Last updated 22 hours ago
If you feel nervous or afraid at the idea of visiting your dentist, you are not alone. Dental anxiety affects children and adults from all walks of life. This anxiety may have many causes, but together with your dentist you can work to ease your fears so that you can feel comfortable in the dentist’s chair.
Fear of Repeating a Poor Experience
Many adults have had poor dental experiences in the past, particularly during childhood. Dental anxiety often occurs because you worry about repeating a poor experience. You may have undergone dental work as a child that you remember being frightening or unpleasant. You may worry that getting another cavity filling will hurt or that your dentist will speak sternly to you as a dentist might have years ago. Some patients simply dislike receiving injections of local anesthetic or the way they feel after undergoing dental work. Thinking about any of these factors can cause significant anxiety and aversion to future dental work.
Fear of the Unknown
Much of what drives dental anxiety is fear of the unknown. When patients are unsure about what to expect, they become anxious and worried. What will happen during your dental visit? Will you need dental work such as fillings or root canals? Will you find out that you need to have teeth extracted? How will your dentist and his staff treat you, especially if you have been putting off regular dental care? These worries cause anxiety because patients dislike feeling out of control and unable to predict the outcome of their visit.
At Belmont Dental Group, our goal is to ensure that visiting the dentist is a safe and comfortable experience for every patient. We understand dental anxiety and treat every patient with the respect they deserve. Our dentists specialize in all forms of dental sedation, allowing children and adults to relax and enjoy better dental health. Call our Belmont office today at (617) 209-4058 or click through our website for more information on sedation dentistry procedures for adults and children.
Last updated 4 days ago
So you went to your old friend, Dr. Vinny G, for a filling. He has been taking care of you and your family for umpteen years. All of a sudden you are handed a document labeled “Informed Consent For Dental Treatment”. What happened, you wonder, to the longstanding and trusting relationship you have with Dr. G?
Well, nothing. The standards of dental practice change with time. We live in the era of Informed Consent.
Informed Consent is your statement that you know what the dentist is doing and you agree. In Massachusetts, there are General and Specific understandings to be had.
The General Consent form, signed by all patients, says you agree to an examination and to records being kept of such. It says you consent to having fillings done if needed. You have agreed to preventative services such as a cleaning and application of fluoride. General Consent allows your dentist to bill your insurance carrier. We have at least two patients who object to the application of fluoride. I made that specific change on their form and we both signed it. So Doris, read it pal-eez.
The Specific Consent Forms refer to more advanced treatments, such as anesthesia other than just ‘the shot’. There are things you should, no- MUST know about recommended gum surgery, implant placements, or root canals. You must understand what having a crown or bridge is about, or what the complications of an extraction might be. If your child needs behavior management by the pediatric dentist, you must agree.
The elements of Informed Consent include what is being done. Why it is being done. What the alternatives are. What result you can expect. What problems are associated with this treatment.
Nowhere is it written just what has to be discussed in Informed Consent. I have forms from several authoritative sources for the same treatment and they are all different.
Please note that not every adverse result under the Sun can be listed. Informed Consent tells you what usually goes right and what most commonly goes wrong. Very rare occurrences are not listed. If they were, the forms would be the thickness of the Bible.
On the other hand, temporary crowns do fall off. Sometimes the pulp of the tooth becomes painful after being fitted for a crown. These things can happen. You should know it. In our office we have always lived by the maxim, “Inform Before You Perform”. Informed consent is a conversation about what reasonably can happen.
Informed Consent is not granting permission for the dentist to perform badly. You are not signing any rights away. It opens the door for you and your dentist to discuss what is going to happen, and what the usual experience of other patients is. For example, root canal instruments sometimes get permanently lodged in twisty canals. They are skinny, made out of metal. It happens in the most careful of hands. That is the intent of informed consent. But if one breaks because the dentist was running a mechanical root canal instrument at sixty zillion rpms!- well that is substandard treatment. Informed consent doesn’t apply.
Please don’t sign it until you understand it. Your dentist won’t think you are hostile if you ask a few things. He/she is not worried that you want to know something. We are concerned that later on you might say you wished you had known more.
So Henry, find your voice- it’s right behind your teeth and somewhere in your throat- and ask your dentist whatever you need to know. After all, you use your teeth for speaking too.
Dr. Jim Nager is a practicing dentist and resident of Belmont, and a Clinical Instructor at Harvard. Call Belmont Dental Group today at (617) 209-4058 to arrange an appointment for any of our general dentistry services. Questions of a general nature that may be addressed in this space can be sent to drjamesnager@gmail.com
Last updated 7 days ago
General anesthesia refers to sedation that causes you to completely lose consciousness. It is used to promote patient comfort during dental surgery as well as to ease some forms of dental anxiety. Your dentist will be happy to discuss general anesthesia and other dental sedation options to help you choose the right solution and ensure comfort.
During Dental Surgery
General anesthesia is the ideal sedation option for dental procedures that require oral surgery. Some cases of wisdom tooth extraction and periodontal surgery procedures may call for general anesthesia to ease the process for dentist and patient. General anesthesia ensures that you remain stationary during the procedure, which makes it easier and safer for your dentist to work. If the procedure is particularly invasive, it is also more comfortable for you to sleep through the surgery as well.
To Ease Dental Anxiety
Dental anxiety is a common phobia that keeps many children and adults from visiting the dentist for the care they need. Although lighter sedation options are effective for the majority of dental patients, some either have high levels of dental fear or are more resistant to lighter forms of sedation. In these cases, general anesthesia allows you to safely and comfortably visit the dentist for any dental work you may need. If you have a number of procedures that you must undergo, general anesthesia can allow your dentist to complete them all in one visit rather than having you return multiple times, saving you time and further anxiety.
If you have questions about general anesthesia or other dental sedation options, please contact Belmont Dental Group by calling (617) 209-4058. Our sedation dentists specialize in providing gentle, comfortable dental care to all patients. You can learn more about our dental services in Belmont and Cambridge, including regular exams, cleanings, and gum care, by clicking on our website.
Last updated 11 days ago
Regular dental visits are an important step in maintaining your teeth and gums. During your visit, your dentist examines the health of every aspect of your mouth. He checks for cavities and gum disease, which can negatively impact your dental health if left untreated. Your dental exam also includes an oral cancer screening. Oral cancer is deadly, but can be successfully treated if caught in its early stages. By maintaining your dental health, you will also promote a healthier body. Keeping your teeth and gums in good shape allows you to eat the foods you need for a nutritious, healthy diet. Well-maintained teeth will last a lifetime, ensuring that you will always be able to smile, speak, and eat with confidence.
Schedule your next dental exam with Belmont Dental Group today and experience the difference our skilled, compassionate dentists can make in your life. We offer a variety of dental services, including cosmetic dentistry and dental sedation to ease anxious patients. Call (617) 209-4058 or click on our website for a full list of our services or to find out more about our dentists.
Last updated 14 days ago
The endless details of packing off the kids to camp offer a promise of Mom & Dad Play Time. Let’s not spoil it with a dental problem. If your kids plan on taking their teeth with them, these ideas will help.
Of course they will need toothpaste, a brush and a case, and some floss. These items are so typically lost that an extra of each is a good idea.
The first civilized behaviors to go at camp are the table manners. Reasonable oral hygiene is next.
Summer is a fun time and junky food shows up at the party. The kids will be out of your eyeshot. Sports drinks, candy, freedom to drink all the juice they want are daily camp life. It’s the other kids who bring the candy and gum to share with their bunkmates. Too bad you can’t send their parents the bill.
We have a lot of kids with small cavities that we are treating with fluoridated MI Paste. It only works if they use it. Several hundred dollars of dental work at summer’s end will not be welcome news. Try talking to your kids to see if they understand why they are supposed to use this stuff. If their knowledge seems shaky, make a time for their hygienist to give them a pep talk. Please pack the MI paste if so prescribed.
The same applies if your dentists’ office has recommended a pre-rinse or fluoride rinse.
On Visitors Weekend, please bring replacements for lost brushes, toothpaste, and the like. Who doesn’t like a new toothbrush?
Pack the sports guards. They should live in their case and the case should be labeled. Likewise the orthodontic retainer should have a labeled case. A few days of forgetting the misplaced orthodontic retainer will mean it won’t fit at all. By summers’ end, the orthodontist will be tapping their foot, explaining the extra charges for moving the teeth again. It’s time for an honest talk with the kids, similar to impaired driving: “I don’t care how you lost the retainer, Tommy, I will get you a new one right away. No questions asked. You just need to wear it for your own good.”
Score some orthodontic wax and elastics from the orthodontist. Be sure to pack the headgear. A nice supply of lip balm with sunscreen is a grand idea.
Stuff happens. Have the contact information for two local dentists near camp. Your family dentist may recommend someone. In a pinch, here’s a tip: call a periodontist near camp. Gum specialists have a PhD in Fussy. They know the good dentists.
Schedule the back to school check-ups now. Our appointment books are clogged with kids trying to get the dental visits out of the way before soccer practice starts.
Dental work that falls out such as temporary tooth replacements belong in a big, clear baggie. They should be put right away in the duffle bag. If your kiddo loses a $2000 Maryland bridge, there is no free replacement. This ain’t no dropped ice cream cone.
If your camper is 16 or older, the best time for a dental checkup is before camp starts. Partially erupted wisdom teeth are common. Those flaps of gum tissue are prone to mischief. Sometimes we give them an antibiotic to pack, at the ready if they need it.
While holding hands to Kumbaya and passing around the s’mores, summer is fun for us, for the kids, and for pathogenic dental bacteria. A little common sense and purposeful conversation with the kids will preserve our happy memories of summers past.
Dr. Jim Nager is a practicing dentist and resident of Belmont, and a Clinical Instructor at Harvard. Call Belmont Dental Group today at (617) 209-4058 to arrange an appointment for any of our general dentistry services. Questions of a general nature that may be addressed in this space can be sent to drjamesnager@gmail.com
