What is your worst fear? Bear attack while hiking? A slithery snake sneakup? A root canal? Wait...a root canal? That's right. The American Association of Endodontists reported results from a survey about dental fear. About 80% of adults fear the dentist in the US. This sounds crazy, but the survey shows that adults fear a root canal almost as much as flying in an airplane during a storm! Just over 40% fear a root canal more than a job interview or public speaking. I have to say that the words root and canal in the same sentence doesn't exactly make me dance and sing but wow. What gives? Why are these folks afraid of the dentist? And what is it with root canals?

So evidently the primary cause for dental phobia is fear of pain. And according to polls a root canal is rated the most painful and the most feared procedure. In regards to root canals, about a third of respondents base their fears on stories they've heard from other people, not from their own experience. Funny thing is the AAE says that most root canal patients consider their procedure positive. Do you think root canals are the most painful procedure from personal experience or is the root canals bad reputation just a bunch of hearsay? Do you have dental phobia? Sedation dentistry might be an option. Ask your general dentist about sedation dentistry today!

Posted in Sedation Dentistry, Headlines

When a child gets worked up and anxious  about seeing the dentist, it's usually pretty obvious before and during the first visit. The fear of the unknown not to mention what his or her little buddies in preschool have communicated to them about their personal dental experiences. Physical complaints like abdomen or headaches and dizziness are often witnessed in children with anxiety. Children may struggle with talking about their anxiety so it may be helpful to ask questions very carefully and diplomatically in order to get a better understanding of their symptoms. Coaching them through whatever fears they have about going to the dentist will probably help, however on occasion, some children may benefit from the use of sedation dentistry.

A consult with the child's medical doctor is typically completed before a sedation appointment is scheduled. And during the procedure, dentist's say that the child is fully monitored and only the minimum amount of sedation medication is used to safely complete their dental care. The sedation medication can be delivered by mouth, I.V. or I.M.(intramuscular).

Because good oral hygiene and regular checkups are so important starting at a young age, it's important to make sure that children are completely at ease when visiting the dentist. Other tips to comfort are bringing them along with you during your check ups to get to know the dentist, finding a pediatric dentist that specializes in the care of children's teeth and reading children's books about going to the dentist.

Looking for a pediatric dentist in south Denver, Littleton, Lone Tree, or Highlands Ranch? Dr Lisa Stimmel is a board-certified pediatric dentist located in Highlands Ranch near Colorado and University Blvd. Here's a video featuring Dr Stimmel.

Posted in Pediatric Dentist, Sedation Dentistry

Ah, what would the world be without another viral video. This particular video is of a young lady who just had her wisdom teeth removed. She was obvious sedated during the procedure and in coming out of it, had a few things on her mind including unicorns, distant lands and a dream of becoming a rapper.

Having general anethesia can produce some interesting results to say the least. Do you or anyone you know have any funny stories about getting your wisdom or other teeth extracted?

Posted in Wisdom Teeth, Sedation Dentistry, Headlines

Patients who feel tremendous anxiety about dental visits may be prevented from receiving the primary dental care they need, let alone considering any optional cosmetic dental treatments. For these patients, sedation or sleep dentistry offers one way they can get the treatment they need without the anxiety that has kept them away. Right now there are three main forms of sleep dentistry available. Ask your sedation dentist what forms he or she offers and what he or she thinks might be best for you.

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation is the most common form of sedation dentistry. In this form of sedation dentistry, the patient is given a pill, usually a prescription sleeping pill, that relaxes him or her during the entire procedure. The pill is usually taken about an hour before the patient comes to the dental office, so that by the time he or she arrives, full relaxation has set in. The advantages of this procedure are:

• It is relatively inexpensive
• Patients are relaxed before they come to the dentist, reducing the likelihood that they will skip treatment at the last minute

Anesthesiologist-controlled IV Sedation

IV sedation is where an anesthesiologist will intravenously administer a solution containing sedatives. The anesthesiologist targets a particular concentration of sedative, which is reached before the procedure is begun. The advantages to this procedure are:

• The sedation can be more quickly tailored to alterations in the patient's state of consciousness
• Little concern that the procedure will run too long, leading to patient wakefulness

Patient-controlled IV Sedation

In this procedure, the patient is given an intravenous dose of a solution containing sedatives, but in this case the patient is given the ability to increase his or her dose depending on his or her anxiety level. Studies have shown that there is no additional risk of complications in patient-controlled sedation as compared to anesthesiologist-controlled sedation. The advantages of patient-controlled sedation are:

• Uses less sedative than anesthesiologist-controlled sedation
• Gives patients control over their fears
• More popular among patients

If you have anxiety about seeing the dentist, don't let them keep you away from getting the treatments you need or desire. Instead, contact your dentist about the option of sedation dentistry and learn how it might be able to make your next procedure as pleasant as a Sunday afternoon nap.

Live near Lowry in Denver, Colorado? Lowry Advanced Dentistry offers a full array of sedation dentistry and dental implant options for your comfort and convenience.

Posted in Sedation Dentistry, Cosmetic Dentistry, Headlines

Denver periodontist Dr Neil Neugeboren discusses various sedation dentistry options available to patients to help them relax during dental implant and peridontal procedures.

Hello I am Dr. Neil Neugeboren of Professional Periodontics and Implant Dentistry, located in south east Denver, Colorado.

Many patients who come to us for the treatment of periodontal disease or for the placement of dental implants tell us that they have a certain amount of fear and apprehension about their procedures.  Please let me assure you that the doctors and our entire team will treat you with the highest level of care and respect and that we are all well trained to alleviate your fears and apprehensions.  The areas in your mouth that are to be treated will be numbed with a local anesthetic solution so that you will not feel any pain or discomfort.

There are several options in order to make our patients more comfortable during their visit with us. We offer relaxation medication which is a tiny pill that you take shortly before your appointment.  The tiny pill will make you feel sleepy and relaxed.  With nitrous oxide and oxygen sedation, you breathe in a combination of these two medical gases in order to make you feel happy and relaxed during your appointment.  We also offer conscious sedation for those patients who have extreme fears and apprehensions.  With conscious sedation, you are given a combination of medications intravenously by a certified nurse anesthetist in order to make you sleep and feel relaxed.

This is Dr. Neil Neugeboren of professional periodontics and implant dentistry.  We are located in South East Denver and for more information, about the many periodontal and dental implant services that we provide for our patients please visit out website at www.YourDentalImplants.com, thank you.

Posted in Dental Implants, Gum Disease, Sedation Dentistry