About 95% of dental patients have some form of anxiety.  Whether it’s the shot, the fear of the unknown, the fear of pain, or just the unpleasantness of the dentist hands in your mouth, there are an undetermined number of reasons why most people are scared.  Unfortunately, no matter how you feel about the dentist, at some point it has to be done.  So, let’s go over some ways to help you through it.  

1. Ask your dentist to walk through the procedure with you.  There are many times when the fear is really just a fear of the unknown.  As dentists, we do the same procedures all day every day.  We sometimes forget that something we have done thousands of times is completely unknown to you.  Often just a short explanation of what we are going to do can alleviate all of your fears.  
2. Tell your dentist about your specific fears.  We can’t help what we don’t know.  If you have a fear of needles, we can make sure you don’t see it.  If you hate impression material, we have tricks to make it easier.  If we know what you are particularly in fear of, we can do our best to help you through it.  
3. Watch your food and drink intake.  Drinking a coffee with extra shots of espresso when you are already nervous will only make you more jittery.  Caffeine is not calming.  The same goes for high sugar foods.  They will only amp up your body’s anxiety level.  
4. Plan your day.  If possible, make your appointment for dental work on a day where you don’t have a bunch of other stressful things going on.  This will allow you to be as calm as possible.  
5. Visit your dentist routinely.  I know this seems counterintuitive, but often patients are scared of what we will find in your mouth.  With regular visits, not only will you get used to the process of seeing the dentist, but in addition, there is less of a chance that we will find something major if we just saw you 6 months ago.  
6. Sedation!  Finally, if your anxiety is too much and the above suggestions just aren’t cutting it, ask your dentist for sedation.  There are many different kinds of sedation.  From nitrous oxide or laughing gas, to oral sedation, to iv sedation.  Ask your dentist about your sedation options.  

Please keep in mind that, as your dentist, we want you to be comfortable and happy.  A relaxed, happy patient makes our job easier.  So, let us know what we can do to help you.  Remember we can’t read your mind!  In the famous words of Jerry Maguire, “Help me Help You!”  That way we can all be happy.  

One of the biggest questions that dentists get is, “How much is this going to hurt?!?” Some patients come right out and ask, but most people just sit in silence and assume the answer. I can literally see the horrifying images they are envisioning as they sit in the chair and stare at me in horror. So, here is the truth. Yes, you will be in pain after some dental procedures. Yes, your mouth is going to feel weird for a couple days after most dental visits. However, those horrifying images of blood pouring out of your mouth really only happens in horror movies. I’m going to give you a run down of what you can really expect. 
During your dental procedure, you should not feel pain. With the advancements we have in anesthetics today, there is no reason for any pain in the dental chair. Your dentist will get you numb, which is uncomfortable, but should not be painful. Once you get numb, you will know your dentist is doing stuff in your mouth.  You may feel pressure, but there should be no pain! So please don’t worry about that. 
After your dental procedure, you may feel pain or discomfort. Your mouth is a very sensitive area. Think about the last time you ate either chips or a piece of bread with a really crusty exterior. I don’t know about you, but I get these annoying little cuts in my mouth that bug me for a couple days. But, it doesn’t stop me from eating the chips and the bread! Dental work is similar. We have to get underneath your gums for cleanings, deep cleanings, and routine dental procedures. So, odds are, you are going to be a little sore and irritated for a couple days. Kind of like eating some really good crusty bread! 
Extractions and surgical procedures are a little different. This is more like if you fell off your bike and hurt yourself. You will be swollen and uncomfortable for a few days. The swelling is part of how your body heals itself. It means that everything is working right! Almost all people heal in the same timeline because it is the way your cells work together to heal you. You will be the most uncomfortable on day 3 after a surgical procedure. So think of a biking up a hill. You are heading up the hill until the 3rd day and then it’s just all downhill fun. You should start feeling much better! So, there you have it. Trust your dentist when they tell you what to expect. Dentists really only do a few procedures, so we know exactly what to expect. In addition, we are patients as well. We are our classmates first patients that they practice on in dental school. We have experienced all the shots, and a lot of the procedures as well. We don’t want you to be surprised. We want whatever procedure you’re having done to go seamlessly and we want you to know exactly what to expect after the procedure when we can’t be there with you. If you are experiencing pain or symptoms that are unexpected after your procedure, we want to know. At our Wiregrass Smiles, we have someone who answers the phone 24 hours a day so that we can help you anytime. Please don’t be afraid to reach out. We are always here for you! 
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​I belong to several online dentist groups where dentists discuss cases and treatment plans together to try and further their education.  Last week, one of the dentists posted this title, “Dentures without implants are for smiling, not chewing,” and it really resonated with me.  
In the beginning of my career, I would happily complete a lower denture on anyone who wanted and/or needed one.  I had learned the best techniques and was taught that in cases with hopeless teeth, dentures were standard of care.  Over the years, I began to realize that my denture patients and specifically my patients with conventional lower dentures, were my “problem” patients.  They were the patients who were never happy.  They often just couldn’t function with the lower denture.  So, I took a denture course.  I thought surely it was something I was doing wrong.  And, thanks to an amazing dental school (Go Gators!), I didn’t learn any new techniques.  I was taught, and was doing the best techniques for completing dentures that were available.  
My next plan of action was to create a new policy for myself.  And, this is the policy I have stuck with for many years now.  I just don’t do lower dentures without implants anymore.  I hate when patients are unhappy or disappointed.  I want to know that when I finish my work, I will have a happy, healthy, functioning patient.  I couldn’t guarantee that with lower dentures without implants.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some patients who are completely happy with anything.  You literally put a denture in their mouth and they happily start chewing and functioning with it and never look back.  But, those patients are few and far between.  The rest of the time, patients who get conventional lower dentures are sorely disappointed.  They can’t eat and often can’t speak properly.  Most of the time, they end up putting the dentures in a drawer and only using them for special occasions.  
So, what is the difference between upper and lower dentures?  People think, well I have 2 jaws, so they must be the same.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  As I would tell my patients, most people can tolerate an upper denture.  While it is not the most fun experience, and it is definitely not like having your own teeth, most people can learn to function with an upper denture.  Lower dentures are a whole different ballgame.  Let’s talk about the difference between your upper and lower jaws.  Feel the roof of your mouth with your tongue.  It is mostly hard, and where the hard part meets the soft part, back by your throat, this is what helps the denture suction to the roof of your mouth.  Now feel your lower jaw.  Most of it is covered by your tongue and it is soft moveable tissue in the middle of your teeth.  Your jaws are completely different.  Therefore, the dentures have to be completely different.  An upper denture covers the entire roof of your mouth.  It has a lot of surface area to help it suction and have retention.  
A lower denture on the other hand is horseshoe shaped.  It follows the horseshoe area where your teeth would be, but the entire middle is left open so that your tongue has space to move.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Not only is a lower denture missing all that area that creates suction, but in addition, there is nowhere for the lower denture to suction.  Your tongue is attached to the floor of your mouth in the middle of your lower jaw.  Every time you speak or chew, your tongue moves and it moves all of that soft tissue around it.  Most of the time, this displaces a lower denture.  This is what makes lower dentures intolerable for most people.  Unless you have the patience to retrain your mouth to use your tongue and cheek muscles to hold the lower denture in place, then it will be a miserable experience.
Now you can see why the above quote resonated with me.  I have been trying to find a succinct way to explain my policy on dentures to my patients for years…and there it was.  Often people don’t realize how big of a difference just two implants underneath a lower denture can make.  It turns a vanity item into a useful appliance.  Throughout the years, my patients that have gone from a conventional lower denture to an implant supported denture are always my happiest patients.  I can’t even tell you how many of them have told me that it changed their life.  They can go back to chewing and eating foods that they haven’t had for years.  They can socialize without fear of their denture moving around during conversation.  And for many it even changes their intimate life as well.  They feel so much less self conscious.  It is always amazing to me how two little snaps can truly change a person’s life.  I could honestly go on speaking about it for hours!   I won’t bore you with the details, but if you or someone you know is suffering, or just “getting by” with a lower denture, I implore you to look into getting two implants on the bottom.  With payment plans, it is more affordable now than ever and it will change your life.  Let’s get you back to smiling and chewing again!