What if I'm scared about having pain during a dental procedure?
At our office, we do everything we can to minimize the amount of pain that you will feel during a procedure. What we do is try to ensure that every patient is fully numb and anesthetized so that you're not feeling any pain while we're doing the procedure. The other thing that we try to focus on is making you as comfortable as possible.
At Renew Dental, we have TVs in every treatment room so that you can put on a show to help distract you during the procedures. Other things that we do include trying to provide a comfortable environment. Blankets are available as needed, and we also have stress balls or toys that you can use to help you through the procedure.
We also have other options to help reduce your fear and anxiety during the treatment, such as nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, which can help you feel more at ease during the treatment and also helps to reduce some of the pain that you will feel.
What can I do if I have anxiety before a dental appointment?
When it comes to our office, we appreciate open communication, and if you're able to tell us that you're having anxiety, we can help you better manage that. A lot of the time, we find that having good communication and understanding exactly what's going to be happening helps to put patients' minds at ease. We can discuss using medications or other sedative management tools so that we can help you feel less anxious while you're getting the treatment done.
And the other thing you can feel free to do is bring someone to the appointment with you, and they're welcome to be close to you so that you feel more comfortable while you're getting the care that you need.
What if I haven't been to the dentist in many years and I feel embarrassed?
This is a scenario that we see often, and whether it's been 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years since you've been to the dentist, our sole goal is helping you go from where you are right now to getting fully healthy. When we look at your mouth, we will not judge you for where you're at right now. And we want to help use good, open communication so that you can understand what is needed in order to get back to where you want to be. There's no judgment from anybody in the office on how long it's been since your last visit. What we're focused on is that we're happy that you're here in the office right now and that we can help you move forward.
What if I gag easily during treatment?
Again, this is another common issue that we run into when giving care to patients. The good news is that we can help you try to manage that as best as possible through using different positioning techniques and also using nitrous oxide, which helps to reduce the gag reflex and can be an option to help you get through treatment.
What if I'm scared of needles?
When it comes to the needle, it's an unfortunate part of getting treatment done. What we try to do at our office is really focus on making it as comfortable as possible. So what does that mean? We're going to use a topical gel, which helps to pre-numb the tissues before we have to give you the needle.
The other thing we do is our doctors are trained to give slow injections. We try to make the procedure, or the injection, as comfortable as possible. Many times, patients actually don't even realize that they have already gotten the needle because these techniques do help a lot in terms of getting the patient numb.
What if I'm worried that something is going to go wrong during the procedure?
In order to make you as comfortable as possible and help you feel like you're in control during the procedure, we try to use open, good communication so that you understand what is happening and what the next steps involved are during the procedure. If at any point you're feeling uncomfortable or you have a question, you're always free to stop us so that we can help answer that.
The good news at Renew Dental is that the procedures that we provide are all standardized, and patient safety is one of our top priorities to ensure that we have as few issues during treatment as possible. The main thing is that if you have any concerns or any questions at all, please feel free to stop us right away, and we're happy to answer them for you.
Are dental needles big and painful?
The good news when it comes to needles is that there have been a lot of advancements over the years, and we've gotten to the point where a needle is nearly as painless as it can be. When you come to the office, the dentists will always use the smallest needle we can to reduce pain during the injection.
The other thing that we do is make sure that we use a topical gel on your tissue first, which helps pre-numb it before the needle so that it's not as uncomfortable going in. Also, our injection techniques focus on making sure that we're injecting as slowly as possible to make it as comfortable for you as we can.
Is the dental implant screw actually huge?
When it comes to a dental implant screw, it's actually often smaller than the roots of your teeth. The diameter of the dental implant can vary in size, but it's generally a few millimeters wide. We have ample space on either side to ensure that it's a safe procedure.
The thing about dental implants is that we actually do a lot of planning before the procedure itself to ensure that it's safe when we place the dental implant. By using 3D X-rays and digital planning software, we can ensure that the implant placement is accurate and safe so that the rest of your teeth stay healthy.
Does getting anesthesia always hurt?
When it comes to anesthesia, a lot of the time it does depend on what area we need to numb. There are some areas of the mouth that, yes, are a bit more uncomfortable than others, but for the most part, what we're doing is trying to make it as comfortable as possible by doing things like using that numbing gel to numb the tissues before we inject, using a slow injection rate so that it's as comfortable as possible, and massaging the area so that, again, it's as comfortable as it can be.
Is the dentist going to force my mouth wide open for the entire procedure?
When it comes to care at Renew Dental, the number one thing is we want to make sure that you're comfortable. If at any point you feel like your mouth is too wide open or you need a break, you can feel free to stop us at any point so that we can make sure that you're comfortable.
The other thing that we do at our office is use what's called a bite block or a bite pillow, which essentially is a device that you rest your teeth on. What most patients find is that it's a lot more comfortable for them to get dental treatment done because instead of having to hold their jaw open, they can just bite down on this device, which helps make it a lot more comfortable.
Is dentistry always painful?
When it comes to modern dentistry, we're trying to do everything we can to reduce the amount of discomfort that you have during the procedure. The good news is that with the modern anesthetics that we have, we can get you numb so that you're not feeling pain during the procedure. This helps us, because if you're comfortable, it makes it a lot easier for us to perform the procedure.
A lot of the new techniques also help minimize and reduce the pain after the procedure. The other thing is, if we are expecting pain after the procedure, we can look to prescribe you medication to help make it as comfortable as possible so that you're not out of action too long after procedures.
If nothing hurts, does that mean that everything is fine?
Lastly, the biggest misconception or question that we get is: if nothing hurts, does that mean that everything is fine? When it comes to dentistry and teeth, one of the biggest issues is that your teeth are very good at not feeling pain, which is why it generally doesn't hurt when you're chewing. Part of the problem with this, though, is that issues and dental disease often don't hurt when they're in the earlier or smaller stages. Once the disease gets more extensive, that's generally when it gets into that middle part of the tooth and the nerve. Once you're having pain, that generally means that more invasive and other procedures are going to be necessary.
When it comes to dentistry and treating dental disease, coming in for routine dental cleanings and checkups is going to be the best way that we can identify disease when it's happening before it becomes painful. A lot of the time, when we do that, we can then do a smaller, simpler procedure that helps us fix the disease so that you don't have to have it long term. That's why at Renew Dental, we emphasize focusing on preventative care such as cleanings, dental exams, and X-rays so that we can identify these problems early to save you a headache in the future.