Dentist ≠ Pain

Many people associate a trip to the dentist with pain and they continue to do so without realising that nowadays there is no pain. With the advancement in dental diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, dental procedures now can be performed with precision, much faster and with minimal downtime for the patient.

Dentistry has evolved to a point where pain is no longer a factor in the overall management equation. With trouble free post-treatment recovery possible, patients no longer have lingering “bad” memories or experiences at their dentists’ office.

Why Pain Arises

Dental pain is one of the most intolerable body pains one can withstand. It has been said that dental pain from a broken tooth can bring the bravest of men to his knees.

• Lack of good oral hygiene contributes to development of gum diseases and dental cavities.
• Lack of good oral health education and dental awareness also deters patients from regular visit to their dentists. The dental problems then snowballs to bigger and more severe ones as time goes by.

By visiting the dentist on a regular basis, problems can be spotted early and resolved before any pain or infection occurs.

Dealing with Anxiety

Possible reasons for anxiety:

• Extreme anxiety in dental patients can often be passed on by their family or friends. Not everyone enjoys visiting the dentist; some may even have very bad previous experiences before.
• Sometimes dental anxieties may be a result of stereotypical portrayals from popular culture.
• Clinical atmosphere. The saying goes:  “Appearance matters”. Well in relation to managing our patients’ anxiety, this holds true. “Clinical” looking dental offices that emit the classical smell of disinfectant and the sound of the whining dental drill can also contribute to the anxiety factor in patients.

Allaying Anxiety

• Pleasant ambiance at the clinic. Dental clinics these days are decked out in warm interior décor together with comforting lighting while disinfectants are now odour-free. Television and music are available to entertain patients in the waiting room and in the treatment room.
• Good communication between dentist/dental team and patient is critical. Speak with your dentist regarding your oral health and let him or her know if you are anxious about the dental appointment and the treatment. By understanding and knowing more about the procedure, you will be in a better position to control your anxiety levels because you know what to expect.
• Access to Information. More information about the qualifications, experience, track record of your dentist and the procedure itself prior to treatment will also reduce anxiety as you would have a higher level of confidence in the dentist and would know that you are in good hands.
• Anti-anxiety oral medications can be prescribed prior to a dental visit to reduce anxiety levels; this will lead to a faster and smoother delivery of treatment thus making the entire dental visit more pleasant and acceptable.

Studies have shown that pain is more often experienced when people are anxious, anticipating the “worst”. With the fear of a stereotypical dental office setting removed and better communication and trust between the patient and the dentist, patients are in a better position to experience dental treatment without any pain.

Relief from Pain

Most dental treatment can be delivered with or without local anaesthesia. If the procedure is simple, local anaesthesia may not be needed. No one enjoys the sight of a needle or being pricked by one. Generally, if your dentist makes you feel secure and you feel comfortable in the soothing surroundings, a simple cleaning or filling can be performed without the need for injections.

Local anaesthesia is required for dental procedures such as deep cleaning, deep cavities, root canal treatment and many cosmetic procedures (crowns, veneers, etc.) Anaesthesia is also required for outpatient/ in-office oral surgical procedures such as simple and complex dental extractions, wisdom teeth removal, oral biopsies, gum surgery, dental implant placement, bone grafting etc.  With topical or surface anaesthesia applied first to the area, dental injections when delivered in a controlled and slow pace, can be with minimal or no discomfort at all.

Patients may also opt for in-office intravenous sedation, delivered by a team of well trained and qualified specialist anaesthetists. During the sedation procedure, vital parameters such as blood pressure, pulse rate and oxygen saturation levels are constantly monitored throughout the entire dental procedure to ensure the safety of the patient. Sedation is suitable for patients aged 7 years old and upwards.

Patients may also opt for general anaesthesia which is a very deep level of sedation requiring airway maintenance and breathing support with the anaesthetic machine. Hospitalisation may or may not be required; but a proper operating theatre facility and set-up is required, thus raising the total cost of treatment.

Patients may want to opt for in-office sedation as the best alternative.

Relief from Financial Pain

Besides dental pain, patients may also feel financial pain from undergoing dental treatment.

• “Prevention is better than cure”. Regular visits to your dentist are important to spot problems early. A small cavity is easy and more economical to treat than a huge and deep cavity that may require extensive treatment like root canal therapy and a crown.
• Speak with your dentist regarding treatment fees and payment methods to avoid any surprises. Certain dental surgical procedures are also covered by Medisave or certain insurance schemes. In addition, some clinics also have interest-free instalment plans available or are registered for the Baby Bonus Scheme which would aid in providing some relief from financial pain.

Your Dentist – Your Partner in Health

Dental treatment or procedures do not need to affect your lifestyle or work routine/ schedule. Pain is no longer in the equation with proper diagnosis, management and delivery of treatment. Certain implant procedures are now minimally invasive (keyhole) in nature. Oral surgery performed together with intravenous sedation offers minimal downtime for recovery and patients are back to their normal routine within 1 or 2 days.

Advances in dental diagnostics and treatment coupled with highly trained and qualified dental health professionals can bring dentistry to the next higher level: Pain-Free Dentistry.

Remember your dentist is there to take away your pain; start treating your dentist as your partner in oral health preservation and smile transformation and you will begin to feel less anxious about your whole dental visit.

As a one stop centre for specialist dental solutions; Specialist Dental Group is always striving to meet our patients’ needs more effectively and efficiently. One such way is by having the latest equipment such as a Digital Panoramic X-Ray system as well as a Cone Beam CT Scanner installed in our clinic.

Digital Panoramic X-Rays

• Patients benefit from a state-of-the-art patient-positioning system which makes the x-ray taking procedure quick, simple and accurate. Images from all different positions of the head (lateral, horizontal or chin to head imagery) can be taken and analyzed at the same time. 
• The digital images are also transmitted into the treatment room in seconds – enabling the patient and dental specialist to discuss the x-rays almost immediately after they are taken. This is especially beneficial to patients with time constraints. 
• Digital x-rays are also much safer for patients as the level of radiation is significantly lower than traditional x-rays (which is already very low).
• In addition, the accuracy of the images producted digitally assists our dental specialists in planning surgery and measurements.

 Cone Beam CT Scanner

The CT scanner provides three-dimensional imaging of a patient’s overall oral and maxillofacial anatomy

• It can be used for a wide cross-section of situations, including dental implants, jaw surgery, treatment of temporomandibular jaw problems (TMJ or jaw joint problems) and sinus surgery.
• It is also extremely useful as an aid for dentists in visualizing patients’ internal anatomy and analyzing the exact position and orientation of patients’ critical structures such as nerves, sinus, nose, teeth roots, or even any previous implants.

With the use of technology, the margin of safety in clinical procedures is even wider, and procedures are carried out more efficiently and effectively. .. .

The best part of all these new technology at Specialist Dental Group for patients is the added convenience of having everything under one roof – there is no longer any need to go to another location to have CT scans taken.

Currently, Specialist Dental Group has a Cone Beam CT scanner, a digital x-ray machine, a lateral cephalometric machine and a surgical microscope. All nine treatment rooms are equipped with computers to enable viewing of CT scans, digital xrays and videos. 

The K1 and K2 Classes at Kiddiewinkie Place went to school on November 4 with a sense of anticipation….. they were going to visit the dentist that morning ! Most 5 and 6-year olds may not find a trip to the dental clinic something to be excited about – but that could be due to the fact that visits to the dentist are associated with tooth aches or other dental problems.

As part of our community outreach program to children to educate them about the benefits of healthy teeth and to make a dental visit a pleasant one, Specialist Dental Group hosted about 60 children and teachers from the school. This was the second such event for our clinic, after the success of the Nanyang Kindergarten visit in October.

Dr. Ansgar Cheng and Dr Helena Lee spoke to the children about the importance of brushing their teeth well so that the naughty bacteria would not have a party on leftover food in their mouths or make holes in their teeth.  They also showed proper brushing techniques and had some of the children try out their tooth brushing skills on the tooth model.  

The children were introduced to “mama straw” and “baby straw”, who were very thirsty indeed, and they had a chance to see how quickly these two straws could drink the water in the cup.

They also had a chance to feel the ticklish polishing brush, which could not only polish their teeth to make them sparkle, but also buff their nails… needless to say, the little girls were delighted !

Our staff and dentists also enjoyed interacting with the children who were very responsive to questions from our team. Specially made glove balloons were awarded to those who could answer a pop quiz on oral care.

Many thanks to Lion Corporation for generously sponsoring Kodomo toothbrushes and toothpaste for the children as well as a colouring sheet of the Kodomo lion. Systema toothbrushes and toothpastes were also provided for the teachers. We appreciate your support.

We also received a lovely thank-you card from the kids and teachers at Kiddiewinkie Place. It was a pleasure having them over. We hope everyone had a positive experience from their visit to the dentist.

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) in the USA has released the results of a survey conducted among their members,  with 33% indicating that the No. 1 cause of sensitive teeth for their patients was aggressive toothbrushing. The next most common cause of teeth sensitivity were consumption of acidic food and drinks.  To read more details, click here. Specialist Dental Group also wrote a blog posting about sensitive teeth last month.

Possible causes of teeth sensitivity

1. gum disease
2. wear and tear of teeth
3. overbrushing /type of toothbrush used
4. decayed teeth
5. consumption of carbonated drinks
6. hormonal changes
7. teeth whitening
8. broken or cracked teeth
9. bulimia
10. acid reflux

The AGD survey is consistent with our clinical experience. Dr Helena Lee, Specialist in Periodontics at our clinic was recently quoted in a My Paper story on sensitive teeth stating that our clinic had seen a 10% increase in patients with sensitive teeth compared with five years ago.  In the AGD survey, nearly 60% of the 700 dentists reported an increase in the frequency of tooth erosion in the same time frame of comparison.

To read more about tooth erosion and consumption of sports drinks, click here.

Tips for Sensitive Teeth Problems:

1. Brush with a soft-bristled brush with gentle strokes. 
2. Floss between teeth;
3. Don’t use a toothpick.
4. Visit your dentist at least once in 6 months for thorough check-up and scaling
5. Rinse after consuming soft drinks or eating acidic food
6. Use a de-sensitizing toothpaste – there are several in the market