Painless Dentist- Painless Dentistry

One of the most played upon medical fears of Americans is the fear of dentists and dental work. In fact, millions of people suffer from a fear of dentistry and some people even avoid having their teeth professionally attended to because of this fear. However, people would be relieved, and perhaps more prone to going to the dentist, if they knew that there was a field of dentistry called pain free dentistry, that actually focuses on giving patients a pain free dental experience. People are so afraid of the dentist because the mouth and gums are very sensitive. In addition, many people associate needles and many tools with the dentist and it makes them nervous to think that these instruments will be going into their mouth so close to sensitive parts.

One of the major reasons there is so much pain associated with the oral cavity is because of how close it is to the brain. In addition to that, there is a more complex set of nerves in the head and neck. There is a large network of pain sensors working within the oral cavity that are directly wired to the brain, and because of how close they are, pain is quickly and intensely perceived by the brain from these sensors. This shows that there can in fact be a lot of pain associated with dental work, however most dental procedures are actually quite painless, which is where the mental part comes in.

One of the most prominent reasons people suffer dental fear is actually because of fears of pain based on the site of needles or the sounds of drills. This implies that dentistry is often not even painful, but that because people have misperceptions, they build up a certain amount of fear and tension in their minds that leads to pain perception. Therefore, if individuals could get past these mental blocks and assumptions of pain and discomfort, they could actually alleviate much of the displeasure they have with attending the dentist.

Another major source of pain in dental work is bacterial build up and infection. This is one of the hardest things for dentist to fight and can often cause some pain. This is because the mouth harbors so many germs and because there can so easily be open sores or wounds in the mouth. In addition, there are many boney structures that can be drained of infectious liquids.

Sometimes, dentists can control pain with “happy gas” which actually removes some of the patient’s perception and relieves their senses. This can help alleviate pain. Sometimes, dentists have to use more complicated procedures by which they actually block nerves and prevent any feeling at all in certain areas of the brain and body.

There are other methods that some dentists use to help prevent pain problems for patients, which include hypnosis therapy. Some dentists actually try to use this to sooth patients into relaxation, because so much of pain is built around anxiety.

Patients should consider some of these methods and ideas next time they are dealing with fear related to the dentist’s office.