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Palo Alto, CA
2290 Birch St, Ste A, Palo Alto, CA 94306.
(650) 503-6777
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Redwood City, CA
81 Birch Street, Redwood City, CA 94062.
(650)-345-5300
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Santa Clara, CA
1394 Franklin St, Santa Clara, CA 95050.
(408)-246-6030
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How Single Tooth Anesthesia Can Increase Patient Comfort

Anesthetizing the area where a dental procedure will occur has often been the most awkward part of dentistry. It is a potential source of pain from less-than-optimal anesthetizing and insertion of the needle, and can leave a patient with the “mouth full of cotton” feeling for hours after the procedure has completed.

Single-tooth anesthesia (STA) is an emerging technique that eliminates some of the dangers associated with anesthetization and minimizes more of the negative side effects.

By opting for single-tooth anesthesia, you may be able to prevent pain during your next dental procedure.

Understanding the Pitfalls of Traditional Anesthesia Techniques

Traditional techniques require an approach where the dentist must judge the efficacy of anesthesia based on the patient’s feedback. While this may be enough for relatively simple procedures, deeper fillings and extractions may be painful for a patient even when anesthetic has been administered.

There are a few reasons for this. The first concerns the way traditional anesthesia work. They must affect a larger area, which requires more anesthetic. This numbs the area to a certain degree, but may not numb it enough to prevent the most intense pain.

The second revolves around the way the body tends to absorb anesthetic. More must be supplied to interrupt the communication between nerves and the brain.

The last reason traditional anesthesia may fail pertains to the way it must be administered. Dentists do not have a proper way to gauge the effectiveness of anesthesia; thus, they must rely upon the patient and experience to help them judge.

Single-Tooth Anesthesia: Revolutionizing Pain-Free Dentistry

By utilizing periodontal ligament (PDL) injection techniques, a single tooth can be numbed and prepared for any given dental procedure. This technique requires less anesthesia while offering a more efficient way of preventing pain.

Single-tooth anesthesia utilizes this technique while integrating tiny sensors to detect changes in patient responses. This allows it to provide a safe way of preventing pain while applying anesthesia to just one tooth.

It overcomes the challenges of PDL anesthetization techniques by only applying as much force as is needed. This minimizes damage to the periodontal ligament while ensuring that the needle can travel deep enough into any soft tissue to deliver an effective dose of anesthesia.

Increasing Patient Comfort

Single-tooth anesthesia increases patient comfort in three major ways:

  • It minimizes the amount of pain during the anesthesia procedure due to the precise control of pressure.
  • It delivers a more effective anesthetic that ensures the patient will be as comfortable as possible during any procedures.
  • It minimizes the amount of lasting numbness a patient feels after undergoing a procedure, allowing the patient to resume his or her activities after the appointment.

The result is a better anesthesia that makes the patient more comfortable. This allows for a more effective treatment while reducing the amount of fear and anxiety that tends to be common amongst patients.

Contact Us

To learn more about single-tooth anesthesia, contact Blue Turtle Dental today. Our experts can give you more information about this ground-breaking way to apply anesthesia to just one tooth.

Benefits of Single Tooth Anesthesia

The primary fear that people have of going to the dentist is a fear of feeling pain.

They are afraid of the pain that might come from the procedure, or they are afraid of the pain that might come from the injection that is used to deliver anesthesia. The single tooth anesthesia system, also known as STA, is a specialized device that uses a computer to monitor the fluid pressure of the anesthetic that is administered during a dental procedure.

Interestingly, some people who are experiencing tooth pain would prefer to continue battling with that pain as opposed to getting much-needed care.

The single tooth anesthesia system has helped many such individuals overcome their fear of the dentist. At Blue Turtle Dental, we utilize single tooth anesthesia to maximize patient comfort and safety and turn your dental checkup & treatments into a relaxing experience.

What is the Single Tooth Anesthesia System?

The single tooth anesthesia system minimizes the delivery of anesthesia to a fluid pressure that is equal to what the device senses in a person’s tooth.

One of the special features of this device is its ability to direct anesthesia only towards the tooth that is being worked on.

This minimizes the numbing effect that a person will often feel in their mouth, tongue, and face with traditional anesthesia shots. As a result, patients have a lot less discomfort during the procedure.

The Benefits of Single Tooth Anesthesia

There are a lot of ways in which this system is superior to the traditional system used to administer anesthesia.

Some of these benefits include:

• Innovation. This is the first time in human history that a doctor can single out a tooth to be numbed.

• Safety. Since the entire procedure is being controlled by a patented computer system, the anesthesia is being delivered in a painless way but also in a dose that is safe for the patient. Using this system, the patient does not run the risk of receiving too much anesthetic.

• Efficiency. With conventional methods, a dentist is blindly delivering anesthesia in the general area of treatment with a syringe. However, the STA system eliminates any guessing. It gives the dentist real-time visual and audio feedback. Since the anesthesia is being delivered in an effective way, the effects are felt faster and last longer.

• Reduces Pain. For most patients, this is the most important facet of the STA system. It removes the discomfort out of the anesthesia delivery system. It also protects the surrounding areas of the mouth, such as the tongue and lip from damage.

The STA system is revolutionizing the way that dentists and orthodontists approach their craft.

Patients feel more comfortable visiting the dentist because they know it will be a virtually pain-free visit.

They also know that once the visit is done, they will be able to walk out of the office and return to their normal activities without excessive numbing.

Contact Blue Turtle Dental today to make an appointment and see the benefits of single tooth anesthesia.

Relax During Your Treatment with Sedation Dentistry

One of the reasons that many people avoid dental services is because they are apprehensive about any discomfort that they might experience. Sedation dentistry can be used to make the procedure as comfortable as possible.

What is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry is not an actual treatment itself, but a method to make other treatments pain-free and stress-free. There are many different kinds of sedation dentistry ranging from general anesthetics so that the patient remembers nothing at all to oral sedatives that calm the patient.

The type of sedative that is used will be determined by the patient’s level of stress during their treatment and the specific procedure that is going to take place.

Who Needs It?

Sedation dentistry is a great option for any patient that is uncomfortable with dental services. Those that find it difficult to relax or have overwhelming stress before their appointments make excellent candidates.

In addition to helping a patient calm down, sedatives can also improve patient cooperation and movement control.

Younger children often find dental appointments to be overwhelming, and mild sedatives could help them relax.

Types of Sedation Dentistry

Modern sedatives are currently classified as minimal, moderate, or deep. Here is a look at some of the most commonly used sedatives in dentistry.

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation is the use of a pill to calm the patient down just before their treatment. Oral sedatives may be taken around one hour before the procedure and will make the patient drowsy.

This type of sedation ranges from minimal to moderate depending on the dose that is given.

Inhaled Sedation

Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is a common sedative and will put the patient completely at ease within moments of being used.

While it is similar to oral sedation, the effects of nitrous oxide wear off very quickly, and the dentist will need to constantly monitor how much you are receiving.

This is the only sedation dentistry option in which patients can safely drive themselves home after the appointment.

IV Sedation

An IV can also be used to inject a sedative directly into the patient’s bloodstream. The effects are almost immediate, and the dentist will control your dose throughout the procedure.

Deep Sedation and General Anesthesia

This is the strongest form of sedation and only used for invasive surgeries or patients with an overwhelming fear of dental procedures. Patients are deeply asleep and will not wake up immediately after their surgery.

Contact Us Today

At Blue Turtle Dental, we offer oral sedation to help patients feel relaxed during their procedure. Make an appointment today.