Tag Archives: Sedation Dentistry

Daughter Broke Her Front Tooth

My daughter fell and broke a chunk off her front tooth. I immediately called our pediatric dentist and he said the soonest he could see her is six months from now. I told him we are pretty anxious to get it fixed and asked him to recommend somewhere. His response was that everyone will tell us that the nerves need time to calm down and then they can see us. For some reason that felt like an excuse to me. If not, why not say that upfront instead of originally saying he’s booked for six weeks? Is there really a necessary time to wait?

Belinda

Dear Belinda,

Your instincts are good. There isn’t really a reason you should have to wait. I’m guessing your pediatric dentist just didn’t want to lose any business. This can be treated right away.

If you have the piece that broke off, a good cosmetic dentist can reattach it. If not, the solution would be to have dental bonding done. This will also need to be done by a good cosmetic dentist. It doesn’t necessarily need to also be a pediatric dentist. There are general dentists who work well with children.

As she ages, the pulp of her tooth will get smaller. At that point, it may be necessary to do a dental crown. Until then, bonding or reattachement are your best options for her.

If she gets nervous at the dentist, look for someone who offers dental sedation. They can give her something to relax her. It doesn’t have to be very strong, even just nitrous oxide will be enough.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

What to expect with a tooth implant surgery?

I’m getting a tooth implant surgery tomorrow in the front and I was wondering exactly what to expect.  I’m getting IV sedation so I know during the procedure it won’t be too bad, but how bad of pain will I experience in the days after? Do people swell or bruise with this surgery? And are you able to go back to school quickly? And one more question… A little later after the surgery do you think I could go shopping? I’m getting the surgery done in a city so it would be kind of nice if I could.

Thanks, Haley

Dear Haley,

A dental implant is a great choice especially for an anterior tooth because it will feel and look natural. You may have some discomfort however your dentist will probably prescribe some medication to help ease the pain. Make sure you take your medicine on a full stomach since pain medications can cause nausea and you will want to take it within a couple hours after your surgery.

Due to the fact that you’re being sedated during the procedure, we recommend that you go home and rest afterward. IV sedation can make one drowsy and you may experience some nausea therefore you should put off shopping for the day. Most patients feel back to normal after about 8 hours following the procedure however you should resume your normal routine when you feel comfortable. You should be able to return to school the next day, however that all depends on your pain tolerance and comfort level. There will be some pain but with each passing day the pain subsides.

Swelling is somewhat common to the mouth and cheeks however the severity depends on the surgery. If you are having bone grafting as well you may notice more swelling along with some bruising however usually 2 or 3 days after your surgery. Its best after surgery to put ice packs on your face where the implant was placed to help reduce any swelling that might occur at least for the first 24 hours.

Post courtesy of Dr. Malone, Lafayette Louisiana Cosmetic Dentist

A sedation dentist can help with treatment during addiction recovery

I need a lot of dental treatment, and I have a problem. I am in treatment for drug addiction, and when I told my regular dentist this, she refused to give me any pain medication during treatment. We were supposed to do two root canal treatments, and I couldn’t even make it through one whole procedure. I had to have her stop, and though she seemed sincerely sorry, she refused to give me any kind of medication.

What should I do? I have to get these root canals done, and I am pretty sure I also need to decide if I want dental implants, but for sure that is off the table if I can’t find a dentist who will sedate me. I’ve read about the procedure, and no way can I have those root forms implanted without meds.

I appreciate any pointers you can give me. I am trying to turn my life around, and this needs to be done.

Marcus from New England

Dear Marcus,

You need to find a sedation dentist, a dentist who is trained in how to treat pain and anxiety during dental treatment. A dentist who has undergone training in sedation dentistry will understand how to best work with your treatment plan. The dentist who is overseeing your treatment plan might be an excellent resource to point you toward a dentist that will work with you.

Post courtesy of Dr. Malone, Lafayette Louisiana cosmetic dentist.

For more information about Cerec crowns, see our website.

My six year old son’s teeth are in bad shape

My son is six years old. I’ve just started to research dental information to address some serious problems with his teeth.

He has at least four cavities that I can see. Two of them are small in diameter, but seem to be quite deep, and two other teeth have actually started to chip away from the decay. I’m afraid there may be more, but he won’t let me get a really good look in his mouth to tell.

What are my options with these kinds of problems? I really don’t want to have any teeth pulled if we can possibly avoid it. They are all molars, and from what I have read so far that could really screw up the alignment of his teeth later on. Can they do some kind of porcelain crowns or white fillings? I don’t want them to look bad and make him embarrassed, either. I’ve read that with kids they often do some kind of metal crown, but those are so ugly!

I also wanted to ask about sleep dentistry (also called sedation dentistry). I think I am going to have to locate someone who does this kind of dentistry, because my son just will not open his mouth for the dentist or the hygienist. We’ve tried three different dentists with no luck. I was hoping he would mature enough to cooperate, but we just can’t wait any longer.

I appreciate your help,

Maranda in New Brunswick

Dear Maranda,

You’ll want to find a pediatric dentist who also performs sedation dentistry. I think you are correct in saying that you simply cannot put of your son’s dental care any longer.

You are also correct that removing the molars without also putting in some kind of space holder will cause a lot of problems down the road. Those molars are also important in helping him eat, so ideally your dentist will try to salvage the teeth rather than extracting them. In pediatric dentistry, much of the work is often geared toward short term maintenance and temporary fixes, because those teeth will not remain in place forever. Usually they will place a stainless steal crown, but if you are adamantly opposed to the steel, your dentist can work with you to find a suitable material.

Another issue that must be addressed is the eating pattern that probably produced this kind of severe decay in such a young child. The kind of decay you’ve described is caused by constant eating. If you want to put a stop to these kinds of serious dental problems, you’ll have to put a stop to the eating habits that produce them.