Is fear and anxiety keeping you away from visiting a dentist? Are you depriving yourself of the dental care you deserve? Fret not! Sedation dentistry is the solution to your problems. With the advent of modern dentistry, you can overcome dental fear and reap all the benefits of visiting a dentist. 

Sedation dentistry is offered by the dentist in Berkley, CA, and their team to help you calm down and make you comfortable enabling a smooth procedure and result outcome.

Understanding sedation dentistry 

Sedation dentistry focuses on relieving stress and pain during dental procedures through sedation. It is a state of being calm or asleep using drugs. This enables you to stay calm and relaxed so that the dentist can perform dental treatments with ease. It is also called conscious sedation or “twilight sleep” since technically you will be awake but in a relaxed state. It creates short-term amnesia (forgetfulness) where you will experience insensitivity to pain without the loss of consciousness.

Applications of Sedation Dentistry

Dentists often recommend sedation dentistry if you suffer from:

• Dental Anxiety
• A fear of visiting the dentist
• Increased gag reflex
• Extreme tooth sensitivity
• A feeling of claustrophobia 
• Decreased sensitivity to local anesthesia
• Difficulty controlling movements
• Special needs (behavioral, cognitive, or physical)

Types of Sedation Dentistry 

The most common types of sedation dentistry have been discussed below. 

Nitrous oxide

• This is commonly known as laughing gas, which is inhaled through a mask. 
• It leads to calming effects within 3 to 5 minutes of inhalation.
• Once the procedure is over, your dentist will administer pure oxygen to flush out the nitrous oxide.

Oral conscious sedation

• This method involves oral administration of sedative pills about an hour before the procedure.
• For pediatric use, dentists often use liquid sedation in the form of syrups.
• It may make you feel groggy, and recovery may not be as quick as nitrous oxide sedation.

Intravenous (IV) sedation

• This is the deepest form of sedation where the medication is administered directly into your bloodstream through an IV line. 
• The dosage will be adjusted according to the age and the length of the procedure.
• You may fall asleep and have little to no memory of the treatment when you wake up. 

Bottom line  

Dental fear and anxiety can be distressing, depriving you of the much-deserved dental care. If the thought of visiting a dentist haunts you, discuss them with your dentist and find the best sedation option that works for you. 

Your gums are important supporting structures of the tooth that surround and anchor them. They form a major component of the periodontium and maintain the integrity of your teeth and the oral cavity. Any infection or inflammation can lead to gum or periodontal disease that requires immediate attention. 

Buffalo Grove family dentistry enables patients to identify the warning signs of periodontal disease to seek timely dental care. Read on to learn more about this prevalent oral problem. 

What is periodontal disease?

Periodontal disease is a common dental problem that involves the infection and inflammation of the gums and the bone that support your teeth. Almost three-fourths of all adults globally have some form of periodontal or gum disease. It is one of the leading causes of tooth loss. Poor hygiene typically gives way to increased bacterial accumulation and plaque adherence, leading to periodontal disease. 

What causes periodontal disease? 

Poor oral hygiene leads to increased bacterial colonization, which forms an ideal environment for plaque adherence (a thin sticky coat formed on the tooth surface), which, over a period of time, hardens to form calculus. 

The possible risk factors for periodontal disease include:

• Genetic predisposition
• Diabetes 
• Unhealthy lifestyle habits like smoking 
• Excess alcohol consumption 
• Stress
• Hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause 
• Autoimmune disorders like lupus
• Certain medications like tetracyclines

Is periodontal disease contagious?

Disease-causing bacteria that cause periodontal disease can pass from one person to another. Repeated and long-term contact through saliva may increase your risk for periodontal disease. 

What are the possible signs and symptoms of periodontal disease?

Periodontal signs and symptoms may include:

• Red, swollen, and engorged gums
• Discoloration of your gums (reddish, purplish, or greenish)
• Bleeding gums 
• Receding gums
• The tooth appears longer than normal due to exposure to the tooth roots
• Halitosis (bad breath)
• Metallic taste
• Malocclusion or misalignment
• Loose teeth 

How do you treat periodontal disease?

There are several treatment options depending on the severity and stage of the disease, including:

Mild to moderate cases

• Supragingival cleaning 
• Subgingival scaling 
• Root planing
• Medications 
• Antibiotic gels and mouth rinse
• Pocket irrigation 

Moderate to severe cases 

• Pocket elimination surgery
  • Excising and reattaching the lost gingival tissue to its original position 
• Tissue regeneration
  • To rehabilitate and revitalize damaged tissue structure through PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy
• Gum grafting
  • Using gingival tissue grafts from other areas of the oral cavity to replace the lost gum tissues 
• Bone grafting
  • Using bone grafts to restore the jawbone thickness and volume 
• Dental implants 
  • Help in replacing missing teeth lost due to periodontal disease

It is important to know the warning signs of periodontal disease so that you can get appropriate treatment before the disease worsens.

Heart is indeed one of the vital organs that often be portrayed similar to an engine to the body. Taking care of heart health is important as many of the heart diseases may actually be prevented through a good healthy way of living. The heart itself is a strong organ as it pumps the blood throughout the body within the 100 000 kilometres of blood vessels in the human body. The heart never stops working until a person dies. When the heart is affected by disease, the heart may not function properly. One of the diseases of the heart is heart inflammation.

Heart inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to an infection or injury to the heart. In order to protect the body, the white blood cells send chemicals that increase blood flow to the area. This inflammation process leads to redness, swelling or pain. Inflammation can affect the lining of the heart or valves, the heart muscle or the tissue surrounding the heart. Common causes include viral or bacterial infection and medical conditions such as autoimmune disease. Heart inflammation can occur suddenly or progress slowly. Heart inflammation may not cause any symptoms ranging from mild to severe symptoms.

Inflammation to the heart can be divided to 3 types:

• Endocarditis- inflammation to the inner lining of the heart valves and chambers. Clumps of bacteria or fungi from other parts of the body travel through the blood and collect on the endocardium. Clumps occur more on the heart valves compared to the heart chambers. Pieces of clumps can break off and travel to other parts of the body, causing blood flow blockage or further spread of infection. It is often caused by bacteria in the blood from bacterial infection of other parts of the body or abnormalities in the endocardium layer that makes it easy for bacteria to accumulate.
• Myocarditis- Inflammation to the heart muscles. Acute myocarditis is typically caused by an infection like virus. Chronic myocarditis is typically caused by another medical condition such as autoimmune. Myocarditis can affect heart muscle to the extent of causing problems for the heart to pump blood. Myocarditis is a rare complication of COVID-19.
• Pericarditis- inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart. The sac is made of 2 thin layers of tissue with a small amount of fluid between them. This sac, known as pericardium, holds the heart in its position and protects against infection. Some people who have pericarditis also develop pericardial effusion, which means there is fluid buildup in the sac. It can lead to life-threatening events if the fluid buildup is too much and cause the heart unable to pump normally. This is known as cardiac tamponade.

Risk of heart inflammation is high in certain groups of people. Different age groups are at risk for different types of heart inflammation. While in general all ages can be affected by heart inflammation, myocarditis and pericarditis is more frequent in young adults and pericarditis in middle-aged adults. Older adults are at risk for endocarditis caused by bacteria. Men are likely to get heart inflammation but heart inflammation caused by autoimmune is more common in women such as those with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Genetics does play a role in risk for all 3 types of heart inflammation. A person is at higher risk for myocarditis and pericarditis if they have any of the 2 rare inherited conditions: familial Mediterranean fever, tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome. Certain medical conditions apart from autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, skin disorders, eating disorders and poor dental health can raise risk for heart inflammation. Side effects from certain medicines may lead to myocarditis, pericarditis or both.

Heart inflammation caused by viruses, may cause symptoms such as cough, runny nose or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and abdominal pain a few weeks before there other symptoms of heart inflammation. Symptoms of heart inflammation may mimic flu and disappear after a few weeks. Other symptoms include chest pain or shortness of breath. Several common symptoms according to each type of heart inflammation:

• Endocarditis- fever, child, new or abnormal heart murmur, or abnormal heart sounds
• Myocarditis- chest pain or discomfort, pounding heart
• Pericarditis- fever, fast heartbeat, chest pain that gets worse with breathing, chest pain improved when leaning forwards or sitting up

Patients diagnosed with heart inflammation may wonder if there is a cure to the disease. In many cases, heart inflammation can be cured. Mild cases of pericarditis and myocarditis may resolve without treatment. Medication such as antibiotic and antifungal is used to treat bacterial and fungal infection respectively. Heart surgery may be needed in certain cases to repair damage to valves or nearby heart tissue from endocarditis. It may also involve removing infected tissue or repairing affected valves. Corticosteroids can help lower the inflammation. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) can control the body’s immune response and inflammatory response in those with autoimmune.

Also read – Dengue Prevention.