Dental Technology: Reducing Pain and Discomfort

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Many people have a fear of going to the dentist and may delay their visits. That means that when they do finally schedule a visit, their dental problems have become greater than they would have been if they had gone more regularly for checkups.

Modern cosmetic dentists address this issue with Sedation Dentistry. Pain and fear of pain are two different things:

An analgesic like aspirin or novocain can numb pain;
A sedative like Valium (diazepam) can calm your fear or anxiety.

That is why medical outpatient procedures are done with a local anesthetic for pain control and a sedative to reduce anxiety. Sedation dentistry follows this same pattern.

You can take an oral sedative before you enter the dentist’s operatory. It helps you to relax and to stay calm and still while your dentist works. Afterwards, you will need a ride home.

Sleep Dentistry

Some dentists offer general anesthesia where you are rendered unconscious before any dental work is begun. The dentist may have hospital privileges in a local facility where a qualified anesthesiologist calibrates your anesthesia dosage, administers it, monitors your vital signs while dental work is done, and determines when you are awake and alert enough to be discharged.

Some dentists have a nurse anesthetist on their team and offer sleep dentistry in-office. Either way, you will have no awareness of any dental work being done and no memory of the visit. If you are someone with severe dental anxiety and a build-up of pending dental work, most, or even all, of the work can be done in one visit with sleep dentistry.

The Wand (Single Tooth Anesthesia System)

The Wand is a computer-controlled device for injecting your dental anesthetic. Anesthetic shots are sometimes what a person dreads most in a dental visit. One reason why they can be painful is the syringe being emptied too quickly; another reason is that the dentist’s hand may not be steady enough.

The Wand solves both these problems by guaranteeing a slow and steady injection. It eliminates human error. The device itself looks like a little computer tower and sits on a table or counter. The handpiece looks, and is held, like a pen. A foot pedal begins the injection and the computer then takes over, leaving your dentist free to simply hold the handpiece still and make sure you are comfortable.

Air Abrasion Instead of Drilling

When areas of tooth decay are not too deep into the tooth, your dentist can use air abrasion instead of a drill. A stream of very fine, abrasive particles is sprayed towards the decayed area and as tiny pieces of damaged tooth tissue separate from the tooth, they are suctioned away by the dental assistant.

A rubber dam is first placed around the other teeth to shield them from the particles; or alternatively, a protective resin will be painted on to your gums and teeth. Both you and your dentist will have protective eyewear.

The particles usually consist of aluminum oxide and come in two sizes: 27 microns or 50 microns. (There are 1,000 microns in one millimeter). The system works like a tiny sandblaster, with your dentist in control of particle size, air pressure, and nozzle size. There is no sound, heat, vibration, or pressure and the procedure is quick. More of the healthy tooth tissue is left intact than when a drill is used.

Air abrasion cannot be used if you are having a metal amalgam filling because it cannot create the corrugated type of cavity needed to hold amalgam in. However, white fillings, as well as inlays and onlays, are bonded to the tooth and do not need a rough-surfaced space. They adhere well to the smooth surface left by air abrasion.

Air abrasion can also be used to remove surface staining from your teeth or to prepare the surface for a bonding procedure or a sealant.
It is often used in pediatric dentistry when the decayed area is shallow because there is no drill sound to alarm the child.
If your dentist finds a new little cavity during a regular checkup, he can use air abrasion and give it a white filling in about ten minutes.

A Laser Instead of a Scalpel

In past years, when gum work had to be done, dentists used a scalpel – a surgical knife. Now we have lasers and in dentistry, a soft tissue laser is used for gum work – whether to correct a gummy smile, or to treat gum disease. Also, a hard tissue laser is used to reshape tooth enamel or to remove damaged enamel.

Medical grade lasers work by vaporizing unwanted tissue and they bring enormous advantages in whatever procedure they are used.

They work quickly, shortening your time in the dental chair
They seal soft tissue as they work, which greatly reduces bleeding
By sealing tissue, they also greatly reduce risk of infection
They give far less pain than a scalpel
They do not cut any tissue; they simply rupture the molecular bonds in unwanted tissue, disintegrating it
Therefore, they cause no scars

Both you and your dentist would wear protective glasses while a laser is being used. The lasers are small, handheld devices, easily controlled by your dentist.

Small But Significant Comfort Amenities

Modern dentists, especially cosmetic and neuromuscular dentists, give your comfort high priority and use simple means to promote it, as well as expensive technology:

Jaw props are a great relief if you have trouble holding your mouth open for very long (which is a symptom of TMD). They come in different sizes for work on front or back teeth and for different sized mouths.
Numbing swabs reduce sensation in the gum surface, making the anesthetic needle barely noticeable;
Dark glasses shield your eyes from the bright overhead light while your dentist works;
Continuous mouth irrigation tubes and suction devices used by the dental assistant keep your mouth clear of particles;
Ergonomic neck pillows support your neck and head comfortably, keeping your spine in correct alignment and enabling you to have multiple procedures or longer procedures without discomfort;
White noise headphones block out the ambient sounds, helping an anxious patient remain calm while in the dental chair;
Dental loupes give your dentist a magnified view of your teeth. They are special glasses with a light in the center so that he or she can more easily do detailed work.

You can read more about dental technology on these pages:

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