Wine for White Fillings?

March 31, 2017

Filed under: Cater to Cowards — Tags: cavity, dental anxiety, dental crowns, dental infection, Oklahoma City Cater to Cowards dentist, Oklahoma City Dentist, root canal treatment, sedation dentist, white fillings, wine and dentistry — okcitydentist @ 1:09 pm

I suffered from a bit of dental anxiety. And by a bit I mean a lot. I need a filling. I’m hoping to get a white filling, but I’m having trouble scheduling an appointment. Would it be okay for me to drink some wine before I go to the dentist? It should relax me.

Breeanne P. – San Diego

Breeanne,

I’m glad you’re taking steps to go forward with a needed treatment, even though you’re fearful. Wine is one way of dealing with anxiety. However, it may keep the dentist from any necessary work. Don’t let that discourage you, though. There is a great solution.

There are dentists who specialize in helping patients with dental anxiety. You can usually find them with a simple internet search. Look for a “sedation dentist” or a “cater to cowards” dentist. They can give you something which will relax you much better than wine.

Just be sure you keep moving forward. Your cavity will likely be a simple fix, but if you let it go too long, it could blow up into something more extensive, like needing a root canal treatment and dental crown.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Don Swearingen.

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Sealant Rip-off From Dentist

March 13, 2017

Filed under: Pediatric Dentist — Tags: dental anxiety, dental sealants, nitrous oxide, Oklahoma City Dentist, Oklahoma City Pediatric Dentist, pediatric versus general dentist — okcitydentist @ 5:41 pm

I’m a little frustrated with our pediatric dentist. First, they insisted we get my son sealants. I actually didn’t mind that too much because I see the benefit of sealants. However, they refused to place them unless I also pay for nitrous oxide. I felt that wasn’t necessary, but sucked it up and paid the added expense. We go back six months later for his next check-up and one of the sealants is missing. It fell off. Now they’re insisting I have it re-done at MY expense, with nitrous oxide again. Should I? I feel I’m being gouged.

Tara B. – Michigan

Tara,

The dentist-patient relationship is an important one that requires trust, especially when you’re dealing with a pediatric dentist. Our children are so important. We have enough to worry about with their safety, we should be able to put our guard down when interacting with their healthcare providers. It sounds to me like you feel you can’t trust your pediatric dentist. That may be a sign to get another one.

There isn’t a medical reason to use nitrous oxide when placing dental sealants. It’s a simple, painless procedure which shouldn’t require any type of sedation or numbing. If your son is anxious at the dentist and has trouble calming down because of fear, that would be a reason for the nitrous. I don’t know your son, but you do. I’ll let you decide if the nitrous was necessary in that case.

As to the sealant falling off, this bothers me also. Sealants should last for around ten years. If they fall off that quickly it either means it wasn’t placed properly or your son eats a lot of hard or chewy/sticky food. Obviously, that type of diet can destroy his teeth, so if that’s the case you’ll want to re-evaluate. If you can’t see a reason his diet could have damaged the sealant, I’d ask them to replace the sealant at their expense.

If you’re uncomfortable with this pediatric clinic you can try another one or see if your dentist enjoys treating children. It’s not a necessity that children see a pediatric specialist unless a complicated issue comes up. For basic services, a family dentist who loves children is just as adequate.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Don Swearingen.

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