Is the pain at your dentist being managed this way?

Pain and dentists.

It’s an association experienced universally, is based on fear and is frequently misplaced. In the long term, it could also cause more actual (rather than imaged) pain.

It’s a phenomenon I see every day. And it comes at a huge cost: to a person’s health, well-being, and ultimately, their hip pocket.

There isn’t a dentist alive who hasn’t heard a patient at some point say:

I hate dentists.

I hate the smell of dentists.

I hate the sound of dentists.

It’s great to be loved.

Fortunately, most of us have a thick(ish) kind of skin and we’re able to take this kind of response on the chin. Here’s why.

At the heart (yes, there is a heart) of every dentist I know is the drive to improve their patients’ health and life.

In pursuit of that higher calling, we do all things to make our patients’ treatment experience as pain-free as possible. We do this because we know not receiving the right treatment at the right time will cost you. It’s a general statement, but we want our patients to have their Teeth. For Life.

Not-So-Fun-Pain-at-the-Dentist-Facts

I know it will cost you because I’m all over the Not-So-Fun-Pain-Facts. In fact, I could probably write the book. Here’s just a sample of said Not-So-Fun-Pain-Facts:

#1 Not-So-Fun-Pain-Fact – The fear of pain holds people back from doing what’s good for them.

#2 Not-So-Fun-Pain-Fact – The longer you avoid your dentist and avoid treatment, the more it will cost you. Seriously.

#3 Not-So-Fun-Pain-Fact: If you think your pain is only stopping you from seeing your dentist, you’re wrong. It’s also stopping you from doing a bunch of other things as well. Like enjoying your life to the fullest extent possible.

At the risk of sounding a tad mean, this next statement will leave you in no doubt about where I stand on the topic.

I am passionate about ………. what?

More precisely, I’m passionate about pain management for my patients.

A visit to the dentist doesn’t have to hurt

You read that right. A visit to the dentist doesn’t have to hurt. Or be scary. Or leave you feeling you’re not in control.

At our practice, for our patients this is a high priority. It’s right up there with oxygen, in-chair movies, snuggly blankets, and friendly faces. This is because we want our patients to love seeing us, no matter what dental issue arises.

We also want our patients to feel their fear and come to their appointment anyway.

You can too, if you dentist helps manage pain like we do.

When we do injections, we take three times the normal amount of time taken.

We spray the gum before we even put the injection in. Why? Because when we do it this way, the patient feels nothing. That’s right. NOTHING.

When it comes to anaesthetic, we use a product designed exclusively for dentistry. Used correctly, the anaesthetic is deeper and more profound than normal dental anaesthetic.

This is an especially big deal for patients who have difficulty with numbing their back lower teeth. I’ve treated countless patients who’ve had negative experiences with anaesthetic for treatment in this area. With correct application of anaesthetic, they’ve had a totally different experience of dental treatment. One that’s pain free.

You mean I don’t have to feel anything?

And it doesn’t end there. For the 20 percent of patients who don’t respond to anaesthetic, we take things further. We give these people a second injection of another special dental anaesthetic. This is done at the same time as the first injection. The biggest hassle for these people is: they are really, really numb.

Now, there are always outliers (those who lie outside the range), right? For the two percent of people who can still feel what’s going on, we provide an extra special anaesthetic technique. For this we use a special instrument called a Ligmaject. This is placed carefully down around the gum to totally numb the tooth. The result? No feeling. No pain.

We are big on leaving the patient in control. We tell them, if they’re concerned about what’s going on or feel like they might feel something, just raise your hand. Our goal is to get you through, pain free.

And then there’s sedation

There is no doubt we do everything we can, but some for some people, the thought of the pain is actually far worse than the pain itself.

For these patients, there is the option of light sedation. The great thing about sedation is it allows patients to forget what’s going on. They’re happy, they lose the knot in their stomach, they enjoy themselves. Would you believe they even laugh at my jokes, which are usually not funny at all. When they do that, I know we’re good to go.

So how are you with pain and the dentist? Is it time to re-think that relationship? Good oral health is priceless.

Book an appointment today on 5573 0188  You’ll be so glad you did.

Got questions about pain management? Fill out our ‘REQUEST A CALL BACK’ and we’ll call you to talk about how we can get you through that barrier.