Posts tagged ‘cosmetic dentistry’

August 16th, 2010

Sedation Dentistry for Kids

People have mixed emotions when it comes to going to the dentist, whether it be for general purposes or something cosmetic like Lumineers dental veneers. The overwhelming majority would skip their appointment if given the opportunity. If there’s one group of patients who’re most susceptible to developing dental phobia, it’s children. A single bad experience with a dentist can easily scar them for life, leading them to stop visiting the dentist altogether. Many dentists make an honest effort to accommodate children. Some of them offer their young patients toys or candy at the end of their appointment. Others have televisions and video games within their operating rooms to help distract the children from the noise of the drill and many of the other common sights and sounds in the dentist’s office.

If you child has grown to become uneasy about going to the dentist, perhaps you should consider taking them to a sedation dentist. These dentists have received supplementary training beyond the instruction they received in dental school to work with anxious patients. Through the use of sedatives given in pill form, gaseous form, and intravenously, the dentist can calm the patient down so he or she can begin their work without interference. Many fearful adults also take advantage of sedation dentistry to get dental Lumineers porcelain veneers in Dallas as well as the many other procedures offered in both general and cosmetic dentistry.

A common reason why sedation dentistry is used is because some patients fear needles. While not necessary for routine procedures like dental cleanings, they become essential when the dentist needs to remove tooth structure to accommodate a filing or some other type of restoration. Injections into the gums are used to deliver anesthesia, which ultimately makes the procedure pain-free. Most people are more than willing to tolerate the shot, considering how painful drilling work is without any sort of anesthesia. For those who can’t bear the sight of the needle, something like nitrous oxide may be the answer. The dentist administers this sedative in gaseous state to ready the patient for an anesthesia shot. The patient can then be removed from a euphoric state by changing the ratio of oxygen to nitrous oxide being administered to them.

Some children may be fearful than much more than just the anesthesia shot and in these cases more extreme forms of sedation will have to be used. Insomnia pills or IV sedation might be required. Regardless of what type of sedation is used, the patient is never put fully to sleep like they might encounter with general anesthesia. They will be aware of what’s going on but will remain in a relaxed state. A limited number of dentists are qualified to perform procedures on a sedate patient, so you might have to look high and low before you find a competent dentist to treat your child.

July 15th, 2010

The Dawn of Braces

The understanding that wearing invisible plastic aligners to straighten teeth is not a new idea, it has been around since 1945. Dentists would even make their own aligners to help adjust smaller cases of crooked teeth. The ideas of invisible braces that go on the back of the teeth, called lingual braces, were developed in the 1970’s. Braces themselves date back to ancient civilizations with mummies that have been found that had crude spacers and wires around their teeth to keep their teeth straight. read more »