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6 Ways to Calm Dental Anxiety

5/25/2021

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About 95% of dental patients have some form of anxiety.  Whether it’s the shot, the fear of the unknown, the fear of pain, or just the unpleasantness of the dentist hands in your mouth, there are an undetermined number of reasons why most people are scared.  Unfortunately, no matter how you feel about the dentist, at some point it has to be done.  So, let’s go over some ways to help you through it.  


  1. Ask your dentist to walk through the procedure with you.  There are many times when the fear is really just a fear of the unknown.  As dentists, we do the same procedures all day every day.  We sometimes forget that something we have done thousands of times is completely unknown to you.  Often just a short explanation of what we are going to do can alleviate all of your fears.  
  2. Tell your dentist about your specific fears.  We can’t help what we don’t know.  If you have a fear of needles, we can make sure you don’t see it.  If you hate impression material, we have tricks to make it easier.  If we know what you are particularly in fear of, we can do our best to help you through it.  
  3. Watch your food and drink intake.  Drinking a coffee with extra shots of espresso when you are already nervous will only make you more jittery.  Caffeine is not calming.  The same goes for high sugar foods.  They will only amp up your body’s anxiety level.  
  4. Plan your day.  If possible, make your appointment for dental work on a day where you don’t have a bunch of other stressful things going on.  This will allow you to be as calm as possible.  
  5. Visit your dentist routinely.  I know this seems counterintuitive, but often patients are scared of what we will find in your mouth.  With regular visits, not only will you get used to the process of seeing the dentist, but in addition, there is less of a chance that we will find something major if we just saw you 6 months ago.  
  6. Sedation!  Finally, if your anxiety is too much and the above suggestions just aren’t cutting it, ask your dentist for sedation.  There are many different kinds of sedation.  From nitrous oxide or laughing gas, to oral sedation, to iv sedation.  Ask your dentist about your sedation options.  


Please keep in mind that, as your dentist, we want you to be happy.  A relaxed, happy patient makes our job easier.  So, let us know what we can do to help you.  Remember we can’t read your mind!  In the famous words of Jerry Maguire, “Help me Help You!”  That way we can all be happy. 
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Why is My Dentist Looking at My Tongue?

5/19/2021

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Oral Cancer is on the rise.  The American Cancer Society predicts that over 54,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer in 2021.  However, when it is caught early, oral cancer has a high survival rate.  That being said, one of our biggest jobs as a dentist is to screen our patients for oral cancer.  
Oral cancer can present in many different ways.  Signs of oral cancer can include the following:
  • White or gray patches under and around the tongue
  • White or gray patches on the inside of the cheek and near the throat
  • Growths on the lips, gums, and roof of the mouth
  • Lumps around the jawbone and neck area 
Therefore, as dentists, when we complete our exam, we are looking for all of these signs.  Some dentists are very vocal about explaining exactly what they are doing.  I will admit, I am not one of these dentists.  Usually I am too busy talking to the patient to explain everything I’m doing.  It is easy to forget that as a patient you have no idea what I’m doing when I grab your tongue and look around.  However, this part of the exam is as important as the part of the exam where we look at your teeth and x-rays.  
It is also important to remember that there are a few risk factors that make you more susceptible to oral cancer.  Family history or a history of smoking or alcohol abuse can increase your chances of getting oral cancer.  So please make sure you tell your dentist about any risk factors that you have.
I hope this clears up why dentists do weird things during your exam, besides looking at your teeth, that you might not understand.  We are trying our best to keep you safe.  Remember that by seeing your dentist regularly and monitoring yourself in between exams, you can keep yourself safe and we can catch any problems before they become serious.  So, if it has been awhile since your last visit, don’t wait!  Schedule today!
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Do I Really Need X-Rays?

5/13/2021

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There are so many times a patient will come in and say, “Can’t you just look at my tooth and tell me what’s wrong?  I don’t want an x-ray.”  So, I figured I would explain the issues with that, and why dentist need x-rays.  
Let’s start out with what an x-ray is.  An x-ray is a 2 dimensional image of something, in this case, a tooth.  It shows bone levels, a little bit of soft tissue(gums), previous dental work, as well as abnormalities such as cavities and even problems with bone and some types of cancer.  
There are several different x-rays we take in the dental office.  It can be confusing!  When a new patient comes to the practice, we typically take what is called an FMX.  FMX is just a quick way we in the dental field abbreviate “Full Mouth Series”….meaning a set, or series, of x-rays that show most of the areas of your mouth.
In Summary, an FMX is a series of 18 x-rays that cover all the teeth in your mouth.  It consists of 4 bitewings, and 14 periapical x-rays.  What are those?  
A bitewing is an x-ray that is taken while biting down.  It shows the dentist the bone level around the molars and premolars(the back teeth) in your mouth.  It also allows diagnosis of decay as well as aids in the diagnosis of periodontal disease. 
A periapical x-ray on the other hand is an X-ray that shows the entire tooth all the way down to the tip of the root.  It shows not only abnormalities or decay on the tooth, but also if there is any infection in the bone surrounding the root of the tooth such as an abscess.  In addition, dentists will sometimes take a Panoramic x-ray.  
A panoramic x-ray is an x-ray that shows the entire mouth and jaw on one large picture.  It does not provide the dentist with as much visual detail as bitewings and periapicals, but it allows us to see the entire jaw, jaw joint(TMJ), and any abnormalities in the bone including some cancers that only show up on this type of xray.    
Why do we need x-rays?  Well, the easiest answer, is that we are legally required to take an X-ray in order to diagnose a tooth.  It is considered standard of care, and without an x-ray a diagnosis is really just a guess.  Asking your dentist to diagnose a dental issue without an X-ray would be similar to bringing you car to a mechanic and not allowing him to look under the hood.  Anytime a dentist does an exam on a patient, we are taking legal responsibility for either the full mouth if we are doing a comprehensive exam or a section of the mouth if we are doing a limited exam.  Therefore, in most instances, without x-rays, we are not doing our jobs correctly.  Without x-rays, we are forced to guess what might be happening with your teeth and bones surrounding your teeth, and that is not what you are paying us for.  
So, I hope this clears up why we need x-rays!  We are trying to do the best job possible for you! 
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What Is My Dentist Talking About?

5/4/2021

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I asked my twelve year old son what he would like to know about dentistry in an effort to determine this week’s blog.  He said, “What exactly is a denture?”  That combined with a TikTok video I saw that showed what people really hear when the dentist is talking, has led me to this conclusion…Our patients have no idea what we’re talking about.  So, I thought I would give some basic dental terminology.  


Teeth: Most humans have 32 teeth.  The front ones are incisors.  Most people know what your canines are.  Some dentists refer to them as “I” teeth.  The smaller teeth behind your canines are your premolars, and the big teeth in the back are your molars.  Dentists use a numbering system that starts in the upper, right wisdom tooth as #1 and goes across the top of the mouth and then back across of the bottom teeth until we get to the lower right wisdom tooth which is #32.  So when you hear the dentist say a tooth number, they are just identifying the exact tooth.  
Sides of Teeth: You may hear your dentist say weird words when they are talking about your teeth.  
    Mesial(M)-Facing the front of your mouth
    Distal(D)-Facing the back of your mouth
    Buccal(B)-Facing your cheek
    Lingual(L)-Facing your tongue
    Occlusal(O)-On the biting surface of your tooth
For instance if you have a cavity on your upper molar in front of your wisdom tooth and the cavity is on the part of your tooth that is facing the front of your mouth and then the part of the tooth that you bite on, you may hear your dentist tell the assistant that you need a MO on #2.  
We aren’t trying to be difficult, this is just the way we are taught in school so that universally all dentists know what other dentists are talking about.  


Appliances:
Denture: A removable, typically all acrylic appliance, that replaces ALL of the teeth on one arch of your mouth.  
Partial Denture: A removable acrylic or part metal appliance that replaces SOME of the teeth on one arch of your mouth.  This is a very economical option for patients that are missing multiple teeth but still have other teeth that are good.  
Bite Guard: An acrylic appliance most often worn at night to protect your teeth and jaw.  


Procedures:
Filling: A procedure where the decay is removed from a tooth and then we replace the missing tooth structure with a resin substance called composite.  
Crown: A procedure done to strengthen a tooth that has either broken, cracked, or has a lot of decay.  Think of how a thimble protects a finger.  
Root Canal: A procedure done to remove bacteria and infection from inside of the root of the tooth.  The nerve of the tooth is removed so that it can no longer cause pain.  Most rootcanal treated teeth will need a crown after the rootcanal to protect the tooth.  
Bridge: People often confuse bridges and partial dentures.  They are not similar at all.  A partial denture is removable or comes in out of your mouth, and a bridge is cemented in your mouth and does not come out.    A bridge is a group of crowns that are fused together.  It is cemented in your mouth.  If you are missing a tooth in between two solid teeth, the two teeth on either side of the gap can be crowned and a fake crown in the space connects the two crowns together.  You are basically “bridging” a gap.  Bridges can also be long spanning involving multiple teeth.  
Implant:  An implant is a titanium screw that is placed into the jawbone.  The screw can have different tops put on it for different uses.  Some implants replace single teeth.  Some implants are used to hold bridges.  Some implants are used to stabilize dentures and partial dentures.  And some implants are used for full mouth restorations.  They are very multifunctional.  


I hope this clears up some of the dentist lingo!  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Sometimes we forget that you don’t know what we’re talking about!!!
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    Author

    Born in Saint Petersburg, Florida, Ariana displayed bright intelligence from an early age, eventually becoming salutatorian for her graduating class at Dixie-Hollins High School. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Florida at Gainesville, and continued her education to earn her dental degree in 2004 from the University of Florida College of Dentistry. It's worth noting that the College of Dentistry is ranked seventh among all dental schools in the United States, and it has an international reputation for the caliber of its graduates. Through continuing education programs, Dr. Clayton maintains her training on the most up-to-date and successful dental treatment techniques, and she strives to incorporate the best of newly available techniques into her practice. Sunshine Smile Designs is proud to offer this high level of care at an affordable price to many patients. Beyond her daily practice, Dr. Clayton is a volunteer for Dentistry From the Heart, a program that provides dental services at no cost to the indigent in Florida. Likewise, she also regularly attends mission trips to provide free dental services to blind and deaf children in an impoverished area of Jamaica. Ariana enjoys spending time with her nine-year-old son and her husband, who is also a University of Florida–trained dentist. Her artistic side is fulfilled by playing (and teaching) piano and by photography. She also enjoys travel, and one of her life goals is to visit all fifty states by recreational vehicle!

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True Care Dental is a general dentist office committed to providing dental excellence and affordability to the people of Ocala, Florida and the surrounding areas. 
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