Posts Tagged ‘Fort Lauderdale dentists’

Smoking And Its Generous Side-Effects

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

There have been a lot of studies revealing a strong link between smoking and tooth cavities. Among the few ill effects of smoking to the physiological health are increasing the chances of heart attack or stoke, higher chances of acquiring lung cancer, and higher chances of premature babies and birth defects. Dental wise, the damaging effects of smoking directly hits the teeth, gums, jawbone, and mouth tissues.

Below are what smoking can generously give you:

 

• Smoking gives you tooth stain

Smoking causes tooth stains or overall tooth discoloration. Although teeth whitening or veneers can help you in reducing or even removing tooth stain and discoloration, just imagine how much money you will be saving if you will not be smoking.

 

• Smoking gives you bad breath

Studies also showed that one of the main causes of halitosis is smoking. Aside from giving you that dry mouth, tar and nicotine settle in your oral cavity, leading to a condition called “smoker’s breath”. Gum disease, which is also a by-product of smoking causes bad breath.

 

• Smoking gives you tooth decay

Smoking allows the dental plaque residing in your mouth increase. As the plaque increases, the level of possibility of dental tar tar leading to tooth decay increases as well.

 

• Smoking gives you gum disease

It has been proven many times by science that tobacco interferes with the function of gum tissue cells. Once damaged, gums separate from the bone, leaving them open to infection and sometimes lead to advanced periodontal disease.

 

• Smoking gives you tooth loss

You will eventually lead to bone deterioration and tooth loss once you reach advanced periodontitis.

 

• Smoking gives you oral cancer

Smoking greatly increases your chances of getting oral cancer and statistical studies revealed that most people who are suffering from it are smokers, which fully emphasize the big connection between the two. Oral cancer has been termed as a significant byproduct of smoking.

 

Furthermore, researchers found the direct correlation between the number of cigarettes smoked and gum disease. This means those who smoked less than half a pack per day were three times likely to suffer from advanced periodontal disease and those who smoked more than a pack and a half per day were six times at risk.

With that said, smoking obviously endangers one’s health, physiologically  and orally. Based on the length of period you have been smoking in your life, you can possibly expect the adverse consequences to your health and to the people living with you since the effects extend to them. Sad to say that smokers tend to be careless with their oral health as well as with the people around them.

Our team of Fort Lauderdale dentists actively offers dental services concerning issues  brought about by smoking and helps prevent aggravation of the condition. Find more information regarding these dental services at www.sleepdentists.com.

 

 

The Role of Anesthesia in Sedation Dentistry

Friday, July 17th, 2009

Most dental procedures require the utilization of sedation medication or anesthesia. With the developments in dental art technology, anesthesia care is said to be 50 times safer today than it was 20 years ago, that is according to the report conducted by the Institute of Medicine. Ultimately, the goal of anesthesia is to provide a safe surgical environment for the patient to achieve a desired level of comfort during the dental procedure and to allow the oral surgeon to focus on the operation.

What is the difference between sedation and general anesthesia?

Generally, sedation dentistry employs medication to alleviate the levels of anxiety during a dental procedure. The patient will be put in a deep state of relaxation by administering oral or intravenous sedation. The amount of sedating and anesthetic medication varies depending on the patient’s treatment plan.

General anesthesia uses intravenous or inhalation agents to put the patient in complete sleep. The patient is unconscious, as opposed to sedation wherein the patient is conscious and awake albeit in a sedated state, and does not remember the details of the dental procedure.

On both procedures, the anesthesia specialist monitors the vital signs for any changes in the heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels in the blood.

Patients who suffer from mild anxiety and fear are the perfect candidates for oral sedation. With this kind of sedation technique, the treating dentist prescribes oral pills to be taken at least an hour before the procedure. In some cases, nitrous oxide or commonly known as laughing gas is also administered. However, oral sedation is not advisable for very young children.

Patients who require complex dental work and are struggling with a hectic schedule, intravenous conscious sedation is recommended so that the procedure will be done in fewer visits. This technique is likewise suggested to patients with mild levels of anxiety and fear. With this technique, the patient is conscious but hardly remembers the procedure.

Patients who have special needs, dental phobics and hard to restrain patients especially very young children are the perfect candidates for general anesthesia.

In South Florida, a team of Fort Lauderdale dentists specialize in sedation dentistry and the utilization of anesthesia management technique. All dentists have completed the required education, training and experience required by the state and the dental profession’s regulating body.

As not all dentists are licensed to administer general anesthesia and practice sedation dentistry, it is important to check the dentist’s background and education before making a commitment.

 

The Benefits of Sedation Dentistry

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

According to statistics, one out of seven people experience anxiety or fear whenever they visit the dentist? It may sound crazy for the others who don’t feel a bit of anxiety during dental treatments. But for those who do, anxiety is no laughing matter. If they can avoid the dentist, they will certainly come up with excuses to skip the dentist appointment, routine dental check-ups included.

Now, imagine skipping your dental appointments every year. The likelihood of having dental problems is increased due to poor dental hygiene. And before you know it, it’s too late. The condition of your teeth has already worsened and as a result, the bad teeth will require a more expensive treatment. So, now you worry about your teeth and the cost associated with the dental procedure. That’s one problem on top of the other, all because you fear the dentist.

Nowadays, patients who are uncomfortable to undergo dental treatment have options to relieve their anxiety. Sedation dentistry helps in alleviating the pain and the level of anxiety experienced by patients. Before the patient undergo sedation or sleep dentistry procedure, the treating dentist will have to conduct an evaluation of the needs of the patient and from there, formulate a treatment plan to suit the needs of the patient. Only then, the appropriate level of sedation will be determined.

What exactly is sedation dentistry?

Sedation dentistry uses sedative drugs to alleviate the patient’s level of anxiety during the dental procedure. It can be in the form of oral sedation wherein the patient is given a prescribed pill an hour before the treatment. Another alternative is using Nitrous Oxide or “laughing gas”. An inhaler is placed over the patient’s nose allowing the patient to breathe in the laughing gas. This will put the patient in a relaxed state in an instant. Intravenous (IV) sedation involves the use of medications administered intravenously. With this procedure, the patient is hooked up with a blood pressure monitor, heart rate monitor and pulse oximeter, per standard safety procedures. This method is employed by a specialist dentist trained and certified to perform this type of sedation procedure. Intramuscular (IM) sedation employs administering sedative drugs and are injected into the muscle of the upper arm or thigh to produce a relaxed state.       

With sedation dentistry, the patient remains awake and alert throughout the procedure. This procedure is recommended for people who experience light to moderate anxiety.  

Only a team of highly specialized dentists, specialists and dental anesthesiologists are allowed to practice sedation and sleep dentistry in the state of Florida. At Plantation area, our team of Fort Lauderdale dentists are trained and certified to practice sedation and sleep dentistry. We utilize the latest technology and industry-standard safety procedure to care for our patients’ dental health.