Painless dentistry
The time when the fear of visiting a dental office was a major problem is long gone. But do you know why our grandparents or parents were reluctant, and sometimes only as a last resort, to visit a dentist? The main reason was pain.
History
What seems completely irrational today due to the anesthesia methods and agents used, once effectively deterred patients. For many, pain was a serious barrier to deciding to visit a dental office, and for some, it was simply an impossible challenge.
Even in the second half of the last century, the use of anesthesia for conservative dentistry procedures was not a given, and the dental tools used were not as precise as they are today. Of course, some procedures, such as tooth extraction, required the administration of anesthetics, but others (cavity treatment, fillings) did not necessarily...
Basically, to completely eliminate pain, the most effective method was and still is the use of so-called general anesthesia, popularly known as being put to sleep. In the past, it was not available for all types of dental procedures, and even today it is offered only when there are no other possibilities to effectively isolate the patient from their greatest enemy, which is pain. Pain tolerance is not the same for everyone; what is a great cause of fear for some is only a small discomfort for others.
Modern dentistry has a wide, and at the same time extremely precise, range of pain relief options.
Procedural sedation and analgesia
The strongest method of anesthesia in terms of its effect on the patient used in modern dentistry is sedoanalgesia (from Latin: sedation and analgesic effect). It consists of intravenous administration of hypnotic, sedative, and analgesic drugs. It is used when the patient feels a very high anxiety before the procedure, has a strong gag reflex or feels discomfort, as well as a reluctance to undergo dental treatment. Sometimes sedation is also used ad hoc during a prolonged medical procedure. When introducing this type of anesthesia into the patient's body, it is important not to consume any meals for 6 hours before the planned procedure. Returning to full fitness after the procedure takes up to 2 hours. It is worth remembering to secure the support of another person, as you should not drive on this day, and slight balance impairment and general discomfort may occur.
Nitrous oxide
Another anesthetic with a similar effect is nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas (it exhibits slight euphoric properties, hence its name). As befits a gas, it is administered through a mask, via inhalation. Laughing gas can be safely used in children and is also an effective tool in combating dentophobia. Inhalation sedation has many advantages. Nitrous oxide does not dull the senses and allows for full contact to be maintained with the patient during the dental procedure. The gas stops working after just a short moment, allowing you to drive a car as early as 20 minutes after the visit. An interesting fact about laughing gas is the body's decreasing tolerance to the same dose. After prolonged use of N2O, a reduced dose can produce the same effect as at the beginning of its use. This is a completely opposite situation to many other intoxicating substances ;)
Ubistesin
Another effective tool in the fight against pain, dedicated to performing local anesthesia in dentistry, is an anesthetic called Ubistesin. This medicine, which is very widespread and popular in many dental practices, is used by dentists during standard procedures in conservative dentistry, surgical operations within the mucous membrane and bone, or the extraction of broken teeth. This type of anesthesia is administered by the dentist using a needle and syringe directly into the area requiring the anesthetic.
The Wand
Modern dentistry offers a range of innovative solutions that utilize advanced methods of pain relief. One such solution is The Wand. The system consists of a small computer and a special handpiece that resembles a pen in appearance. The administration of the anesthetic itself is done manually — the dentist places the handpiece against the patient's gum and administers the anesthetic under the control of a microprocessor. The computer constantly provides information about the subsequent stages of the drug's penetration into the tissues and controls the entire process. In this way, we anesthetize only the specific area to be treated, e.g., a single tooth. This avoids tissue distension, which is often perceived as pain of varying intensity. Anesthesia with The Wand takes about 3 minutes depending on the site and the anesthesia technique, and immediately after the application is complete, the tissues are already anesthetized and the procedure can begin.
