How Clear Aligners Work

The way it works is rather simple:

1. A model of your teeth and bite alignment is made by digital scan.
2. A treatment plan is designed for you using advanced computer software to simulate the movement of your teeth.
3. Your aligners are either 3D printed or milled.
4. You receive the set of aligners in our office.
5. We typically will put little bumps on your teeth called attachments, which are bonded on to your teeth during the duration of your treatment. These attachments are tooth colored so in contrast to metal braces, they are not noticeable on your teeth. The attachments are necessary for the aligners to correctly snap on to your teeth and move them effectively. You will receive a few aligners at a time and every two weeks you will go on to the next set of aligners.
6. You will come in for visits periodically as prescribed by our dentists.
7. When you finish your last aligner tray, we remove the white bumps on your teeth and scan your teeth for retainers which you’ll wear at night.

Clear aligner therapy represents a significant advancement in orthodontic treatment, offering a less visible, more comfortable and highly effective way to achieve a beautifully aligned smile. With the convenience and aesthetic advantages they provide, clear aligners have become a popular choice for those looking to improve their dental alignment discreetly.

Call Today!

If you’re considering clear aligner therapy in Novi, Michigan, we invite you to consult with one of our skilled dentists, Dr. Neil Blavin or Dr. Rikki Blavin, to determine if it’s the right choice for you. Please call 248-347-0030 to schedule your consultation with our Briar Pointe Dentistry team. We are excited to help you create a confident and healthy smile!

The post Smile Confidently: A Helpful Guide to Clear Aligner Therapy first appeared on Briar Pointe Dentistry.

What is a Canker Sore?

The clinical name for canker sore is aphthous ulcer. They are whitish sores with a red halo. There are 3 different types of aphthous ulcers: 1.) minor, 2.) major, and 3.) herpetiform. Minor aphthae are the most common and present as singular or multiple, being less than 1 cm in size. Major aphthae typically present as 1-2 lesions, are larger than 1 cm, and appear on the lip or back of the throat. Major aphthae are deeper in the tissue than minor lesions and are more likely to lead to scarring.

Herpetiform aphthae present as many very small lesions as possible, each only 1-2 mm in size. They’re called herpetiform because they closely resemble the morphology of the oral disease, herpes. The main differences between herpetiform aphthae and herpes include symptoms, location of the lesions and appearance of the lesions. Herpes lesions generally have a neurologic sensation at first such as numbness, tingling or a burning sensation, whereas herpetiform aphthae don’t have neurologic symptoms. Herpes virus generally appears on keratinized tissue, i.e. the hard palate, attached gingiva and vermillion border (border around the lips), whereas herpetiform aphthae appear on non-keratinized tissue, i.e. buccal mucosa, the floor of the mouth and sides of the tongue. Herpes lesions are generally more blister-like and herpetiform lesions are flatter. It is important to remember that herpes lesions are contagious while all forms of aphthous ulcers are not contagious.

What Causes These Sores?

The exact cause for aphthous ulcers is unknown, though clinicians have documented various trends including trauma, stress, allergy or vitamin deficiency. When canker sores are frequent or severe, they can be part of a systemic condition such as infection, anemia, diabetes, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, Behcet’s disease or immune system disorders. Most commonly, trauma to the oral tissue can induce a canker sore. For example, if you accidentally bite your tongue, you may notice a canker sore develop the next day. Similarly, if you eat some chips and scratch your mucosa, a canker sore may form. These can be recurrent lesions if the patient repeatedly irritates that area in the mouth.

Remedies to Help With Canker Sores

As for treatment, unfortunately there is no treatment for canker sores. However, there are certain remedies to help alleviate the pain. There is a product that I have found to be very helpful for patients, called Propolis. It’s a natural secretion sourced from honeybees! Other remedies which can help include hydrogen peroxide rinses (for example, Colgate Peroxyl), saltwater rinses, baking soda slurry rinses, or placing topical benzocaine anesthetic (for example Orajel) on the sore. If your canker sore is severe, your dentist may prescribe a mouth rinse for you which may contain anesthetic, steroid, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Obviously if the apthous ulcers are indicative of an underlying condition, then that condition must be treated. For example, if the patient is vitamin B12 deficient, then that nutritional imbalance must be corrected with diet or supplements.

If you have any form of aphthous ulcer, it is important to avoid spicy, acidic, or very hot foods which can irritate the lesions. The following foods have been anecdotally found to lead to the presence of canker sores: chocolate, coffee, acidic fruits or vegetables and spicy foods.

If you are ever unsure of what to do about these pesky, annoying, and painful lesions, ask your dentist!

The post What You Should Know About Canker Sores first appeared on Briar Pointe Dentistry.

First a really, really brief historical perspective. IV sedation kickstarted in the 1650’s. William Harvey was an English physician who discovered the circulatory system of the body through theory and experimentation. He showed that arteries and veins form a complete circuit traveling through the heart.

After Harvey discovered that blood circulates this caused two gentlemen to successfully administer opium to a dog via the bloodstream. Prior to Harvey it was common thought that blood traveled to organs in an open system which would not be conducive for drug administration. Doctors over the centuries advanced the techniques and developed what we now know as modern IV sedation.

First Visit

We will help you set up a consultation with one of our dentists. During this visit you will get to meet some of the office staff and get a feel for the office. You will meet with our dentist where you will talk about your treatment goals. Treatment goals in essence is when our dentist and you look at your mouth. We will identify if anything needs to be done and an order of priority determined to get your mouth to its best state of health. If you’re coming in for cosmetic treatment then you will discuss all the relevant details so you and our doctor are on the same page. Your medical and dental history will be taken to ensure your safety, as not everyone can undergo in-office IV sedation. Necessary vitals will be taken along with any pertinent X-rays or models. Any questions regarding the treatment and sedation will be discussed. The office will go over insurance coverage and payment plans if applicable.

Scheduling your Sedation Appointment

You then schedule your sedation appointment. Typically these will be morning appointments due to eating and drinking restrictions from 6 hours prior to the appointment. If you take medications in the morning you will need to discuss this with our doctor prior to your appointment. Someone will need to accompany you who can drive you home and stay with you. Our office will go over the post-op instructions with the responsible adult who will be accompanying you home. On the day of sedation, you can’t go to work or school. You want to stay home and take it easy. After sedation the only person you can take care of is you. So if you have children or pets make sure someone will be available to take care of them.

What To Expect When Sedated

You will come with an adult who will drive you home when the procedure is complete. You will be brought back into a treatment room where your vitals will be taken. You may be given an oral sedative pill. In direct IV sedation a tourniquet will be used to allow for easier access to your veins. A tourniquet is used to prevent the return of venous blood from the periphery to the heart while allowing for the unimpeded flow of arterial blood into the limb, thereby engorging the veins making them more visible and easier for IV placement. Think of it as a traffic light; when the light is red traffic stops temporarily and when it is green, (the tourniquet being removed), traffic continues its flow.

Tourniquets may be a rubber elastic band, (probably what you’ve seen when you give blood at your doctor’s office), a velcro band or a blood pressure cuff. The injection site is prepared with alcohol and numbing cream, and a catheter or indwelling needle will be placed in the vein. Our doctor will then aspirate the site of injection to make sure they are in the lumen of the vein. Aspirating means that our doctor will draw back the syringe and make sure they see blood as this confirms they are in the vein and ready to administer the drugs. The tourniquet is then removed, the needle/catheter secured, and the flow of IV sedation begins.

The way IV sedation is administered is called titration. This basically means that the dose is very controlled, and the least amount of medication required is used to ensure you are completely comfortable and don’t feel a thing. The rate of infusion is adjusted to maintain a slow flow that will prevent needle occlusion throughout the procedure. After the procedure is complete, the drug administration will cease and you will wake up, albeit feeling a little out of it or groggy. Remember, throughout the procedure you will not feel anything.

Call Today

We hope this helps you understand what to expect if you’re thinking of undergoing IV sedation for dental treatment. Our Briar Pointe Dentistry team in Novi, MI is here to make sure you receive the care you need. Dr. Neil Blavin and Dr. Rikki Blavin look forward to helping you. Please call 248-347-0030 to schedule a consultation!

The post The History of Sedation Dentistry and How IV Sedation Will Make You Feel Comfortable at Your Next Dental Visit first appeared on Briar Pointe Dentistry.

John doesn’t want to see his dentist; he is afraid of enduring pain. This causes him to have anxiety about going to the dentist. This hurts John twofold. Firstly, if he neglects seeing his dentist, he is likely to develop serious issues in his mouth that will require more intensive care. Secondly, he carries with him this anxiety which causes him undo stress.

When we as dentists control the pain a patient receives, we then control the anxiety. We see patients that will come in anxious, undergo IV sedation and leave with a positive dental experience! This experience is powerful enough that at their next visit they might have lost their anxiety enough that they can be worked on with a local anesthetic. This also frees up the patient from the stress they previously experienced over going to a dentist.

Pain Management

-No sedation: Now, how do we manage the pain perceived by a patient? First, an extreme minority are people who do not require any anesthetic prior to a procedure. They do not require any pain control.

-Iatrosedation: The second group desires pain control, but doesn’t want a shot. This second group might opt for iatrosedation. Iatrosedation is loosely defined as the doctor earning the patient’s trust. Simply knowing they are being taken care of by someone who cares about them is enough for some people to go ahead and proceed with a procedure. Iatrosedation is accomplished through trust and clear communication from the dentist to the patient where expectations are clearly outlined and understood by both parties. More typically, iatrosedation will allow a dentist to successfully segue into administering the most common form of pain control, pharmaceuticals.

-Hypnotherapy: Another form of pain management which is very uncommon is hypnotherapy. Many factors have to work in unison to achieve success using this form of pain management. This method is time consuming, difficult to administer, and effective pain management is questionable.

Until now we have discussed iatrosedation. Now let’s focus on pharmacosedation; you guessed it, sedation through pharmaceuticals. It should be noted that if iatrosedation is accomplished properly patients will require less pharmaceuticals.

–Oral sedation: First off, pharmacosedation involves administering a drug to be taken orally before or during a dental visit. The oral route possesses some advantages. First being no shot is required. Most adults have no objection to taking a pill orally. The disadvantages of taking an oral pill include taking the pill at the right time, making sure of a safe interaction with any other drugs or health conditions the patient might have, and inability to titrate the drug.

-Localized injection: The next, and most common approach to pain control is a localized injection. The patient might be in slight discomfort for a moment when the injection takes place. Many dentists have tricks to mitigate any anticipated pain from the shot. Some patients might require more anesthetic than others depending on how their body reacts.

-IV sedation: At the next level of pain control, we visit IV sedation. Simply put, IV sedation works by administering specific amounts of anesthesia into the bloodstream. This allows for quick absorption by the body and will generally cause the patient to fall asleep. While sleeping the patient will not feel anything. It should be noted that a patient will have a level of consciousnesses throughout the administration of the anesthesia, unlike deep sedation. This form of pain control is for those who don’t want to face a needle or who have a lot of work that needs to be done. Instead of consciously keeping their mouth open for hours during a long restorative procedure, a patient can comfortably go to sleep and wake up with everything done. Patients that have suffered abuse also generally need IV sedation as well as the handicapped or mentally challenged to have a comfortable experience.

-Deep anesthesia: Finally, the last level of pain control is deep anesthesia. This form of anesthesia can only be administered by an anesthesiologist or CRNA. This form of anesthesia is for those who cannot undergo IV sedation and require stronger drugs that completely knock a person out. Typically, you’ll see this type of sedation in a hospital setting unless the dental office has a specialist come and administer the drug in house.

Conclusion

That wraps up this blog! We look forward to sharing our next blog with you where we will examine the process of IV sedation. From a historical perspective to practical considerations, we’ll talk about it all. Ok, not exactly. We will become educated though, so bring your pen and paper (or laptop) so you can learn what you need to feel less anxious about ongoing dental care with our Briar Pointe Dentistry team. We work hard to provide comfortable dental visits with our dedicated dentists, Dr. Neil Blavin and Dr. Rikki Blavin. Please call 248-347-0030 if you have any dental questions or concerns.

The post The Power of IV Sedation: Improving Dental Care Experiences first appeared on Briar Pointe Dentistry.

Then, in the late 1930’s intravenous (IV-in the vein) was introduced using general anesthesia for dental procedures. Decades later, in the 1970’s, the medical professions began using the same techniques as dentists for patient comfort. Most dental pain is controlled by local anesthetic or other means of pain control. In 1970 dental students were introduced to the concept of patient comfort whereas prior to 1970 training was purely clinical.

Sedation also includes iatrosedation, oral sedation, inhalation sedation (but more about those in our next blog). Today we use a class of drugs called benodiazepines which is administered intravenously to control patient comfort. The greater amount of ways a doctor can manage pain through different types of sedation the greater probability for a successful result. What’s a successful result? A pain-free visit to the dentist!

To hear more about how IV sedation can help make your dental treatment relaxing and pain free, feel free to contact our Briar Pointe Dentistry team and learn how you can have a comfortable visit with one of our skilled dentists, Dr. Neil Blavin and Dr. Rikki Blavin. Call 248-347-0030 today. Come feel the difference, come get IV sedation today!

The post The History of Sedation Dentistry Can Help You Feel Better About Receiving Dental Care first appeared on Briar Pointe Dentistry.

Each profession tends to be its own little niche, which is a good thing because it creates a unique space for our services and a place for you to learn and implement helpful ideas that can benefit you and the people you care about.

We’re excited to share this ongoing knowledge base of blog articles with this online community. These blogs provide timely and relevant information that’s conveniently accessible online. Indeed, we hope that this community will use the valuable information found in our regular blog posts, because they are an effective way for us to reach out to you on a monthly basis, while you still enjoy the comforts of your own home.

If you have any questions or want more information, we invite you to call our team at Briar Pointe Dentistry in Novi, Michigan, today at 248-347-0030. We look forward to helping you in any way we can, and we thank you for the opportunity!

The post Welcome to Our New Blog! first appeared on Briar Pointe Dentistry.