So what  is cosmetic dentistry and how is it being performed? Although cosmetic dentistry is based on desires rather than need, it aims to optimize the aesthetic component of your smile, making it more stunning and pleasing to look at. The smile makeover is a cosmetic dentistry procedure that can help you out in achieving that winning smile.

If you have been drinking large amounts of tea and coffee and had led to teeth discoloration or have been a smoker for years, this type of cosmetic dentistry procedure can bring back that lost confidence whenever you put up a smile in front of the camera. This is appropriate for misaligned, chipped or missing teeth due to an accident or injury and unsightly gaps.

The Invisalign system is another smile makeover method consisting of a series of custom designed removable, clear plastic aligners. Each set of aligners is worn for a two-week period to allow your teeth to gradually transform into your dream smile. An average complete treatment may take less than a year, however, it still varies depending on the den tal condition. This method is best in correcting overly crowded teeth, widely spaced teeth, a crossbite, an overbite, and an underbite.

If smile makeover or Invisalign are the solutions you are considering, you can contact Ft. Lauderdale dentists for any related information or you can visit sleepdentists.com.

However, if a child has the dysfunctionalities of an autistic child, there are numerous risks that a parent would think.  Like how would the dentist know if the anesthesia being used on the child is already adequate and would not inflict pain anymore? Would there be any specific type of dentists specialized in conducting dental practices with mentally-challenged individuals such as autistic children?  These fear and worry-inducing questions most likely harbor the parents’ minds as to how a dental activity will be performed on their special child.

Sedation and sleep dentistry now allow patients to experience levels of reduced anxiety during dental sessions, making autistic children’s parents worry-free on any dental session there is. Several researches were conducted and resulted to modiifed techniques conducted in sleep dentistry to better address the difficulty and possible risks of treating physically and mentally-challenged patients.

Sleep dentistry offers dental solutions to people with special needs and other medical conditions. It has been proven as well that this solution is effective on people with communication disorders such as autistic children. This practice is conducted where the patient is placed in complete slumber state without him having any awareness of what is happening in his surroundings. Hence, the patient is numb during the dental procedure and eventually will not have any recall of it.

In choosing the right sleep dentist for your autistic child, it is better to be guided with the significant details about the procedure as it will lead you to finding the equipped and experienced sleep dentist that you need. Always take note that the basic determinants of the treatment plan is the patient’s needs and goals.  As a parent or guardian of a special child that needs dental accommodation, it is important for you to gather reference and information about it.

Our team of Ft. Lauderdale dentists offer helpful details addressing special dental needs for special people at sleepdentists.com.

So being a parent who wants to help his or her kids overcome this dental anxiety during their dental visits, you can start with moral support, where you accompany them in their dental visits, just making them feel secure by being visible inside the clinic until the session is over. For them to feel comfortable, any motivating gestures will do. Having your own family dentist really helps a lot.  If your kids know that your family dentist is a family friend, it reduces the dental anxiety and there are even times that dental anxiety will not occur because of the existing family relationship. Relationship plays a significant role in minimizing dental anxiety. With regard to their fears, relationship alone breaks the ice and entices the kiids to open up.  This way, the dentist is alerted and provided hints on how to handle the kid during the session with the specific fear disclosed.  If there is no family dentist available, you can get recommendations from your friends or relatives who can refer a supportive dentist for your kids that will help you overcome the dental anxiety problem.  It is better to have a shortlist of dentists that will serve as a stand by until your kids feel at ease in their dental sessions.  Good relationship also leads to good communication and at the same time, reduces the apprehension to the extent of eliminating dental anxiety of kids.

In terms of alleviating pain in every session, take note that dentistry alone has innovated so much.  Their sedation techniques now are provided by bundles of choices where the patients are now free to choose what sedation technique they would like to be conducted in their session.   The techniques’ advancement exceed up to fitting the appropriate ages, where existing sedation techniques are now available that are more appropriate and less afflictive fitting the children’s ages.

Aside from the scientific advancement of dentistry, psychological interventions have also helped in the reduction of dental anxiety. Since children see the instruments that the dentists use on them, dental clinics now have audio music available to distract children’s focus on the instruments that would indicate pain when used.  Another one is the behavioral psychotherapy where the parents help their children in reducing that dental anxiety by scheduling regular meetings or sessions with their family dentists. Frequency and familiarity are the basic variables used in this psychological intervention.

Dental anxiety is just now of the most common anxieties we have our lives but you can actually witness how science moves in to help us out face these kinds of fears.  Our team of Ft. Lauderdale dentists provide a fine selection of information with regard to dental anxiety and how it is appropriately dealt with.  You can visit sleepdentists.com for details.

Administering these dental techniques depends on the patient’s needs and the type of procedure he’ll go through. Local anesthetics are typically used to numb the area so that you won’t feel any pain or discomfort during the treatment. Anesthetics used in dentistry comes in two types: topical and injectable. Topical anesthetics are applied on the gum using a swab or an adhesive patch. Generally, this eliminates the pricking sensation that patients experience when an injectable anesthesia is administered. On the one hand, injectable anesthesia is administered to eliminate pain in the area where the treatment will take place. What it does is block the nerve endings and temporarily numb the mouth tissues. Injectables are administered during root canals, tooth extraction and other tooth restoration procedures.

While administering anesthetics reduce pain and discomfort, some patients still experience anxiety which local and injectable anesthetics don’t address. In such cases, the dentist will use anti-anxiety medication or sedatives to provide relief for anxious patients. Conscious sedation can be administered through pills, gas or intravenous injection. The most commonly used sedative agents are nitrous oxide and intraveous sedation.

Nitrous oxide or commonly known as laughing gas or happy gas is administered by mixing it with oxygen and inhaled through a breathing mask. The sedative properties wears off once the mask is taken off. Intravenous sedation is generally administered in the vein on the arm. After a few minutes, the patient will be put in a relaxed state; breathing on his own and is able to respond to verbal commands.

As a patient, you need to openly discuss your dental anxiety concerns with your dentist. There are options available to you such as conscious sedation that can help alleviate the discomfort and anxiety levels during dental treatment and procedure.

Leff, Weiss and Walde DDS are a team of Ft Lauderdale dentists specializing in sedation dentistry. To learn more about your options in relieving anxiety during dental treatment, visit sleepdentists.com.

With sleep dentistry procedure, the dentist utilizes anesthetic drugs to put the patient in a deep level of complete sleep. With this technique, the patient does not feel any pain nor has any recall of the procedure and his surroundings.

Anesthesia is administered by using anesthetic drugs. In addition, inhalation agents such as nitrous oxide also known as laughing gas may be utilized as the patient goes through different stages of relaxation and until such time he reaches the state of complete sleep. With general anesthesia, the patient will not hear, smell or feel any pain during the procedure. The state of deep, complete sleep blocks all memories and inhibits normal body reflexes to pain making the procedure easy for the dentist to perform.  

In the past, sleep dentistry procedures are done in a hospital setting where it is more equipped to handle sleep dentistry procedures. Today, advancements in dental art technology allow the patient to have the procedure at the dentist’s office. The effects of anesthesia can last for hours after the treatment. When the patient is fully awake, only then he will be permitted to leave the clinic.

If you want to learn more about sleep dentistry options, visit our Ft Lauderdale dentists at sleepdentists.com. Our team of dentists and oral surgeons has general anesthesia permits from the state of Florida and our office facilities meet the state requirements for the administration of general anesthesia.

A dental bridge not only restores your smile, it also balances the normal bite, prevents the other teeth from moving/tilting, prevents the onset of decay and prevents undue stress to the dental ridge. Dental bridges literally mean bridging the gap between missing teeth. It’s made up of two crowns anchored on the teeth on either side or both sides of the gap. A false tooth known as pontic is fused between the two crowns to fill the area of the missing tooth.

There are three different types of dental bridges:

1. Traditional bridges
This type of bridge creates a crown on opposing sides of the missing tooth with the pontic in between. Traditional bridges are the most common bridges. They are usually made from porcelain attached to metal or ceramic.

2. Cantilever bridges
Cantilever bridges are used when the adjacent teeth is only one side of the missing tooth.

3. Maryland bonded bridges
This bridge is composed of plastic teeth and gums supprted by a metal framework. The metal wings on each side of the bridge are fused to the existing teeth.

Dental bridges usually require two visits to your dentist. The first visit involves the preparation of the abutment teeth, re-contouring of the teeth where the crown will be placed and making an impression of the teeth which will serve as the model for the pontic, crown and bridge. The dentist will prepare a temporary bridge for you to protect the exposed teeth and gums while the bridge is being made. On the next visit, the dentist will remove the temporary bridge and replace it with the permanent bridge.

Make it a habit to practice proper dental care and have regular dental check-ups so that your fixed bridge will last longer.Bridges need extra care because the build up of bacteria on the treated area will cause infection such as gingivitis.

If you want to learn more about dental bridges, consult with our Ft Lauderdale dentists for treatment options.

What are the symptoms of periodontal disease?

If you experience any of the following symptoms, you should visit your periodontist for a periodontal evaluation.

• Gums that bleed easily when brushing or flossing
• Swollen and tender gums
• Persistent bad breath
• Pus between the teeth and gums
• Mouth sores that don’t heal after two weeks
• Change in the way your teeth fit together

There are different forms of periodontal diseases. It could be a mild case like gingivitis wherein the gums become red, swollen and bleeds easily. Gingivitis is usually caused by poor dental hygiene. Further, untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis. In this case, the plaque advances below the gumline allowing the bacteria to irritate the gums. As the disease progresses, the gums separate from the teeth forming pockets (spaces between the gums and teeth). The more gum tissue is destroyed, the deeper the pocket becomes. The unfortunate end result of the diseased gum is tooth loss.

How can we prevent periodontal disease?

Proper brushing and flossing everyday helps remove the plaque from your teeth. Regular visits to the dentist are also important. You should have your teeth cleaned by a dental hygienist at least twice a year to remove the calculus from the spaces in between your teeth and gum lines your toothbrush and floss may have missed.

Using the right kind of dental care products is as important as regular brushing and flossing. Here are some general guidelines that work for most patients:

• Choose a soft bristled toothbrush that allows you to reach every surface of your tooth. Change brush as needed.
• Massage the gums using the rubber tip found on the end of the handle of the toothbrush.
• You may also use interproximal toothbrush and interdental cleaners to clean the plaque between the teeth.  Consult with your periodontist before using these dental aids because these can injure the gums when used improperly.

To learn more about periodontal disease and treatment, visit our Ft. Lauderdale dentists at sleepdentists.com.

In the past, root canals are associated with pain and a lot of trips to the dentist. If the tooth demands complex procedure, the root canal can take hours. Imagine sitting for an extended period of time on the patient dental chair plus the enervating thought of the excruciating pain that comes along with the procedure. Some patients really cringe at the thought of the procedure. The good news is developments in dental technology has made root canal procedures faster and more comfortable on the patient. You can have a pain-free root canal with fewer visits to the dentist through sleep and sedation dentistry.

During the treatment, the dentist will put you in a complete relaxed state by administering sedation medication. The gravity of the diseased tooth plus the amount of dental work required to carry out the procedure will determine the levels of sedation and anesthesia that will be utilized. In addition, the profile of the patient is a factor on the type of sedation to be administered on the patient. For example, in cases where the patient is experiencing high levels of anxiety or has dental phobia, the dentist will have to go with sleep dentistry therapy. With this treatment, general anesthesia is administered through intravenous medication and/or inhalation agents, if necessary. This will put the patient in a complete unconscious state. 

On the other hand, adult patients who want to complete the root canal with fewer visits, the dentist may utilize a conscious sedation technique. This treatment uses intravenous agents and sometimes laughing gas to help relax the patient. Unlike general anesthesia therapy that puts the patient in deep sleep with no recall of the procedure, patients treated with conscious sedation usually have little memory of the procedure being performed.

In sum, root canals do not have to be painful as it used to be. There are alternatives available to alleviate the anxiety and the pain associated with the procedure. If you find yourself needing a root canal work soon, talk to your dentist about the best option to make the procedure more comfortable and of course, painless as much as possible. 

For more information on sedation dentistry visit the Ft Lauderdale Dentists at sleepdentists.com.