oral conscious sedation Archives | Poplar Crossing Dental

Dentist Cut My Tongue and Lip; Burned My Eye

Posted on August 14, 2023 by writeradmin.

I had a horrible dental experience this week. I had to have a crown and two fillings done. I opted to have the nitrous oxide, which did not really do anything to help me. When the appointment first started, the dentist nicked my lip with a piece of equipment. It bled on and off throughout the appointment because he was pressing on it. A few minutes later a chemical of some sort splashed into my eye and burned like mad. Instead of apologizing for these two things he just yelled at me to sit still. How was I not supposed to jump when my eye was burned? Then, when he was drilling he slipped and put a tiny slice in my tongue. His assistant gasped but he gave her a look that made her go quiet. I tried to talk to him about it after the procedure, but he said I probably just bit my tongue because a lot of patients do that when they use nitrous. I did NOT bite my tongue. All I really wanted was an apology but because of the way he is trying to blame me, I sort of want part of my money back now. Is that possible?

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

Woman lying in a field of flowers

I am terribly sorry that you experienced such a horrible dental appointment. Appointments like that can affect people’s dental experiences for years. I’ll talk about how to ensure you have a pleasant dental experience next time in a moment. First, let’s answer your questions. Because it sounds your dentist is taking up a defensive posture it doesn’t sound like you will get an apology even though you certainly deserve one. As for getting a refund, if he’s not willing to offer an apology, I sincerely doubt that you will get any money out of him, but you are certainly within your rights to ask. I don’t think there’s enough in damages to recommend you take him to court, so unless he’s willing to own up to his mistakes then your only options are to switch dentists and write a review about the type of care you received in order to warn other patients about him.

You mentioned that the nitrous oxide didn’t really do much for you. This is often a signal of a strong dental anxiety. With that issue as a base and the negative experience you just had, I am going to recommend you see a sedation dentist the next time you have any substantial dental work that you need to be done, specifically one that offers oral conscious sedation. This is stronger than nitrous. In fact, some patients call it sleep dentistry because they nap through the entire appointment.

Again, I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m hopeful your next dentist will have much more empathy. Dentists who offer sedation are often more compassionate because they are used to dealing with anxious patients.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Adopted Daughter Terrified of the Dentist

Posted on July 4, 2023 by writeradmin.

I have an eleven-year-old girl we recently adopted from overseas. We tried taking her to the dentist last week and the minute anyone came near her with a dental tool, she began screaming. At some point, she ran out of the room and hid under the receptionist’s desk. I was mortified, but also very worried about our new daughter. I don’t know if she’s been through some trauma at the dentist before or elsewhere. They gave us very little information on her background. Is there anything you can recommend that would help us get her teeth looked at? I’m sure she has not had very good dental care where she came from.

Mirianna

Dear Mirianna,

Let me first say that I really admire what you are doing. Adopting any child is a big moment. Getting one from overseas comes with additional complications, especially if they don’t give you much information on the child’s background.

I don’t know if her trauma comes from a difficult dental appointment or something else, however, I do have some suggestions. What your new daughter needs is a good experience with a dentist. I would start by setting up a tour of the dental office. Assure her that they are not going to treat her. Instead, they are just going to show her around and introduce her to the staff. Make sure it is a practice that is used to dealing with children. Please also tell them about what you do know regarding her background and your fears of trauma. It does not necessarily have to be a pediatric dentist. There are general dentists who love treating children.

After she meets them, she will not be as afraid to walk in the door, which she probably will be right now after the last appointment. That is why I am recommending the tour with no treatment. Shortly after that is when you can work on getting her evaluated. It will probably require seeing a dentist who offers dental sedation. Given the severity of her anxiety, I suggest something strong such as oral conscious sedation. Eventually, you may be able to lower that to nitrous oxide. Right now, however, the important thing is that you get her teeth evaluated so you know what you are dealing with. The LAST thing she needs is to end up with a dental emergency.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

If I Want To Get Rid Of My Teeth Do I See an Oral Surgeon or Dentist?

Posted on June 17, 2023 by writeradmin.

I grew up with a horrible fear of the dentist. I do not even remember how it all started. Unfortunately, this fear carried over into adulthood and I no longer had anyone pressuring me to go. Now my mouth is a mess and hurts more often than it doesn’t. I think I am to the point where I just want to have my teeth removed and get dentures. It sounds like a dream to think about not being in pain every day. In that case, do I see a dentist or an oral surgeon to remove my teeth?

Mark

Dear Mark,

I am sorry for what you’ve been dealing with your entire life. Often, these dental phobias start after a particularly traumatizing appointment with their childhood dentist. Before we go into the procedure for getting rid of your teeth, I want to suggest that you try to save them. I know. I know. You HATE dentists, and given your life experience I completely understand that. However, I know something that can change your life.

As you’ll have to see a dentist no matter what decision you make, I am going to suggest you see a sedation dentist. First, schedule a consultation. Talk to the dentist about your anxiety and ask for an appointment using oral conscious sedation. This is sometimes called sleep dentistry because it is so strong that patients often sleep completely through their appointment. Patients who have dealt with a lifetime of anxiety suddenly find they can go to the dentist again without any fear.

Are Dentures REALLY What You Want?

A woman’s jaw before and after facial collapse.

The thing about dentures is that they can often be just as miserable. They move around in your mouth and rub up against the ridge of your jawbone. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. However, the worst part of this is that the moment your teeth are removed your body recognizes that and immediately begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere. After ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to even retain your dentures. This is known in dental circles as facial collapse.

My suggestion is you see if the dentist can save as many teeth as possible and just replace those which cannot be saved. If it turns out none of your teeth can be saved and you have to get dentures, then I recommend you get implant-supported dentures. The dental implants will keep them secure and prevent facial collapse. I am hoping that will not be necessary.

See that sedation dentist and then we can go from there.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

How Much Dental Work Can Be Done in One Appointment?

Posted on April 17, 2023 by writeradmin.

I want to catch up on my dental work and am hoping to get as much done as possible at my appointment. I have 5 root canals that need to be done, 3 fillings, and I’d like to whiten my teeth. Can you tell me how much of this can be done at once?

Barbara

Dear Barbara,

The amount of work done at each appointment will vary from dentist to dentist. You will find that a dentist who offers dental sedation will be able to get more done at each appointment (and be more willing to). If you don’t want sedation then much of it will depend on your ability to tolerate the treatment.

Any general dentist can do teeth whitening, so that is no big deal. Your root canal treatments can be done in one appointment if they are on front teeth. Back teeth take much longer, especially for a general dentist. Those will take a general dentist between one and a half and two hours per molar. However, an endodontist (root canal specialist) can work much faster. The fillings could also be done in one appointment, as well.

As I mentioned in the beginning, much of this will depend on the dentist and their preferred work flow. If you don’t have a regular dentist, I would start with a sedation dentist so you can squeeze as much in as possible. Then, just call around and ask them about timing.

If your teeth need root canals because of an active infection, then you don’t want to put this off. These infections spread and can become life-threatening. In those cases, I would let them know and they can schedule you during one of their urgent care appointments, if they provide those.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Lost a Tooth During Dental Sedation

Posted on October 11, 2022 by writeradmin.

I will start off by admitting I rely on dental sedation for pretty much everything except a cleaning. The ability to get work done without having fear is one of the reasons my teeth are in such good condition. I did have two years of unemployment and no insurance which caused me to miss my normal upkeep at the dentist. During this time I developed a cavity that my dentist said would need a dental crown. I’ve always trusted him and agreed without question.

I don’t know what actually happened during the appointment but I remember coming out of the fog of sedation at home and discovering instead of getting a dental crown, he’d pulled the tooth. I called the office and they said it was too far gone to save. Here are my questions. How did he not know that to begin with? Was he allowed to do that without my consent? Should he have to replace the tooth?

Debbie

Dear Debbie,

I am sorry this happened to you. I haven’t seen the x-rays your dentist did or examined you, so it is hard to say with certainty that he should have known, but generally a dentist can tell when a tooth cannot be saved. It’s possible he got in there and the decay underneath was much more extensive, but again, I haven’t seen the x-rays.

With dental sedation, there is a release you sign that says what procedure you agree to. I would ask to see the agreement you signed. In order for him to do work you didn’t agree to there would have to be something in the contract that says if something turns up during the procedure you give him permission to move forward. Without that, he could get into some trouble by extracting your tooth without your consent. If the tooth truly wasn’t saveable, then another option would be to give you a temporary crown so you are not at risk from anything jagged and consult with you when you were more lucid. Obviously, it would mean another appointment charge, but many patients would prefer that to losing a tooth without their consent.

As to whether he should pay for the tooth replacement, I would first ask him. If he says no, then ask for your x-rays and chart notes and take them to another dentist for a second opinion as to whether the tooth could be saved. You may want to go to a dentist in another city for your second opinion. Dentists know one another and one dentist may have trouble saying anything against a colleague he knows. If it turns out the tooth was extracted unnecessarily, then you will have a good case to get the replacement of your choice. I would replace it with a dental implant.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Sensitivity to Epinephrine

Posted on January 7, 2022 by writeradmin.

I want to have porcelain veneers done, but I understand the local anesthetic for that is usually Novacaine or Lidocaine. Both of those have Epinephrine, which a friend told me caused her to shake throughout her entire appointment and for about an hour afterward. I am worried I’ll have the same reaction. Is there another option to those which does not contain any Epinephrine? What about dental sedation? Would that work?

Lainey

Dear Lainey,

The Epinephrine that you find in those numbing medications is not enough to cause the reaction your friend had. It is more likely the Epinephrine that her body produced because of procedural anxiety she felt. As far as dental sedation goes, nitrous oxide would be okay because you would be lucid. However, I would not recommend you use anything like oral conscious sedation (OCS).

Oral Conscious Sedation is WAY too strong for a procedure such as porcelain veneers. You want to be able to get a good look at your veneers with a temporary try-in paste so you can give your approval or suggest what changes you want to be made. With Oral Conscious Sedation you will not be lucid enough to do that. In fact, it is so strong that dentists require you to have someone drive you to and from your appointment. It will be several hours after your appointment before you will be in any condition to be on your own or make decisions.

Unless you have a history of dental anxiety, you probably won’t need anything, but if you have even slight concerns, nitrous oxide will be a good precaution. It will relax you enough where the Epinephrine in your body will not kick in.

One word of caution before settling on a dentist to do your porcelain veneers. Smile makeovers are not taught in dental school. Because of that, you will want to make sure they have advanced post-doctoral training in cosmetic work before letting them work on you. Cosmetic Dentistry is not a recognized specialty so just calling themselves a cosmetic dentist will not be enough. Any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist. Look on their website bio for that post-doctoral training I mentioned.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

My Daughter is Terrified of the Dentist

Posted on December 31, 2021 by writeradmin.

My twelve year old has suddenly developed a fear of the dentist. She has a panic attack every time it is time to go. I have always been in her dental appointments with her and she’s never had anything bad happen to her. In all honesty, she’s been developing more and more anxiety as she gets older. I know I need to find a solution, but one thing I need to deal with practically right now is to get her teeth dealt with. I know she has at least one cavity.

Penny

Dear Penny,

That is a hard age. Everything about their life is changing. They have a foot in the teenage world and a foot still in their child world. Their hormones are going nuts. They are trying to figure out who they are and what they believe. It is a confusing time. You are right that you do need to get her teeth taken care of. You do not want her developing a dental emergency, which will give her a traumatic appointment.

My suggestion is you find a pediatric dentist who also offers dental sedation. At this point, given her anxiety, she will need oral conscious sedation. This is administered by a pill that she will take before her appointment. The medication will completely relax her. In fact, she will likely completely sleep through her appointment. This will allow her to get her cavity taken care of without any trauma. Then, as she grows out of her anxiety she may be fine with just nitrous oxide.

These are tough years, but you can get through them.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Dental Care and Addiction Recovery

Posted on July 14, 2021 by writeradmin.

I am on a methadone treatment plan for addiction recovery. I need a lot of work on my teeth. The problem I have is in getting dentists to care about any pain, especially post-operative pain I’m in. It has made it almost impossible for me to go to the dentist to get significant work done. But, the situation will only get worse if I don’t do something. Even offering my clinic number and asking them to speak with both my counselor and doctor has not done anything to sway my dentist. What do I do?

Randy

Dear Randy,

First, let me say it is awesome that you are working on your addiction. That is huge and your life will be much better for it in the long run. I know it feels excruciating right now, but in a few years you will be glad you did it. As for your treatment issues, what you are bumping up against is fear. Dentists have a fear of the D.E.A. which can completely crush their practice. What you need is a dentist who has more compassion than fear. I would start by looking for a sedation dentist. They tend to have more of an empathy for patients in your situation. There will be some real side benefits to this for you as well.

First, when you have had painful experiences at the dentist it tends to up your dental anxiety which inversely affect the effectiveness of the local anesthetic you get. This makes the appointment even more painful. The only way to break the cycle is to reduce the anxiety. Dental sedation will do this for you.

Second, if you get something like oral conscious sedation, it will allow the dentist to get more work done at each sitting. This will get you caught up on your needed dental work much faster.

I’m going to suggest when all this is done that you give yourself some kind of treat to improve your smile even more, such as teeth whitening. It is the least expensive cosmetic treatment and gives you real bang for your buck, making you look years younger.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Zirconia Allergy or Burning Mouth Syndrome

Posted on June 26, 2021 by writeradmin.

I had a zirconia crown put on in 2019. Since then, I have had a dry sticky mouth and my throat burns. I’ve since seen several ENT doctors. They’ve ruled out acid reflux and mouthwash. The final ENT said it was burning mouth syndrome. All of them insist that there are no known zirconia allergies. I’ll be honest and say that I do not enjoy dentists under the best of circumstances, but the last appointment I had has almost sworn me off of them. I had to have a lot of drilling for this crown, which meant a lot of water and I kept feeling like I was drowning. We had to stop multiple times and I really struggled. How can I get the help I need?

Millie

Dear Millie,

Let me address the allergy issue first. While there are currently no known zirconia allergies, that does not mean there never will be. It’s too broad a statement when dentists imply no one is allergic to something. The human body is complex and each one is unique. While you could get tested for a zirconia allergy, I actually think the last ENT you saw was on the right track with Burning Mouth Syndrome.

While there has been no officially attributed cause, many dentists have seen a clear connection between traumatic dental experiences, dental anxiety, and the symptoms of Burning Mouth Syndrome. You check off all the boxes on each of these. The best way to deal with this is to tackle the anxiety.

My recommendation is that you find a sedation dentist. That is simply a dentist who offers different types of relaxation medication for use during your procedure. At first, I am going to recommend you see someone who offers oral conscious sedation. I think your level of anxiety warrants that. Then, you move onto a milder form of sedation for normal checkups, known as nitrous oxide.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Discouraged about Teeth

Posted on January 25, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have had problems with my teeth my entire life. My parents were very poor and couldn’t take us to the dentist. One day, I developed what they called an abscess. My parents emptied their savings trying to take care of that tooth. I’m not sure the dentist who did the root canal treatment did a very good job because when I turned 19, the tooth just broke in half. It was humiliating. As I’ve gotten older, I have worked hard to see the dentist regularly but it seems I have the worst teeth in history. I can’t keep up with all the work that needs to be done. Most of the dentists I’ve been to just don’t seem to care. They just suggest I take out teeth. Is it possible to find a dentist willing to put in the work to save my teeth? Is there anything I can do to improve my situation? I promise you I brush.

Laura

Dear Laura,

You are in a tough spot. There are patients who seem to have teeth that are working against them. While there are some dentists who do not care and it seems like whoever did your root canal may not have been careful or done the adequate follow-up, many dentists go into their profession because they want to help people. Some may get easily discouraged when they encounter a mouth that seems to fall apart quickly. Others may be making premature judgments about your teeth thinking because of the shape they are in you don’t take care of them so why should they. It is wrong to decide something like that without getting to know a patient. Plus, they are literally getting paid to take care of them.

The first thing I am going to suggest is you do some searching for the best dentist for you. This will mean calling the office and asking for a free “meet the dentist” consultation. Explain your situation and get a feel for the care he will give to you.

It will also help if that dentist offers dental sedation. If you use something like oral conscious sedation, it will allow you to get more work done at each appointment. You can sleep through the procedures as well.

The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Teeth

While it is important that you brush your teeth twice a day, floss every night, as well as visit the dentist twice a year, the most important defense against decay is your saliva. There are minerals and enzymes in your saliva that help to fight decay. However, they need time to work. People who snack constantly throughout the day, sabotage the best defense their teeth have. My suggestion is to eat three meals a day and snack no more than twice.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.