Painless Dentistry - Dentistry And It's Association With Pain

Dentistry (and the dentist) have always been associated with pain, and unfortunately, there has been good reason for it in the past.  History shows that local anesthetic Novacaine wasn't invented until 1905, so you can imagine going to the dentist and having a tooth pulled without anesthesia.  Many relied on alcohol and drank themselves senseless to avoid the pain of an extraction.

But I don't have to go that far back to recall tales of dental treatment without anesthesia.  The Castro Dictatorship in Cuba, my country of origin, started 54 years ago and has created a very low standard of living for the cuban people, where food, medicine and many other items are scarce, and although access to medical and dental care is free, many times the doctors and dentists lack the materials necessary for the procedure, and many procedures are done without anesthesia.  I feel sorry and have a lot of respect for my colleagues in Cuba that have to work under those conditions.

I recently answered a question from a young lady that had gone to the dentist (here in the US) and had experienced a lot of pain during a procedure.  She said that she needed a lot of work, and was asking for help in dealing with the pain that she anticipated from the remaining work.

I related to her my own experiences and how I was afraid of the dentist as a child and did not get any dental care until I was 15 years old and had a mouthful of cavities.  I also told her how in my dental office I make sure that I don't cause any pain during a procedure, whether it is my injections, extractions, a filling or surgery, I make sure that I don't hurt the patient, and I know that if I can do it, many dentists can do it too.

One of the keys to painless dentistry is taking your time and a good technique for giving injections.  Modesty apart, dentists can give better injections than physicians, and I know that if I take my time giving anesthesia and the liquid goes in slowly, I can give an injection without causing pain to my patient.  I think physicians and nurses are somewhat desensitized to pain.

Another key to painless dentistry is obtaining profound anesthesia. I  know that if I wait until the area is well anesthetized, I can do my work without any pain.

Dentistry has advanced to a point that, I feel confident that I can do almost 100% of my daily work without pain.  I know that there will always be exceptions, like the person that does not go to the dentist and waits until an abcess develops, and is swollen and in pain and just touching the area can cause pain, or a tooth so inflamed that may not be easily anesthetized, but fortunately those cases are not common.

The moral of this story is:  Don't be afraid to go to the dentist.  The majority of the work that we do is painless and you can be making your work more complicated and expensive by waiting while cavities get bigger. 

Don't be afraid to demand painless dentistry.

West Palm Beach Dentist   Carlos Boudet, DDS, DICOI
1840 Forest Hill Blvd, Suite 204
West Palm Beach, Florida  33406
Phone: (561) 968 6022

 Website: http://www.boudetdds.com
Implant Blog: http://www.palm-beach-implants.com