PAINLESS DENTISTRY

One of the biggest challenges a dentist may face on a day-to-day basis is helping to calm a fearful patient. Usually these patients have had some visit in the past in which they remember an episode of discomfort, pain, or otherwise. In our own office, we pride ourselves in helping a patient get through the procedure with zero pain with good administration of a local anesthetic, and simple TLC. The idea is that eventually we can get them comfortable with each new visit to reverse the negative association with getting work done on their teeth.

Many times, TLC just isn’t enough for a patient to make it through a procedure, and there is nothing like a little nitrous oxide to make it easier for everyone. It’s not just the patient who feels less stress. As a dental operator, you will be able to relax as well instead of being on edge the entire appointment. It can truly be a win-win for your office.

Nitrous oxide works by creating an anesthetic and euphoric effect on the central nervous system. As it is inhaled, the anxiolytic effect can be increased simply by adding more nitrous oxide to the mix. The nice thing about it is that it has a minimum alveolar concentration of 105% before it causes general anesthesia. In other words, you could never breathe enough of the stuff to actually lose consciousness. Coupled with a constant flow of oxygen, it becomes a safe adjunct to the procedure to get someone comfortable.

As popular as local anesthetics are these days, use of nitrous oxide in the dental setting predates the 1960’s popularity of Novocaine (Procaine) by more than 100 years. Horace Wells, dental entrepreneur of the 1840’s, built a 12-practice empire equipped with nitrous oxide. Even by today’s standards, that is a significant accomplishment. But what the innovation gained for his business, it lacked in safety. These machines had no scavenging system, allowing the gas to seep into the operating room. Also missing was the addition of oxygen to the mix. The dentists had no idea how much nitrous the patient was getting, or whether or not it was too much.
While the systems are much safer now, the irony is that the look of these stainless steel appliances has created their own brand of anxiety. Patients today expect the dental office setting to have nice décor, to be non-threatening, and to even smell very little like a dental office.

It’s nice to see a dental company recognize these types of changes, and create products that address the changing needs of our patients. Accutron is a company that manufacturers nitrous oxide flowmeters and equipment. They have shown that they have a very basic understanding of how to make a patient more comfortable, and make life easier for the dentist. Instead of the typical black or silver units of the past, their systems are white, complementing whatever cabinetry you have in a very clean way. And, the units are designed to have mounting flexibility.
Digital Ultra flowmeter with a digital touchpad can be mounted almost anywhere, including in a cabinet or on a swing arm attachment. It even has an automatic calibration feature that allows you to simply set what percentage of nitrous oxide you want without having to calculate it yourself based on liter per minute flow.
To complement these systems, Accutron also has a complete line-up of single use nasal hoods. The Personal Inhaler Plus comes in three different sizes depending on your patient population. These also come in a variety of different scents, from mint to strawberry, to bubblegum. Unscented is available too if the patient prefers it that way.

Keeping with that theme of patient comfort and doctor convenience, Accutron recently added the ClearView Single-Use Nasal Hood to the line-up. The design of the device is more like having two nasal hoods in one. The outer hood is transparent, reducing the area that is normally blocked from your field of view as the operator. The clear outer hood also allows you to watch for condensation from breathing, allowing you to visually monitor whether the patient is breathing properly. Because of this design, the secondary hood helps to capture more of the exhaled nitrous oxide through the scavenger system.

Dr. Jeff Rohde DDS, MS