often be done the same day.

If you have not been to a dentist in years, here is exactly what to expect — no lectures, no judgment:

Tell us what brought you in. We start by listening: your symptoms, your medical history, any past dental experiences (good or bad), and what you want from your teeth.
Full examination. We check every tooth, your gums, your bite, and the soft tissues of your mouth.
X-rays if needed. Digital, low-radiation images to see decay between teeth and problems below the gum line.
Diagnosis in plain words. We show you what we found — on the X-ray or with a mirror — and explain what it means.
A written plan. You get your options, what we recommend and why, and a written estimate. You decide the pace; urgent problems come first, the rest can be staged.
Treatment begins. Simple things like a cleaning or a small filling can often be done the same day if you wish.

What Is Recovery Like After Treatment?

Recovery from routine dental treatment is short. Numbness from local anaesthetic wears off in two to four hours, mild tenderness after a filling settles within a day or two, and an extraction site takes about a week to close over. After a scaling and cleaning, some gum tenderness or sensitivity is common and usually settles over the following days to a couple of weeks — there is no single reliable figure for it. Ordinary painkillers are usually enough. Persistent or worsening pain is worth a phone call.

Most general dental treatments have a short, predictable recovery:

After a cleaning: gum tenderness or sensitivity is normal, especially if there was heavy tartar, and it usually settles over the following days to a couple of weeks.
After a filling: avoid chewing until the numbness wears off. If the bite feels slightly "high" days later, come back — it is a two-minute adjustment.
After an extraction: bite firmly on the gauze, avoid rinsing, spitting, smoking, or straws for 24 hours so the clot can form, and stick to soft foods for a couple of days.
After a root canal: some tenderness on biting for a few days is expected and settles with ordinary painkillers.

Spreading facial swelling, fever, or bleeding that will not stop is not normal aftercare — contact us straight away, or see our emergency dental care page for what to do in the meantime.

What Happens If You Wait?

Dental problems do not heal on their own. A small cavity that needs a simple filling will, left alone, reach the nerve and then need a root canal — or cost you the tooth entirely. Early gum disease is reversible; advanced gum disease destroys bone that never grows back. And an untreated dental infection can spread beyond the tooth, causing facial swelling that needs urgent care. Waiting almost always means longer, more complex treatment.

To be equally honest in the other direction: not every shadow on an X-ray needs drilling. Very early enamel-stage decay can sometimes be arrested with fluoride and better hygiene, and when monitoring a tooth is the right call, we will say so.

When Will You Be Referred to a Specialist?

Good general dentistry includes knowing its own limits. Because Happy Tooth has four specialists under one roof, a referral usually means walking to the next room, not searching for another clinic:

Crooked teeth or bite problems go to our orthodontist, Dr. Arfa Ahmad (BDS, MDS Trained in Orthodontics), with 13+ years of experience.
Complex surgical extractions and deeply impacted wisdom teeth go to our oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Sharjeel Saddiqi (BDS, FCPS Trained in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery), with 18+ years of experience.
Difficult root canals and retreatments are handled by our endodontists — Dr. Manahil Iftikhar and Dr. Sabah Kaini, who has completed more than 5,000 root canal treatments.

Your records and X-rays stay in one place, and your treatment stays coordinated by the dentist who knows your history.

Why Do Families Choose Happy Tooth?

Dr. Manahil Iftikhar examines every patient herself, so the same dentist sees you each visit — someone who remembers your history rather than reading it off a chart. Our evening hours, Monday to Saturday from 3:00 to 9:00 PM, make it realistic to come after work or after school instead of taking leave. We treat whole families, from a child's first check-up to a grandparent's dentures, and patients have rated us 5.0 out of 5 across 31 Google reviews. You will find us at Pakway Plaza, Mir Dad Chowk, Johar Town — walk-ins welcome.

Book Your Check-up

Whether it has been six months or six years since your last visit, the best time to restart is now — and we promise a judgment-free chair. Book your appointment online or message us on WhatsApp at +92 333 6333643, and we will take it from there. If you would rather hear it from someone other than us, read reviews from our Johar Town patients first.

Watch

See the Procedure

Watch how these treatments work.

What Is A Root Canal?

A quick look at what happens during a root canal procedure and why it's needed to save an infected tooth.

Root Canal Filling — 3D Animation

3D animation showing the process of caries removal, root canal cleaning, and filling to prevent bacteria from entering the tooth.

Our Procedures

What We Offer

Detailed look at our procedures and treatments.

Dental Checkup & Consultation

A thorough assessment of your teeth, gums, and oral tissues — including oral cancer screening — to catch problems before they cause pain or require complex treatment.

Scaling & Polishing

Gentle removal of plaque, tartar, and surface stains followed by polishing. This is the single most effective way to prevent cavities and gum disease between visits.

Dental X-Ray

Low-radiation digital imaging that reveals hidden decay, bone loss, impacted teeth, and other issues invisible to the naked eye. Results are instant and highly detailed.

Tooth Colored Fillings

Durable composite fillings that match your natural tooth color. They restore teeth damaged by decay while remaining virtually invisible.

Root Canal Treatment

Saves infected or severely damaged teeth by removing the infected pulp, relieving pain, and preserving your natural tooth structure. Modern techniques make this far more comfortable than its reputation suggests.

Apicoectomy (Root-End Surgery)

When infection persists at the tip of a root after root canal treatment, the root end and the infected tissue around it are removed through a small opening in the gum, and the canal is sealed from below. It is done under local anaesthetic, and it is usually the alternative to extracting a tooth that has already been root-treated.

Bad Breath Treatment

Persistent bad breath (halitosis) is a symptom rather than a condition — most often gum disease, tartar buildup, untreated decay, or a dry mouth. We find the source, treat it, and go through the hygiene routine that keeps it from coming back. Mouthwash on its own masks the smell without touching the cause.

Cavity Treatment

Decay is removed and the tooth rebuilt, with how much of it survives depending on how far the decay has travelled. A small cavity takes a filling in one visit; decay that has reached the nerve needs root canal treatment first. Caught early it is a short appointment, which is the whole argument for six-monthly checkups.

Tooth Extraction

Removing a tooth is the last option, not the first — a tooth that can be saved is worth saving. Where decay, a fracture or infection has gone too far, it is taken out under local anaesthetic, and how the gap will be filled is discussed before the appointment, not after.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Wisdom teeth are removed when they are impacted, repeatedly infected, or pushing against the tooth in front. Straightforward ones come out under local anaesthetic in a single visit; an impacted one is a surgical extraction and needs an X-ray first to see where the nerve runs. A wisdom tooth causing no trouble is usually left alone.

Tooth Sensitivity Treatment

A sharp response to cold, heat or sweetness usually means dentine is exposed — through worn enamel, receding gums, or a crack. Treatment depends on which of those it is: desensitising agents and fluoride for exposed roots, bonding where enamel has gone, and a different plan entirely if the cause turns out to be decay or a fracture.

Gum Disease Treatment

Gums that bleed when you brush are not normal, and bleeding is the early stage that reverses. Treatment runs from scaling and root planing to deeper periodontal care depending on how much bone has already been lost. Gum disease is the most common reason adults lose teeth, and it is painless until late, which is why it is usually found at a checkup rather than reported.

Why Choose Us

Key Benefits

Why patients trust us for this service.

Prevent tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease before they become serious.

Catch oral health problems early when treatment is simpler and more affordable.

Professional cleaning removes plaque and tartar that brushing misses.

Personalized care plans tailored to your age, health, and lifestyle.

Modern digital X-rays with minimal radiation exposure.

Ongoing guidance to improve your daily oral hygiene routine.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about our general dentistry services.

How often should I visit the dentist for a check-up?

Every six months is the standard recommendation for most adults and children, and it exists because that interval catches decay and gum disease while treatment is still small and simple. Some people need to come more often: if you have active gum disease, diabetes, a dry mouth from medication, or you smoke, three to four monthly visits are usually more appropriate, because plaque hardens faster and gum problems progress quicker. People with a very low decay risk and stable gums can sometimes stretch to nine or twelve months. Rather than applying one rule to everyone, we set an interval after examining you and revise it as things change.

Are dental X-rays safe?

Yes. Digital dental X-rays produce up to 90% less radiation than the older film systems, and the dose from a routine set is a small fraction of what you are exposed to naturally in everyday life over the same period. We use protective shielding, and — more importantly — we only take images when there is a clinical reason: to see decay between teeth, check bone levels around the roots, or assess a tooth before treatment. Routine images are not repeated at every visit. If you are pregnant, tell us; non-urgent imaging is usually postponed, though a genuinely necessary X-ray with shielding is considered safe at any stage.

What are the signs I might need a filling?

The common signs are sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet foods that lingers after the trigger is gone; a visible hole, dark spot, or rough edge you can catch with your tongue; food repeatedly packing into the same spot; or pain when you bite down on one side. Persistent bad breath from one area can also point to decay. The difficulty is that a cavity can grow for months without any of these — early decay is usually silent, and by the time a tooth aches, the problem is often close to the nerve. That is the whole argument for routine check-ups: a filling found early stays a filling.

What happens during a professional teeth cleaning?

A cleaning removes the hardened tartar that brushing cannot shift, particularly along the gum line and behind the lower front teeth. An ultrasonic scaler breaks the deposits up, hand instruments clear what remains, then the teeth are polished to lift surface staining and finished with fluoride. The whole appointment takes about 30 to 45 minutes. If your gums are inflamed you may notice some bleeding during the clean, and some sensitivity afterwards is common — it usually settles over the following days to a couple of weeks as the gums recover. Cleaning is not cosmetic: removing tartar is the main way gum disease is prevented and controlled.

How can I prevent common dental problems?

Most dental problems come down to plaque left in the same places over time, so the basics do the heavy lifting: brush twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste, clean between the teeth once a day with floss or interdental brushes, and spit rather than rinse after brushing so the fluoride stays on the enamel. Limit how often you have sugar rather than only how much — frequency matters more than quantity, because each exposure restarts the acid attack. Avoid tobacco, which drives gum disease and complicates healing. Then keep your check-up interval, so anything the routine misses is found while it is still small.

How much does a root canal cost in Lahore?

The cost depends on the tooth and on what the tooth needs afterwards, which is why no honest figure can be quoted before an examination. A front tooth usually has one canal and is straightforward; a molar can have three or four, sometimes curved or calcified, and takes longer. Whether the canals are being treated for the first time or a previous root canal is being redone also changes the work involved. Most back teeth then need a crown to stop them fracturing, and the crown material affects the total. We examine you, take an X-ray, and give a written estimate covering the whole course of treatment before anything starts. Our guide to what dental treatment costs in Lahore sets out every factor that moves the figure.

Do you have a female dentist at Happy Tooth?

Yes. Happy Tooth was founded by Dr. Manahil Iftikhar, a female dentist and endodontist registered with the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (Reg. No. 13582-D), and she examines every patient herself rather than handing cases to junior staff. Many patients — particularly women, and parents booking for children — prefer to see a female dentist, and you are welcome to say so when you book. The clinic also has a second female dentist among its specialists. If seeing a woman dentist matters to you, mention it on WhatsApp when arranging the appointment and we will make sure the booking reflects it.

Can I walk in without an appointment for a dental check-up?

Yes. Walk-ins are welcome Monday to Saturday between 3:00 and 9:00 PM, and the evening hours exist precisely so people can come after work or school without taking leave. Because walk-ins are fitted between booked appointments, there can be a wait at busier times — usually early evening. If you would rather not wait, message the clinic on WhatsApp at +92 333 6333643 and we will confirm a time for you. Anyone in severe pain, with facial swelling, or with a knocked-out tooth is treated as a priority and seen the same day regardless of whether they booked.

This information is educational and not a substitute for a dental examination. What is right for your teeth depends on findings only an in-person assessment can establish. Book a consultation to get advice specific to you.

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