Sleep dentistry Archives | Poplar Crossing Dental

Can I Wait Until My Wisdom Teeth Hurt to Take Them Out?

Posted on July 11, 2024 by writeradmin.

I just graduated high school and am leaving for college soon. My mother really wants me to get my wisdom teeth removed before I go. I really only have two of them. Only the two bottom teeth. The upper wisdom teeth just aren’t there. The bottom two are impacted. My dentist told my mother that it would be best to have them out before I go. But, they do not bother me right now and I am not very fond of going to the dentist. Plus, one of the teeth goes past a nerve and my dentist said that there is a risk of damage to the nerve. He’s suggesting if I’m nervous about that is to remove the tooth part, but leave the root. Though, he said that has a risk of infection. Everything about this terrifies me. I honestly want to just put it off as it is not bothering me right now, but I don’t know what the right thing to do is. As I mentioned, I don’t like the dentist, but I want to do the right thing. Do you know if this can wait until there is an actual problem?

Evelyn

Dear Evelyn,

Woman grabbing her jaw with her hand

You are not the first patient to dread the dentist so please don’t worry about that. I should also tell you that there is a solution to your situation that will allow you to have all your dental care done in an anxiety-free/pain-free way. The way to do that is to see a sedation dentist. They can give you medication that will completely relax you. In fact, you are very likely to sleep through your appointment completely.

When you have wisdom teeth removed, they will use sedation anyway, so you should be fine. I just wanted you to know that, with the right dentist, that sedation is available to you with any fearful appointment.

As to your wisdom teeth, while there is a chance that you will go your whole life and these will not bother you, the danger lies in when they start to bother you. The absolute best and safest time to remove wisdom teeth is when you are young. You are currently at the perfect age for this. As you get older, the procedure becomes more difficult and the risk of complications rises with it. This is because as you age the bones tend to get harder and stiffer. The roots of your teeth will thicken as well as does the cementum. You don’t want to wait and then have a dental emergency where these have to be taken out and you are then past the age where it could be easy.

You had a specific issue that you brought up about having a root by a nerve. While leaving the root there is a viable option, however I do not recommend that your dentist leaves the entire root. Instead, he or she should just leave the tip of the root. When it is small enough, your body won’t have a problem with it. If your dentist is using an oral surgeon for this instead of doing it themself, then I would ask for the dentist to make the determination once the surgeon is in there. Your dentist will understand the implications better than the surgeon.

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

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,

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.

Crown or Veneer of a Front Tooth after Root Canal?

Posted on November 9, 2020 by writeradmin.

I had a root canal treatment on a front tooth a couple of years ago. The appointment itself was excruciating and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. The dentist suggested doing a porcelain veneer on the tooth but as I said, I just wanted to get out of there pronto. Eventually, the tooth started turning dark so I needed to do a restoration. I went to a different dentist hoping it wouldn’t be such a horrifying appointment. This dentist did a dental crown, though. That made my tooth a tiny nub. Which was the right treatment?

Brooke

Dear Brooke,

From a dental school perspective, dentists are taught that you restore a tooth with a crown after a root canal treatment. That does not necessarily mean it is the best treatment for a front tooth. One of the problems is that porcelain veneers aren’t taught much at all in dental school. Combine that with the darkening of the underlying tooth and doing a porcelain veneer on a front tooth is beyond the cosmetic skills of most cosmetic dentists.

Why are Veneers a Better Restoration after a Root Canal?

Front and back teeth have different types of chewing stresses. When a back tooth breaks, it will usually do so between the cusps. Having a dental crown over the tooth protects that from happening. Front teeth, however, have no chewing stresses. Almost all their stress is lateral. The most likely break for the front tooth after a root canal is to snap off at the gumline.

As you can see from the image above, preparation for a dental crown removes quite a bit of tooth structure. this severely weakens the tooth at the gumline. On the other hand, the preparation for a porcelain veneer means only removing a tiny bit of tooth structure, about the depth of a fingernail. This allows the tooth to stay much stronger.

A Word about Your Nightmarish Appointment

Sometimes, when patients have an appointment that is very painful it frightens them from going to the dentist again. If you had trouble getting numb during a procedure, that is often caused by underlying anxiety. Many dentists do not yet realize the connection between anxiety and getting numb. The higher your anxiety, the more difficult it is to get numb.

The easy solution to this is to see a sedation dentist. They can give you a medication, either using nitrous oxide or a pill for oral conscious sedation that will relax you. For mild anxiety, I recommend the nitrous. For higher anxiety, I suggest the oral conscious sedation.

Be aware that the latter is very strong. you will need someone to drive you to and from your dental appointment, as well as stay with you until you are lucid and stable on your feet.

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

I’m Sceptical About Her Dentist

Posted on October 24, 2020 by writeradmin.

I have had tooth pain on and off for a couple of weeks. I went to see a dentist. He did an x-ray and found an infection in a tooth that already has a filling. He said the tooth is so far gone that he’ll have to extract it and then we’ll do a dental implant. I am terrified enough of the dentist already. This sounds like a horrible procedure. Is there any way he’s wrong?

Anne

Dear Anne,

I want you to get a second opinion. I am quite skeptical about your diagnosis. If your tooth were that far gone that it couldn’t be saved, it wouldn’t take an x-ray to see that. Additionally, your filling would have literally sunk into the decay.

You mentioned having tooth pain on and off for a couple of weeks. While some dental infections can spread quickly, I think you would be in agony if it were that advanced.

I have a feeling, once you get that second opinion, you’ll find there is a different diagnosis and solution. When you do visit with the other dentist, make certain it is a blind second opinion. That means you won’t tell the dentist who you went to see or what their diagnosis was. Instead, you’ll just tell them you have a toothache and have already been to one dentist, but want their opinion before moving forward. If they ask for who treated you, just explain you don’t want it to bias his opinion.

A Word About Dental Anxiety

You mentioned being uncomfortable at the dentist. It may bring you some comfort to know you are not alone in that feeling. Additionally, I have a solution that will change how you view the dental chair. Patients with dental anxiety are much better served by seeing a sedation dentist.

Using dental sedation will allow you to have an anxiety-free and pain-free dental appointment. Depending on the level of dental sedation you decide on, you could even sleep through your appointment.

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

How Do I Help My 5 Year Old

Posted on April 22, 2020 by writeradmin.

My 5-year-old daughter is dealing with massive decay. I don’t know how to help her because she doesn’t cooperate with a dentist whenever there is more work needed than just a cleaning. At the moment, she has four back molars that need work. Two of them have mild decay, and two of them have pretty extensive decay. I have three questions. First, what is causing her to develop this much decay if we brush her teeth every day? Second, how do you get an uncooperative child to safely have their teeth worked on? Finally, what kind of treatment will she need?

Catherine

Dear Catherine,

I can tell you care about your daughter a great deal. We’ll start with your first question. In general, for decay to get that bad it would require almost constant snacking or drinking of juices and sodas. Is it possible your daughter drinks a lot of juice or snacks throughout the day? When we eat, our saliva is very instrumental in preventing decay. It contains bacteria-fighting minerals. However, it needs time to work. If she doesn’t have a few hours between meals, then the saliva doesn’t have a chance to do its job and the bacteria from the sugars in our food and drink will eat away at the teeth.

The first thing I would do is limit her snacks. If she goes a few hours without eating, I promise it won’t kill her. She’ll be fine. She may be grumpy for a few days, but her body will adjust. You’ll likely find her more willing to eat at mealtime too!

Dealing with Dental Anxiety In Children

Even some adults struggle with having dental work done, so don’t be too hard on your daughter in this aspect. She’ll need a compassionate pediatric dentist (or family dentist if you prefer to go that route). However, you also want one who offers a couple of levels of dental sedation. Usually, a dentist who offers sedation will be compassionate and is used to working with patients that have anxiety, but you never know, so check their reviews to see how patients (or patient’s parents) felt about them.

With children, it’s always preferable to do the lowest level of sedation possible, though both are safe. The reason it is better to start with the lowest has more to do with how high maintenance her care will be to you afterward.

I’d start with nitrous oxide. This is sometimes dubbed laughing gas. It won’t make her goofy, but it will completely relax her. Most children sleep through their procedures when using it. Once the work is done, her dentist will simply switch the gas to oxygen and in a few moments she’ll be completely back to normal.

For some patients, their anxiety is just too high. If you find that is your daughter’s experience, your next level of sedation is oral conscious sedation. This is so strong that she’ll be loopy for likely the remainder of the day. She’ll also be unsteady on her feet, so help her to the bathroom when she needs to go. Ideally, she’ll sleep it off or just have a Netflix binge.

As for what procedures she’ll need, it varies. For the small decay, a simple white composite filling will suffice. The other teeth, with extensive decay is a different story. Ideally, you want to preserve her back teeth for as long as possible so if you can get away with a dental crown, that is best. If not, and the tooth has to be extracted, make sure your dentist places a space maintainer. Otherwise her other teeth will shift into the open areas which will lead to crowding. Then, when she’s older she’ll be pretty much guaranteed to need braces or Invisalign.

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

Sedation Dental Care During COVID-19

Posted on April 10, 2020 by writeradmin.

I’m going in for a tooth extraction. I’d planned on getting through this with sedation dental care. I’m a little worried. There is a picture of a woman wearing a nosepiece on his website. Will that put me at risk for Coronavirus? Should I put off this procedure until this is over?

Mercy

Dear Mercy,

Dental sedation is a fantastic way to help people with their anxiety and get them through a procedure they’re not looking forward to in a stress-free manner. You should know there are two levels of dental sedation. Only the first level, nitrous oxide, uses the nose piece. While it is not disposable, they are carefully disinfected after each use.

A Deeper Level of Sedation

If you’re still concerned, you can request the second level of sedation—oral conscious sedation. This is administered by pill, so there is no nosepiece required. However, this is a deeper level of sedation. It is so strong that you will need someone to drive you to and from your dental appointment in addition to remaining with you for several hours afterward until you are lucid and steady on your feet again.

Many patients call this sleep dentistry because they snooze all the way through the procedure, often not even remembering it happened.

Urgent Dental Care

While the government has asked us to avoid routine dental procedures during the COVID-19 quarantine, a tooth extraction is not a routine procedure. It is usually done because of a tooth infection that has gone so far the tooth can no longer be saved.

These are considered urgent dental care appointments. That infection will continue to spread until the infected pulp is removed. If you think about how close your jaw is to your heart, brain, and lungs, you’ll realize how quickly you can go from a tooth infection to a life-threatening infection. Don’t put off this treatment.

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

Sedation Dental Care with Osteoporosis

Posted on November 15, 2018 by writeradmin.

I have pretty severe osteoporosis. It’s made dental care extraordinarily painful. I’ve been avoiding the dentist ever since it started getting painful. As you can imagine, this has caused me some additional problems. I’ve recently heard about sedation dental care. However, I’m worried having osteoporosis knocks me out of contention. How would that work for someone in my condition?

Lindsey

Dear Lindsey,

Dental sedation will be a fantastic solution for you. You will likely sleep through the appointment, which makes it pain-free. In addition, your dentist is often able to get significantly more work done during each appointment. This helps you get your oral health care back in shape in less time than would normally be possible.

Precautions You’ll Need with Sedation Dentistry

Because of your osteoporosis, you’ll need to take some additional precautions. A dentist should always have a consultation appointment before administering sedation. It’s especially important for you. Bring all your medications to your consultation, even your over-the-counter meds.

This helps the dentist to know everything you’re on so he can be certain not to give you anything which interferes or has an adverse reaction with your meds. He’ll likely want to talk to your doctors as well, so make sure you bring their contact information.

The dentist will need to make sure he’s attentive to how hard he grasps your jaw. You’re much more prone to fractures and breaks than other patients.

Every patient has to have someone drive them to and from their appointment as well as stay with them until they’re lucid again (usually the rest of the day). This will be especially important for you. You will not be steady on your feet.

Have someone you trust that can get you to a safe, comfy part of your home. It might be great to set up a little nest on the couch or if you have a television in your bedroom to camp out there. After you wake up, plan on having a Netflix binge or some books to read.

Don’t put this off. Being proactive when you know you have problems, can keep you from a dental emergency. This can save you from unnecessary pain, as well as possibly saving a tooth.

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