February is National Children’s Dental Health Month; sponsored by the American Dental Association (ADA) to raise awareness about the importance of oral health.
For many, however, maintaining oral health is not a pleasant experience. Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine estimated 9-15% of Americans avoid dental care due to their anxiety about pain and needles - that’s over 30-40 million people! For children, the statistics are even worse, as a 2004 Pediatric Dental Journal study showed that 20% of children in private pediatric dentistry practices experienced “dental fear.”
In a quest to alleviate the anxiety of some of their younger patients, many dentists have used various methods/devices to reduce the pain and better their overall dental experience. Below are some ways dentists can treat their patients effectively (without the typical tantrum):
- Good Vibrations! The brand new, patented, award-winning device DentalVibe® utilizes revolutionary VibraPulse® technology to send soothing pulsations deep into the oral cavity during the injection process -- leaving patients with a painless and stress-free experience. DentalVibe uses “The Gate Control Theory of Pain” to BLOCK the sensation of pain to provide children with a painless experience. DentalVibe even created fun, animal tips to appeal to children.
- Noteworthy Numbing! Topical Anesthesia (or “numbing gel”) is used to numb your gums or other tissues before an injection, so that you can’t feel the needle glide in. Numbing gel contains an anesthetic agent and a cotton swab or q-tip is typically used to apply a small amount of gel to the injection site. Topical gel is proven to be very effective when left on for about one minute, pre-procedure.
- Shake It Up! Mostly used as a distraction technique, many dentists will pull or shake the patient’s lip while they slowly inject the needle. Dentists have been using this tool for years and have found it to be an effective diversion.
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