Medical Vision Dental

One of the most common human anxieties of all times is dental anxiety.  I may say that almost everyone had undergone this stage way back since childhood. Pain is actually always the first thing that comes to our mind whenever we hear the terms dentists or dental. It’s always the experienced memorable pain that leaves a mark.  We even tell our painful stories to our children or to any kids younger than us. I actually do this, however I do not put emphasis on the real pain.  I told my kids how every tooth was extracted by different dentists and I shared how I exited each dental session with every dentist that I have encountered.

So being a parent who wants to help his or her kids overcome this dental anxiety during their dental visits, you can start with moral support, where you accompany them in their dental visits, just making them feel secure by being visible inside the clinic until the session is over. For them to feel comfortable, any motivating gestures will do. Having your own family dentist really helps a lot. With an existing family relationship, dental anxiety actually reduces once the kids know that the dentist is a family friend. Relationship plays a significant role in minimizing dental anxiety. With regard to their fears, relationship alone breaks the ice and entices the kiids to open up. In this manner, the treating dentist is informed of the child's fear even before starting the treatment.  If there is no family dentist available, you can get recommendations from your friends or relatives who can refer a supportive dentist for your kids that will help you overcome the dental anxiety problem. Having a shortlist of dentists to serve as a stand by until your kids feel comfortable in their sessions is also a better idea.  Good relationship also leads to good communication and at the same time, reduces the apprehension to the extent of eliminating dental anxiety of kids.

Take note as well that dentistry alone has advanced really far in terms of alleviating pain in every session.  Their sedation techniques now are provided by bundles of choices where the patients are now free to choose what sedation technique they would like to be conducted in their session. Having sedation procedures more adaptable to kids’ ages, the innovative techniques are now more appropriate and less afflictive.

On top of the scientific advancement of dentistry, psychotherapeutic techniques were also added to further reduce dental anxiety. Since children see the instruments that the dentists use on them, dental clinics now have audio music available to distract children’s focus on the instruments that would indicate pain when used. moreover, scheduling regular meetings with their family dentists is a behavioral psychotherapy that parents are now using in helping their children lessen their dental anxiety. This pychological intervention includes frequency and fmiliarity as basic variables.

Dental anxiety is just now of the most common anxieties we have our lives but you can actually witness how science moves in to help us out face these kinds of fears.  Our team of Ft. Lauderdale dentists provide a fine selection of information with regard to dental anxiety and how it is appropriately dealt with.  You can visit sleepdentists.com for details.

Getting anxious during a dental visit may seem silly to some. But there are people whose anxiety levels increase tremendously at the thought of dental appointments, let alone an upcoming dental procedure. These patients may have gone through a traumatic experience in the past or they simply have a low tolerance for pain. Further, hard to restrain children who are obviously anxious about going through the dental treatment are unable to stay put in the dental chair for a long period. There is a solution to reduce the anxiety and calm the patient during dental visits and treatments: sedation and sleep dentistry.

Administering these dental techniques depends on the patient’s needs and the type of procedure he’ll go through. Local anesthetics are typically used to numb the area so that you won’t feel any pain or discomfort during the treatment. There are two kinds of anesthetics utilized in dentistry today: topical and injectable. Topical anesthetics are applied on the gum using a swab or an adhesive patch. Usually, this lessens the pricking sensation the patients experience when an injectable anesthesia is used. On the other hand, injectable anesthesia is employed to alleviate pain in the area where the procedure will take place. It blocks the nerve endings and temporarily numb the tissues around the mouth. Injectables are administered during root canals, tooth extraction and other tooth restoration procedures.

Despite the introduction of anesthetics to reduce the pain and discomfort, some patients need to deal with anxiety which local and injectable anesthetics don’t provide. In such cases, the dentist will use anti-anxiety medication or sedatives to provide relief for anxious patients. Conscious sedation can be administered through pills, gas or intravenous injection. Two of the most common sedatives are nitrous oxide and intravenous sedation.

Nitrous oxide or commonly known as laughing gas or happy gas is administered by mixing it with oxygen and inhaled through a breathing mask. The sedative properties wears off once the mask is taken off. Intravenous sedation is generally administered in the vein on the arm. After a few minutes, the patient will be put in a relaxed state; breathing on his own and is able to respond to verbal commands.

As a patient, you need to openly discuss your dental anxiety concerns with your dentist. There are options available to you such as conscious sedation that can help alleviate the discomfort and anxiety levels during dental treatment and procedure.

Leff, Weiss and Walde DDS are a team of Ft Lauderdale dentists specializing in sedation dentistry. To know the dental solutions available for anxious patients, visit sleepdentists.com.

Dental caries when left untreated progress into the tooth’s soft core (dental pulp) causing the bacteria to develop abscess or pus pocket at the root tip. When the infected pulp is not removed, this will cause pain and swelling. Also, certain byproducts of the infection can damage your jawbones and without immediate treatment, this could also result to extraction. Endodontics or root canal procedure can save the diseased tooth. Nowadays, having a root canal is a better option than losing your tooth permanently to extraction. 

In the past, root canals are associated with pain and a lot of trips to the dentist. If the tooth demands complex procedure, the root canal can take hours. Imagine sitting for an extended period of time on the patient dental chair plus the enervating thought of the excruciating pain that comes along with the procedure. Some patients really cringe at the thought of the procedure. The good news is developments in dental technology has made root canal procedures faster and more comfortable on the patient. You can have a pain-free root canal with fewer visits to the dentist through sleep and sedation dentistry.

During the treatment, the dentist will put you in a complete relaxed state by administering sedation medication. The gravity of the diseased tooth plus the amount of dental work required to carry out the procedure will determine the levels of sedation and anesthesia that will be utilized. In addition, the profile of the patient is a factor on the type of sedation to be administered on the patient. Case in point: when a patient experiences high levels of anxiety or is dental phobic, the dentist will utilize sleep dentistry therapy. With this treatment, general anesthesia is administered through intravenous medication and/or inhalation agents, if necessary. This will put the patient in a complete unconscious state. 

On the one hand, in the case of adult patients who want to finish the root canal with fewer visits, the dentist may recommend conscious sedation technique. This treatment employs the use of intravenous agents and if necessary, laughing gas to help relax the patient. Unlike general anesthesia therapy that puts the patient in deep sleep with no recall of the procedure, patients treated with conscious sedation usually have little memory of the procedure being performed.

In sum, root canals do not have to be painful as it used to be. There are alternatives available to alleviate the anxiety and the pain associated with the procedure. If you find yourself needing a root canal work soon, talk to your dentist about the best option to make the procedure more comfortable and of course, painless as much as possible. 

For more information on sedation dentistry visit the Ft Lauderdale Dentists at sleepdentists.com.

Patients with disabilities require special attention when undergoing dental procedures. These patients are hard to restrain and have difficulties remaining still for extended periods especially in the case of complex dental surgery. The treating dentist puts the patient in a deep state of relaxation or complete sleep by administering sedation medication or general anesthesia. Sedation and sleep dentistry provide a better dental care solution to patients with disabilities.

Patients with physical and developmental disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Parkinson’s and those who have behavior problems require the expertise of a certified sleep dentist. Their situation demands special care and attention different from the regular dental procedures performed on non-special needs patients.

How does sedation and sleep dentistry work?

First and foremost, the treating dentist will review the needs of the patient. After identifying the needs of the patient only then a treatment plan will be prepared. As each patient’s case is different, the levels of sedation vary as well. Some patients easily doze off to a relaxed state while the others require more sedative medication before they can achieve the desired level of complete relaxation. In other cases such as patients with severe mental disabilities, it is important to put them to complete sleep.  

During surgery, the sedation is administered through a combination of breathing mask and medication. Laughing gas or nitrous oxide will gradually put them in a relaxed state. Oral medication and intravenous drugs are utilized depending on the treatment plan of the patient. These are administered in graduated levels until such time complete relaxation is achieved. 

In the past, these procedures are performed in the hospital where proper facilities are available. Patients nowadays can have their dental surgery right at the dentist’s clinic without the need to check in the hospital. These dentists and anesthesiologists have secured general anesthesia permits from the state and have undergone training to comply with state requirements in the administration of anesthesia. 

Not all dentists are licensed to perform sedation and sleep dentistry. Do not forget to check the dentist’s qualification and experience before committing to a dental procedure.