Pain Management.

Introduction
Anesthesia
Air Abrasion
Medications

Introduction

Pain is probably the number one cause of anxiety in most people when it comes to thinking about visiting a dentist. Unfortunately, some people avoid regular checkups, or even needed treatment to correct a serious problem because they want to avoid pain.

Today, advances in medications and pain management mitigate most of the discomfort from having treatments performed on your teeth and gums. Following is a look at some of the common types of pain management tools available:
Anesthetics
Analgesics
Sedatives
Conscious sedation
Deep sedation and general anesthesia

Anesthesia

Advances in dental techniques and medications can greatly reduce - even eliminate - discomfort during dental treatment. Most adults normally only require moderate amounts of anesthetics to deal with any discomfort during most common dental procedures. Children, people with special needs, such as mental retardation, and those with a condition, such as a dental phobia may require a higher level of anesthesia. The type of anesthesia depends more on individual patient preferences than specific dental procedures.

Air Abrasion

Even though modern advances in anesthesia make the drill a relatively painless device, there is an alternative called air abrasion. Also called "microabrasion," air abrasion works much like the sandblasting technique used to clear graffiti from walls.

Air abrasion is achieved by using a special device that blows a powerful airborne stream of tiny, fine aluminum oxide particles out of its tip onto the structure of the tooth. During the procedure, particles bounce off the tooth and blast the decay away. Air abrasion procedures can leave an accumulation of harmless, dusty particle debris in the patient's mouth, resulting in a gritty feeling eliminated by rinsing. Sometimes, a rubber dam may be applied inside your mouth and around the tooth area being treated to serve as a particle barrier. To reduce dust buildup, the dentist or dental assistant may use a vacuum hose or a water spray technique while administering air abrasion.

Air abrasion is often used to prepare various types of cavities to be restored with composites, or "white fillings." It also can be effectively used to repair cracks and discolorations, prepare tooth surfaces for bonding procedures, and perform additional procedures.

Air abrasion procedures are virtually painless. For some people, it almost entirely eliminates the need for an anesthetic. Air abrasion produces none of the characteristic vibration or heat that conventional dental drills do. Air abrasion will not hurt the soft tissues of your mouth either. Because air abrasion cuts tooth surfaces with exacting precision, it removes less tooth than a drill and reduces the risk of "enamel micro-fracturing."

Air abrasion is an especially good option for children who may be afraid of the needle, the noise, and the vibration of a regular dental drill. However, there are some treatments, like crown and bridge preparation, larger fillings, and deep decay that still require the use of a dental drill.

Medications

Medications may be prescribed for your recovery from a dental procedure. In many cases, these medications are needed to control discomfort and pain, and to ward off a possible infection.

While some drugs are formulated to fight certain oral diseases, others are used to prevent infections after surgical procedures such as tooth extractions and gum surgery. Certain drugs are used prior to dental treatment. These pre-medications are used to help fight infections and also are used to control existing conditions such as heart murmurs and valve problems.

It is especially important to let your dentist know your medical history, including current medication that you are taking, such as vitamins, supplements or herbal remedies you take, and any allergic reactions you may have to some medications.

Some patients are allergic to certain drugs and can experience side effects that range from mild irritations, such as rashes, to more serious problems, such as breathing difficulties. Fortunately, fewer than 5 percent of allergic reactions are life threatening.