sedation dentistry

Relax, Sedation Dentistry Will Wash Away Your Fears!

By on June 19, 2016

Welcome back to the Really Smile blog!

We are your trusted source for gentle dental care in the Carmel, Indiana area.

If you live in the region and feel ill at ease about visiting the dentist, you should know that we can help make it easy for you to get the kind of care you deserve.

Without regular cleanings and exams, you won’t be able to keep up with your oral health needs, and worse yet, you will have no idea what is going on in your mouth. You could be walking around with cancer or periodontal disease and you would never know until it is too late for conservative treatments. Plus, you would probably offend most people you meet with your breath. And your smile would not look as good as it should.

But don’t feel bad. We aren’t trying to bring you down. Obviously, you aren’t the only person in the Hoosier State afflicted by this problem. Fear of the dentist (dental phobia) is quite commonplace all across the country. While from an outside perspective it can seem irrational, there are reasons enough why it takes hold. It can more often than not be the direct result of prior bad experiences at the dentist’s office, the sort that leave an indelible scar. Regardless of how these fears enter your life, the obstacles they create can be difficult to overcome. But unless you want to set yourself up for real trouble later, it is a good idea to try to work through your anxiety now.

Like we said, we aren’t like everyone else around here. For over 30 years, under the leadership of Dr. Smith, the Really Smile crew has been changing lives in this community through comprehensive dentistry services and personal care. Our genuine relationships with our patients are what set us apart from the other dentists in the area. If you give us a chance to change your life for the better, you will quickly see that our compassionate team and comfortable office environment are disarming. What’s more, we will go the extra mile to help you relax when you are here.

Sedation Dentistry Alleviates Fear

Besides treating you kindly, we have other ways of sidestepping your dental anxiety. We can actually provide you with sedation dentistry in conjunction with all of our procedures, if that would help. Oral sedation is completely safe and easy to take. You will only need to swallow a pill a little while before the scheduled procedure. With oral conscious sedation, you will be sedated but still awake and able respond as necessary. But you will have little to no memory of the treatment or why you were ever afraid in the first place.

Let Us Get The Job Done!

In addition to calming anxiety, there are other reasons why sedation dentistry might be good for you. If you have an uncontrollable gag reflex, shaky legs, or who are coming in for multiple procedures, sedation makes a lot of sense.

To schedule your gentle dental appointment in Carmel, Indiana, contact us today! We can’t wait to see your smiling face.

A Relaxed Patient Is a Healthy Patient | Carmel, IN

By on December 20, 2015

We know that relaxed patients receive better dental care. We also have learned that relaxing in a dentist’s chair is easier for some patients than others.

Experts estimate that up to 20 percent of Americans experience some level of dental anxiety, and up to 8 percent of the U.S. population avoids the dentist completely because of their dental fear.

If you are part of that 20 percent or that 8 percent, then driving by a dentist office or jst thinking about calling for an appointment may be difficult. Our staff at Really Smile wants to help you, which is why we say are about “Life Changing Dentistry.”

We know that you will not just wake up tomorrow without any anxiety about coming to our dentist office in Carmel, IN. Overcoming your fears takes time, and we want to help you one step at a time.

Two ways that we can take that journey together are with sedation dentistry and NuCalm relaxation dentistry.

Easing into it

Your anxiety about coming to the dentist did not start yesterday. It likely has roots in something that happened years ago.

For that same reason, you should not expect to overcome your fear in a day or one visit to the dentist. We are hopeful that you will become a little more comfortable each time you come to our dentist office in Carmel.

The website dentalfearcentral.org was created by people with dental anxiety for people with dental anxiety. On this site, you can find information about common fears and about ways different people have found to successfully deal with those fears.

Sedation dentistry

Dentalfearcentral.org lists three main things that help people deal with their dental fear. They are psychology, technology, and sedation.

We will be happy to speak with you about our approach to dental care before you ever sit down in a dentist chair. We can explain the various ways we use technology to make your dental care less painful and less stressful.

And we can discuss the different types of sedation dentistry we offer at Really Smiles. For common dental procedures, we primarily use two types of sedation.

The first is nitrous oxide. You may have heard this referred to as laughing gas.

With nitrous oxide, you breathe the gas in, and it induces a state of calm within a matter of minutes. This will help you remain relaxed and comfortable throughout your cleaning or other procedure.

When your treatment is over, we turn off the nitrous oxide, and within minutes you are back to normal. You can go back to work or get on with your day knowing that you have received dental care.

The second type of sedation dentistry is oral conscious sedation. This type of sedation starts with you taking medication prior to your treatment. You should be aware that this is a more powerful form of sedation than nitrous oxide.

With oral conscious sedation, you may fall asleep or you may remain in a state of relaxed awareness. You likely will not remember anything about your procedure.

When it is over, you will need someone else to take you home, however.

The final type of sedation dentistry is general anesthesia. We only use this for longer and more complex procedures. This form of sedation must be administered by an anesthesiologist.

As with oral conscious sedation, you are unlikely to remember any of your procedure. You will need someone else to take you home, and you should plan to rest for the remainder of the day.

NuCalm Relaxation Dentistry

We also know many patients would prefer to avoid using medicine. That’s why our own Dr. Smith has studied NuCalm relaxation.

NuCalm is a four-part technique to induce a state of near sleep.

You start by taking a dietary supplement to counteract the adrenaline that may build in your body when you feel anxious. Then, we apply stimulation patches that induce a state of relaxation. We provide noise-canceling headphones for you and an eye mask to block out any light.

For many patients, this technique is just as effective as sedation. It helps them relax and remain comfortable throughout their dental procedure.

Working With You

Facing dental fear requires trust and patience. We welcome you to visit our dental office in Carmel. Getting to know us can help you build that trust in us.

For our part, we will remain patient and work with you as you become more comfortable receiving dental care.

To learn more about NuCalm and sedation dentistry, call Really Smiles at 317-597-8748 or use our online form to schedule a consultation at our office.

Scared Of The Dentist? Let Us Help!

By on October 12, 2015

One of the most common things we see at Really Smile is patients who are scared of the dentist. Being nervous about dental care is a common phenomenon for patients around the world and it’s no different right here in Indianapolis!

There are quite a few reasons that patients are scared of the dentist and there are also a lot of ways we can help make your treatment easier! If you’ve been delaying dental care for any reason we want to help you get the care you need to keep your teeth healthy. Being proactive about your dental care might be anxiety-provoking but it’s still better than pain, decay, and costly procedures later on!

Why Are You Frightened?

Many patients experience fear for the same reasons. There might have been a bad experience in your past, a dentist who lectured you unfairly, financial worries, or simply anxiety about pain or someone rooting around in your mouth!

Whatever the reason for your fear we’ve based our entire practice around making you feel comfortable and at ease! Our staff are all trained and experienced in treating patients with dental anxiety and phobia. We only hire staff who show compassion, care, and a constructive attitude toward patient concerns!

How Can We Make You Feel Better?

For many patients fear relief is as simple as a good environment, caring staff, and full understanding of the care they’re going to receive. If you consider yourself in this camp we’re confident you’ll feel better the moment you greet our front office staff and see how committed we are to great patient care!

We treat patients like members of a care team. We never make decisions without your input: think of our team like facilitators! We want to work with you to get you the care you need when you need it and exactly how you want it!

If your concerns are financial we’re glad to work with you! We offer multiple financing solutions and we’re also glad to help you take care of insurance paperwork and claims. It can be intimidated to be faced with all those rules and regulations but we know exactly how they work!

Still Scared?

If you read that and thought “that’s great, but I’m still terrified of the dental work itself,” then we’re glad to go the extra mile with dental sedation options. You’d never undergo a complicated medical procedure without sedation so why should dentistry be any different? We offer several different sedation solutions to make your procedures go smoothly!

Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is the most common form of dental sedation. It’s delivered through a nosepiece that you wear during your procedure and provides a deep, relaxing level of relief. You’ll still be awake while under the effects of nitrous oxide but you’ll feel sleepy, carefree, and completely at ease! One of the best parts about nitrous oxide is that it wears off almost immediately – you’ll be able to drive home without any trouble and with the knowledge that your visit was stress-free!
Oral sedation is delivered in the form of a pill and provides a much deeper level of relaxation than nitrous oxide. We’ll prescribe you a pill during your initial consultation that you’ll take shorty before coming in to our office. By the time you sit down in the chair you’ll be feeling drowsy and relaxed! Oral sedation lasts longer than nitrous oxide and puts you into a much deeper level of sedation. You’ll still be awake but you’ll be pretty out of it! Oral sedation is also an amnesic, meaning that you probably won’t remember your procedure at all!

We also offer non-chemical sedation in the form of NuCalm. This revolutionary treatment uses a series of stimuli to distract you and put you into a state that feels exactly like the sensation you have as you drift off to sleep in the evening. It consists of:

an oral supplement that contains a blend of naturally relaxing herbs and compounds.
low-level electrical stimulation that simulates your brain activity right before falling asleep.
light-blocking glasses that help trick your brain into thinking it’s time for bed.
noise-cancelling headphones that produce constant, relaxing sounds that help you forget all about the things going on around you.

We Want To Make Your Care Great!

Don’t keep away from the dentist just because you’re nervous. We genuinely want to make your experience great and we are willing to do whatever it takes to make you feel completely at ease! It doesn’t matter why you’ve been putting off dental care – we’ll work hard to make you feel good about the future of your oral health!

Do your smile a favor and schedule an appointment at our Carmel dentist office today. We’re also happy to talk about all our anxiety relief options! Call us at 317-597-8748 or request an appointment by filling out our online form.

Overcoming Root Canal Fear Pt. 2

By on June 12, 2015

In our previous post, we talked about root canals, what the procedure involves, and how misinformation is behind the majority of the unease people have about getting them. We also talked about how sedation dentistry can help you overcome your fear of root canals (or any dental procedure) to help you get the care you need when you need it, instead of waiting for it to advance to the point where the problem is too painful to ignore.

Sedation dentistry (sometimes called relaxation dentistry) is a way for people suffering with dental anxiety to become more at ease in the dental office. If you think you might have dental anxiety, your fear may be intense, but the consequences of not getting the treatment you need (such as a root canal) are much, much worse. We offer several sedation dentistry solutions at Really Smile, a provider of advanced dentistry in Carmel, IN.

Avoid a Root Canal, End Up With an Extraction

Root canals remove dangerous infections from the interior of your tooth. Not only does the infection threaten the tooth, your oral tissues (such as your gums) and even the bone in your jaw, it can create a painful abscess, a pus-filled sack on your gums that is very painful. The abscess also serves as a “launching pad” for the bacteria to enter the rest of your body, where the infection (if untreated or not caught in time) can be deadly.

Because the stakes are so high (your life), avoiding a root canal means that eventually the tooth will need to be extracted; at that point, the tooth is very decayed and compromised, and the infection needs to be removed immediately so that the bacteria won’t spread elsewhere. This means the tooth will need to be extracted.

Despite what you might have heard, a tooth extraction is not a small undertaking and it is not a good substitution for a root canal (which is the solution advocated by those who perpetuate the false notion that root canals cause cancer and other serious disease) it is a surgical procedure that most reputable dentists will not attempt until there is nothing else to do.

A tooth extraction is very physically traumatic (even with anesthetic), requires a lengthy recovery that is just as inconvenient as it is uncomfortable. Because a tooth extraction is a surgical procedure that leaves large open wounds inside your mouth, the chance of serious infection is greatly increased.

Furthermore, you can’t just “live with” a missing tooth; it will need to be replaced, and this can be very expensive. For example, dental implants are very effective, but they are also very costly, and even more conventional solutions (like dentures and bridges) can be expensive. The procedures required to install these reparative devices often require multiple appointments and long recovery times. A root canal on the other hand will be able to stop the infection, leave your natural tooth in place, and protect you, your time, and your pocketbook, all in two easy appointments (one for the root canal itself, and the placement of the dental crown you will need).

I’m Still Afraid of Root Canals! What Can I Do?

First, you should know that a root canal today is much different from those of years past (that may have informed some of the negative rumors surrounding the procedure); in fact, with modern technology and techniques, a root canal is no more uncomfortable than a cavity filling.

The majority of patients who undergo root canal therapy are often surprised at just how much of a non-event the treatment actually is, when compared to all the fuss that usually precedes it. However, if you still have misgivings about getting a root canal (but you also know you don’t want to lose your teeth), we can help with sedation dentistry techniques.

What is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry, sometimes referred to as relaxation dentistry, are safe, controlled sedative delivery methods your dentist can use to help you relax in the chair and get the treatment you need. This isn’t limited to root canals; sedation dentistry can be used for any procedure in our office. The purpose of sedation dentistry is primarily to assist the millions of Americans (about 60% of the population) who report the symptoms of a condition known as dental anxiety. Sedation dentistry is also useful if you have trouble with getting “numb” from local anesthetics, or if you have many procedures that for logistical reasons must be performed in as few appointments as possible.

Sedation Dentistry at Really Smile

We offer four types of sedation dentistry in our practice. Depending on your specific needs (you and your dentist will discuss your needs), you may or may not need a more powerful sedation treatment. All of these sedation methods are very safe.

Inhalation Sedation

This is the form of sedation that you might be most familiar with. Inhalation sedation is the use of nitrous oxide gas (NO2). You have also probably heard it called “laughing gas”. Your dentist will administer the gas through a special “mask” that fits over your nose (you will still be able to breathe normally through your mouth and speak). The gas is mixed with oxygen and your dentist is trained to control the flow of gas for your comfort.

Nitrous Oxide will not “conk you out”; the idea is to help you achieve a deep and profound sense of relaxation while still being able to communicate with your dentist. There is a possibility of falling asleep, however.

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation is a sedative in pill form; your dentist will give you a prescription to fill, and you will take the sedative about an hour before your appointment. Depending on your specific health profile,the possibility exists that one dose of sedative might not be enough to help you relax. Your dentist will provide you with additional sedative. However, this may result in your appointment being re-scheduled due to the logistical constraints that oral sedation may sometimes present.

General Anesthesia

Through a partnership with a trained anesthesiologist, we are able to offer our patients general anesthesia. General anesthesia is designed to make you become unconscious, and is only appropriate for patients undergoing oral surgery, or for those patients with very severe dental anxiety (or dental phobia, a condition which affects 5% to 8% of the population).

NuCalm Relaxation Dentistry

For patients with dental anxiety who may not tolerate sedatives or anesthetics well, or for patients whose dental anxiety doesn’t require sedation (but you still need to relax), we offer a unique solution: NuCalm Relaxation Dentistry.

NuCalm is a remarkable and recent development in the field of sedation/relaxation dentistry. Instead of sedatives, NuCalm uses a combination of specially formulated nutritional supplements, sound, very mild and painless electric stimulation of the nerves, and sensory depravation (with the use of light-blocking wrap around glasses). NuCalm works by causing your brain to produce Alpha brainwaves, which are normally produced during the first phase of sleep (the feeling of relaxation you have right before you nod off). However, instead of falling asleep, NuCalm allows for alpha brainwaves to continue without moving to the next sleep phase.

You will still be awake, but you will be extremely relaxed and calm. Many patients even enjoy the experience, and our patients have also reported that the sense of calm and relaxation can last for multiple days following the procedure!

Don’t Be Afraid of a Root Canal (Or Any Other Procedure)

If your teeth have been damaged, or if you have a persistent toothache, you need to see the dentist immediately to address that problem (and any others that might have arisen as a result).

If you need a root canal, there is no reason to avoid getting one, and now with sedation and relaxation dentistry from Really Smile, you can get the care you need without the panic and the fear.

Call Us Today! Dial 317-597-8748 or click here for our online appointment form.

Overcoming Root Canal Fear Pt. 1

By on June 9, 2015

One of the most dreaded dental procedures is also one of the most misunderstood. A root canal, or endodontic therapy, is how your dentist treats a tooth that has become infected with bacteria.

As dental professionals, we know more than most how people feel about root canals. Most of these feelings are based on unfounded preconceptions about the procedure. In our office (conveniently located in Carmel, IN) , we think it’s a big part of our job to make sure that you, our patients, are well-educated on all the procedures we can perform, so that you can make the best possible decision to suit your specific oral health needs and lifestyle. However, some patients need a little more help, which is why we also offer sedation dentistry to assist you in getting the care you need, when you need it (rather than waiting until the problem can no longer be ignored).

What is a Root Canal?

When your tooth sustains damage, such as a fracture resulting from disease or an injury, it becomes vulnerable to infection by the bacteria that naturally live inside your mouth. Without intervention, the infection will make its way down the tooth, into the root canals, and into the gums and jawbone. This is why abscesses form: abscesses are pus-filled pockets that form due to an infection. An abscess can be dangerous: it can lead to tooth loss, spread the infection to the rest of the body, and even death in some cases.

To stop the infection from spreading, your dentist will perform a root canal treatment which involves the following steps:

Application of Local Anesthetic
Tooth Preparation
Dental Pulp Removal
Disinfection
Filling (Using a Natural Latex)

Without the dental pulp, your tooth will not be able to produce the dentin that gives it structural strength, so a dental crown will also be placed on the tooth to help protect it from further damage and infection. Even so, with a durable and well-placed crown, your tooth will still be able to do its job much better than any artificial replacement. We can make you a custom crown out of a number of materials, including porcelain.

Why Do People Fear Root Canal?

Our patients often tell us that they’re afraid of getting a root canal because of the pain they expect to experience, and they also believe that recovery times for a root canal are lengthy. Neither of these are true: today, a root canal is about as “intense” as filling a cavity; furthermore, your root canal recovery time is relatively short, and is characterized by tenderness around the tooth that was treated (this can be treated with over-the-counter pain relievers).

Some of our patients have even said they’re nervous about getting a root canal because of things they’ve read online. The negative things you hear about root canals on the internet are rumors; a recent example is an e-mail “chain letter” that states that 95% of cancer patients have had a root canal, suggesting then that a root canal is the cause of cancer. There is no link between root canal (endodontic therapy) and cancer, or any other serious illness. These rumors and misconceptions are sometimes spread by people who simply don’t know any better, but for the most part they are spread by unscrupulous individuals (including some dentists) that have figured out how to profit by creating controversy. If you have questions about dentistry, your teeth, or your oral health, call us first. That’s why we’re here!

Sedation Dentistry and Root Canal

Some patients fear root canals because they believe it will be very painful, or because of some bad information they’ve picked up. However, many patients may be apprehensive about getting a root canal simply because it is a dental procedure. If you have a difficult time getting comfortable in the dentist’s chair due to overwhelming or even intolerable anxiety, or if you have a tendency to put off going to the dentist, even if you know you have a problem, you may have a condition called dental anxiety.

If you have dental anxiety, you may be suffering needlessly; that toothache won’t go away on its own, and the longer you put off your treatment, the worse it will get. That’s why we offer a number of sedation and relaxation dentistry techniques to our patients who struggle with dental anxiety.

In our next post, we’ll get into the details of sedation and relaxation dentistry, and the problems you can avoid by catching oral health issues before they get out of control.

Toothache Won’t Go Away?

If you have a persistent toothache that won’t go away, or you have tooth that has become very sensitive to temperature, or a tooth that is very darkly discolored, these are all signs of an infected tooth and it should be addressed immediately.

Make an appointment with us today! Dial 317-597-8748 or click here to use our online appointment form to book your visit now.

Dental Anxiety? Sedation Dentistry Can Help!

By on May 1, 2015

People have lots of anxiety and fear about a lot of things. If heights make you nervous, you might avoid looking out windows in tall buildings to help control that fear. However, if you have dental anxiety, you can’t just avoid going to the dentist. 60% of Americans have some level of dental anxiety that keeps them from the dental care they need. In our practice in Carmel, IN, we offer sedation and relaxation dentistry to help those who have significant anxiety related to going to the dentist.

If you avoid going to the dentist out of fear or anxiety, your oral health will begin to decline. That’s the biggest problem for people with dental anxiety: they avoid the dentist until they have a problem that can’t be ignored. At this point, a problem that might have been easily repaired months ago will now require more work (for the dentist) and greater expense (for the patient).

Nerves, Anxiety or Phobia?

Being a little nervous before an exam, cleaning, or procedure is natural, but just being nervous doesn’t mean you have actual dental anxiety. Nervousness won’t keep you out of the dental chair for regular exams or cleanings, or even more involved procedures.

Dental anxiety is characterized first by avoidance behavior. If you have dental anxiety, you’ll go to great lengths to put off going to the dentist. It’s recommended that you see your dentist at least twice a year for exams and cleanings. Keeping regular dental appointments is the key to preventing more serious problems with your teeth from happening. People suffering from dental anxiety will wait until they actually have a problem, and may even wait until it can’t be ignored.

If you suffer from dental anxiety, the feelings of dread can begin days before your actual appointment: just thinking about it can make you burst into tears, or you might even feel nauseated at just the thought of it. The night before your appointment, you’ll have difficulty staying asleep or getting to sleep at all. The next day, in the waiting room, the feeling grows and grows. By the time you’re in the dental chair, the terror becomes so great that when the dentist even puts a mirror in your mouth, you feel like you’re suffocating.

It can even be worse for the 5% to 8% of Americans who have dental phobia. These unfortunate folks won’t even think about going to the dentist. As a result, they often suffer from severe oral health problems. A person with dental anxiety can eventually pluck up the strength to make an appointment and come in (even though the experience is terrible for them). A person with dental phobia won’t even pick up the phone.

If we’ve described you in this post, we have solutions for you.

Relaxation Dentistry with Nu-Calm

Nu-Calm is a breakthrough in helping people manage their dental anxiety. It uses a combination of sensory stimulation and manipulation and adrenaline-canceling oral supplements to essentially trick your brain into thinking that it’s time to go to sleep, but you won’t conk out. Instead, your brain enters a “holding pattern” in the pre-sleep phase (the sensation of deep relaxation you feel when you’re just about to fall asleep).

Nu-Calm uses four components to do its job:

Oral Supplements: The oral supplements used in Nu Calm aren’t sedatives. They’re nutritional supplements that essentially turn off your “fight or flight response”, which normally causes adrenaline to be released (and making you feel anxious and panicky).

Microcurrent Stimulation: Small amounts of electric current are used to enhance the relaxation response. Your dentist will place small patches behind your ears to administer the current. This causes no pain or discomfort.

Sound: During your procedure, you’ll wear noise-canceling headphones. You’ll hear soothing music, but what you won’t hear is the neuroaccoustic software: specific frequencies of sound that are inaudible to you manipulates your brain waves and keeps them in the pre-sleep phase.

Sensory Deprivation: Last, your dentist will place an eye-mask that will keep light from disrupting your relaxation.

All these things come together to create a profound, drug-free state of relaxation that lasts throughout your entire procedure. Many patients report that the feeling of relaxation lasts hours, even days after the procedure!

Sedation Dentistry

We offer two kinds of sedation dentistry: oral sedation and inhalation dentistry. Your dentist will talk to you to determine which form of sedation is best for you.

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation is simple but very effective. Your dentist will provide you with a sedative drug that you’ll take about an hour before your appointment. This will induce a very strong sense of relaxation that will keep you calm during your procedure. You won’t ever lose consciousness but your awareness of what is actually going on will be limited.

Inhalation Sedation

Inhalation sedation is the form of sedation most people are familiar with. Commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is the “classic” sedation method you’ll find in most dental practices. It’s effects are similar to oral sedation. You’ll wear a small mask that fits over your nose, and the gas is administered through it after being mixed with oxygen.

Don’t Let Your Fear Ruin Your Teeth!

If dental anxiety or dental phobia have kept you out of the dentist’s chair and prevented you from getting the care you need, Really Smile Dentistry can help with relaxation and sedation dentistry!

Call us now at 317-597-8748, or you can use our online appointment form https://www.reallysmile.com/contact-us/make-an-appointment/.

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