What you got to know about Dental Sedation

Have you ever put off a trip to the dentist because you’re nervous? Dental anxiety is quite common, and many times, one of the best ways to help ease this is dental sedation. This can ease that tension and give you a better experience, but you should definitely know what to expect when sedation is utilized, how it works, and the different aspects to help make it better for you. 

Dental sedation is using medication in order to relax for something. When a person is too scared or too tense to have dental work completed, sedative will ease some of that anxiety. Most of the time they’re used when someone has fear and anxiety, and that can cause problems down the line. Mild sedatives will help with relaxing enough during checkups and teeth cleaning. It also is used too for those who are getting fillings and mild work.

Is it safe? Well yes, so long as you have someone who is qualified to administer that.  They must consider your medical history, any allergies, and the benefits before they do so.

You can get this for children too.  This is usually done when they need to do extensive work on the child.  This helps with a lot of difficult or time-sensitive procedures.  You don’t need to do anything special minus the instructions that are followed such as eating and drinking beforehand.  Usually, the sedation is given either through a liquid medication or nitrous oxide. It’s rarely done through an IV, unless of course it’s a very invasive procedure.

If your child is nervous, just tell them they’ll feel like they’ve fallen asleep.  They might wake up feeling like they took a long nap.

Usually, you get four different types of sedation. The first is inhaled, which is commonly known as laughing gas.  This is used to help relax.  Sometimes you might get an oral sedative, which will help them feel drowsy, but awake, and some people might fall asleep completely. Then there is the IV sedation, which is done via a vein. It’ll work fast, and it’s adjusted throughout this. only trained professionals use this, and it’s only for the super anxious types of people. Finally, you get general anesthesia, which means that you’re nearly unconscious or completely unconscious.  Usually, it takes time to fully awake from this kid of sedation. Usually, you don’t get that unless you’re getting super invasive surgery.

Typically, these are used for dental extractions, oral surgery, dental implants, periodontal surgery, treatment of abscessed teeth, and root canals, but sometimes you might get these for other reasons too. If you feel like you really need some oral sedation to sit there and go through the procedure, make sure to talk to your dentist about it, and let them know how you’re doing, and if you need any special sedation as a result.

Manual Vs. Electric Toothbrushes

Toothbrushes are an essential part of oral care and have been for almost 100 years. For most people, traditional toothbrushes are used, but electric toothbrushes can help with improving the hygiene. So what’s the better version? For you.

What is the difference between electric toothbrushes versus manual ones though? Well for starters, you do the work with the manual kind, but with the electric one, it takes care of most of the heavy lifting, and you definitely may want to consider it.

So what’s so good about electric toothbrushes then? Well for starters, they are very easy to use, they require less work and they clean the tooth more thoroughly, have built-in timers to let you know when you’re done, and finally, they’re actually fun! But what are the cons of it? Well, you’ll either need to recharge or change the batteries more often. They tend to be costlier from the get-go than the manual options.  They are bulky in size, and aren’t super compact, so you can’t fit them in a purse. They also aren’t travel friendly, and they tend to be fragile.

What about the manual ones? Well, they do the job and they thoroughly clean the teeth as long as you take the time to put the effort in and use the correct technique. You also can choose the types of bristles, the color, and the style that works for you. They don’t require charging or batteries for the most part. They are easy to travel and bring with you wherever you want. They also are very cheap compared to the electric one. 

The cons however do weigh a bit on this.  you have to do it right, or you won’t get nearly enough of a cleaning from these. If you don’t clean it right, that means it’ll rend itself ineffective. They also need to be tracked by other means in terms of time, since right now there isn’t a timer set for manual toothbrushes, unlike in the case with electric where it’ll tell you every thirty seconds to switch to the next part of the mouth. There is the fact as well that you may not get as much of a deep cleaning with an annual toothbrush than an electric one.

So, which one should you get? What’s right for you?

The big thing to remember here is that one is not better than the other if you know how to use it. No toothbrush will help you clean your teeth if you aren’t using it right, and practicing proper oral hygiene. At the end of the day, you’re the one who chooses what kind of toothbrush you want to use, and what will work for you.

For those who prefer to have something else track your time, and to help you get in deep in a simple manner then you might want to choose the electric option. For those who are budget-friendly however, you might want to consider a manual one, but again, this is ultimately up to you, and what you want out of this.

Good Oral Hygiene can protect against COVID-19

Did you know that practicing good oral hygiene can help fight off some of the viruses and diseases that are out there including potentially COVID-19?  Yes, our teeth and gums are important, but the mouth is also the initial line of defense that’s used against infectious bacteria, such as viruses, including COVID-19.  But, brushing your teeth does remove bacteria which is harmful and prevents it from invading you.  Saliva also contains antibacterial and antiviral proteins which will fight infections.

Poor oral hygiene has been linked to many healthcare issues including diabetes and heart disease. Not enough care routines can also mean that the bacteria and viruses will spread a whole lot more, and there are chances that it could reach the bloodstream there too.

Oral care routines are a big step to overall health, and it’s something that you have complete control over.  This is the best time for you to work on this, to have a healthier smile and start using better habits.

So how can you keep your mouth healthy and protect it from this? well first, wash your hands before and after you brush and floss.  Make sure to store it properly and keep it away from other parts of the household to stop the spread of germs. Make sure to disinfect the toothbrush, and try to sterilize it as much as you can. Make sure to add antibacterial mouthwash to your routine, and also replace it every few months, or after you’re sick.

This can be a life-threatening emergency, and a lot of ER professionals aren’t equipped to handle the pain.  Dentists will help treat dental problems easily, and it can be a good thing for you. If you go to the ER with a dental emergency, chances are they wont’ see you for it, but if you see a dentist, they have the technology to help take care of it.

That’s why, in order to protect yourself you should take care of your oral health immediately. One problem some people have is getting into the dentist’s office, but now, you should definitely consider taking time and ensuring that you protect yourself right away, and understand that while social distancing and the like are good, forming a good oral hygiene routine will help you even more, and protect you from some of the viruses and diseases which are out there, that can wreck your body as well.

Going to the dentist

When I was young, I never enjoyed the dentist. The scraping of my teeth and having fingers and odd tools in my mouth was scary. I did not know that it was very important to make sure to go to every dentist appointment until I grew up. The dentist’s office I went to as a child had a fun waiting room. It helped relax me before I was called back to have my cleaning. 

The dentist’s office I went to as a child had a very fun waiting room. They had an Xbox and a PlayStation to be played. There was also a small section that was for the younger children than me. They also had those puzzle boxes where you had to match the object shape to a hole in the box. Additionally, they had one of those cool sand magnet tables. You could put a pen with a magnet at the end of it to move things around the box. I remember there was a bulldozer in there, and I really enjoyed trying to use that to push all the sand to one side. 

The Xbox and PlayStation were also a very cool thing to have in a waiting room. They always had Crash Bandicoot on one of the systems, and I enjoyed playing that one the most. I always avoided sports games because I never had any interest in playing them. I was an odd kid and did not like sports. To this day, I still don’t really like them. 

When it got called back to the operating room and set in the chair, I was approached by the dental surgeon. She introduced herself to me and said she was going to be cleaning my teeth today. I never liked the dentist, and I always tell them that. Today was no different. She then told me that there was nothing to worry about and she would be as careful as possible. She first started off by cleaning in between my teeth with a small pick metal tool. After that, she had to clean the face of my teeth. This was the worst part. 

As she scrapped my teeth, I could not help but wince every so often. I do not like this part of the cleaning, and of course, it is the longest part. As she was nearing the end of the cleaning, she accidentally nicked my gum and caused a bleed to happen. That did not help my not liking the dentist. To finish off the cleaning process, she said she needed to put fluoride on my teeth. This would make my teeth look super shiny and clean. The downside is that I can not eat or drink for the next hour after the fluoride is put on. This stinks because my mom always takes me to get something to eat after the dentist for being good. 

As a child, I never liked the dentist, and as I grew up, it never really got better. Now I don’t really mind going to the dentist, but I still am not enjoying it. I do not like people’s fingers in my mouth, along with strange metal tools that are used for scraping my teeth. I make sure to go to each appointment regardless of my dislike, but I know the risks I have if I do not go and do not want to risk any of those problems. 

My wisdom teeth extraction

When I was advised to have my wisdom teeth extracted, I was pretty worried. I personally do not like the dentist. I hate having people’s fingers in my mouth along with metal tools for poking and prodding. My mother reassured me that I could get put under general anesthesia. This medical gas or liquid puts the user to sleep until the procedure is completed. I had the option of getting a numbing shot or being put under, and without any thought, I chose to be put under, so I was not conscious of the fingers in my mouth. 

One day at the dentist, the operator told me that I should get my wisdom teeth extracted. I was not too keen on that as I do not like the dentist already. Any long-lasting procedure would be a problem for me. The surgeon gave us a recommendation to an office that could perform the process, and we set up an appointment. When the appointment was nearing, I got nervous because I did not fully understand what was going to happen. The morning of my mother drove, my older sister tagged along and me. When we arrived at the office, we spoke to the receptionist, and they had us fill out some paperwork. My mom chose to do it herself. When she turned in the paperwork, it was only a few minutes before I was called back. 

When I was called back, a cute surgeon brought me to the operating room where my extraction would take place. They ran me through what the procedure was going to entail. Once they finished explaining to me, they inserted a needle into my left arm and told me to count down from ten to one. When I began counting down, I felt my veins by the needle get cold. I only got to seven before passing out.

The next thing I knew, I was awake and in pain. Being loopy, I asked them to remove the sword from my arm. I had thought the needle was a sword. I was in some pain, but I was very loopy. When you get off of general anesthesia, you are left with a high. I was saying some rather funny things. I remember the pain I had behind my molars. The dental surgeon told me that I could not quickly eat or drink for the next five or so hours as the pain would be too much. They gave my mother a prescription for pain medication. When we left the office as we were driving, I remember saying some peculiar things. I made my older sister laugh for almost half an hour. We went to steak and shake to get me a shake. I got a cookie and cream one as it sounded amazing. I realized the dentist was right, and it was a bit more challenging to drink the shake, so I opted to use a spoon to eat it. For the next few days, I was just sitting around and taking pain medication. 

I am glad to have had my wisdom teeth pulled at a younger age, so I won’t need to worry about it as I get older. Our insurance was able to cover almost the whole procedure. We only had to pay a few hundred, which, if you ask me, seems great for a dental procedure. The pain only lasted for a few days. Plus, I got to miss a few days of school, and who is going to complain about that?