NO PAIN, NO KIDDING: Dentists seek to ease pain of visits

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NO PAIN, NO KIDDING: Dentists seek to ease pain of visits
November 01, 2007
Niagara Gazette

A trip to the dentist often strikes fear into the hearts of man, woman and child alike. The expectation of pain can amp up anxiety and dread for a patient, and that sort of reputation canÌt be much fun for the dentist, either.

Think about it: You spend a lifetime looking after a personÌs complete oral health and not once do they look happy to see you.

Throughout the Niagara region, more and more dentists are looking to change the dental office experience, turning to new tools that claim to lessen the pain and speed the service.

In the sunny Kenmore offices of Dr. Scott Seier, the metallic squealing of a drill is nowhere to be heard. In its place is what sounds like ... the popping of microwave popcorn?

Water lasers lessen pain

ÏItÌs a rat-a-tat-tat,Ó says Seier, referring to the sound made by the pulsing water of his Biolase water laser.

The magic of the water laser happens when water droplets leave the hand piece in a fine spray and are then super-energized by a laser, giving them the power to remove decay, trim gums and even cut bone, depending on the setting selected by the dentist.

For simple procedures, such as the removal of decay or the filling of a cavity, the water laser replaces not just the old-fashioned drill, but the needle and Novocain, too. Because heat and vibration are the causes of most drilling discomfort, and the water laser transmits neither, there is usually no need to anesthetize. While a few patients might be hypersensitive to the pulsing and pressure of the fluid, most will experience no pain and much less bleeding.

The water laser is quite popular with children, and the relief it can provide them was a large factor when Seier decided to invest in the equipment.

ÏWhen you have to say ÎMom, weÌve got a cavity here,Ì what kidÌs going to want a needle and drill instead of a little water?Ó Seier said.

Foregoing the needle makes the water laser a big hit with babies of the full-grown variety as well.

ÏAny time you see that long needle, I donÌt care how confident you are in someone, itÌs not a pleasant experience,Ó said Joe Cercone, a retired math teacher from the Town of Lockport.

Cercone has been a patient of Seier for more than 20 years, so he has experienced both traditional and modern methods. Earlier this month, he had a cavity repaired below the gumline with the water laser.

ÏAnyone can say, ÎThis wonÌt hurt,Ì but you never know,Ó Cercone said. ÏYou canÌt imagine that they can be cutting gum and you wonÌt feel it.Ó

But experience has made a believer of him, Cercone said.

ÏWhen I was done, I was thanking him, I was thanking the technician who was there assisting him, I was thanking the receptionist, I was thanking everyone. It was just such a relief,Ó Cercone said.

X-ray innovations

Some area dentists offer further innovation in the X-ray procedure. More and more dentists are using digital X-ray machines, where a dentist waves a censor throughout a patientÌs mouth, and images instantly appear on a nearby computer screen.

ÏWith traditional X-ray, the quality of the image depends on the film, on how the patient is sitting, the solution in the machine, and all kinds of processes that are hard to keep track of,Ó said Dr. Marion C. Ryndak-Pilecki from her office in Pendleton.

With conventional technology, if a dentist didnÌt get the angle they wanted on the first try, or if there were problems with the chemicals necessary for the machinery, it meant repeating the entire 25-minute process and another dose of radiation for the patient.

ÏNow because itÌs such low radiation, IÌm not afraid to take another X-ray to get exactly what I need,Ó Ryndak-Pilecki said.

The dentistÌs ability to blow up X-ray images or zoom in to enhance key parts facilitates chairside discussion between doctor and patient, making it easier for both to understand the state of affairs in a patientÌs mouth. And because they are not both huddled around a tiny, static film, doctors are much better able to educate patients about proposed procedures.

ÏWhen I would say, ÎOK, you see this part right here?Ì they would say, ÎOh, yeah, I can see it,Ì but they really couldnÌt. Now the image is clear, and patients say, ÎWow! I can really see that! I always just said I could before, but I couldnÌt,Ì Ó Ryndak-Pilecki said.

One-visit porcelain replacements

Some advances are so futuristic they quickly make traditional methods appear archaic. With CEREC technology Û which stands for Chairside Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics Û a dentist takes pictures, or Ïoptical impressionsÓ of the teeth. He or she then is able to design crowns, veneers and inlays using three-dimensional computer imaging.

ÏTraditionally we would take impressions of the teeth, and the patient would be walking around with temporary crowns for a couple of weeks,Ó said Ryndak-Pilecki.

Now, she designs the crown, drops a block of solid porcelain into the milling unit to be carved, and has them bonded to the patient within 20 minutes.

According to experts, more new dental technology is coming. Seier says there are materials in the works now that can be applied to the softened enamel of a tooth and harden it, effectively reversing tooth decay. And if youÌre not able to catch the decay fast enough, thereÌs no need to worry. Seier says DNA research will soon make it possible for doctors to implant harvested cells into patientsÌ jaws and actually grow new teeth.

Such advances will surely be great news to the newly converted followers of technology like Cercone.

ÏNow that IÌve experienced it, I have absolutely no anxiety. ItÌs wonderful to be in this era,Ó Cercone said.

Contact editor Michele DeLuca at 693-1000, ext. 157.

© 2007, Niagara Gazette