Monthly Archives: June 2013

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
June 29th 2013

Root canal treatment or ‘endodontics’ treats the inside of the tooth. “Endo” is the Greek word for “inside” and “odont” is Greek for “tooth.”

The mention of root canals or root canal treatment often elicits a groan from the patient, largely due to the fact it is often associated with pain. This is because the inside of the tooth contains soft tissue called pulp and amongst other things this pulp contains nerves- the things that tell our brain when something hurts. The pulp also contains blood vessels and connective tissue and extends from the crown of the tooth to the tip of the roots where it connects to the tissues surrounding the root. Whilst the pulp is important during a tooth’s growth and development, once a tooth is fully mature it can survive without the pulp, because the tooth continues to be nourished by the tissues surrounding it.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
June 15th 2013

Following on from my last article on children and dental anxiety I wanted to use this piece to discuss the not uncommon problem of adults who are also nervous when visiting the dentist. When dealing with children the focus is to avoid and manage situations in the dental chair so that they don’t become anxious adults. It is easy to see therefore that an anxious adult may have a memory of a bad experience going back to childhood. Unfortunately fear sometimes prevents people from having routine examination and cleaning appointments which then can mean that they only present at the dental office when they are in serious pain or have a major problem. This pain and stress then goes on to feed the fear and strengthen the negative associations.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
June 1st 2013

Being scared of going to the dentist is not a new phenomenon. For many adults it is rooted in times before effective pain relief or anesthetics were used and in some countries where the treating practitioner may not have even been trained or qualified.

Fortunately for all of us, times have moved on; there is highly effective pain relief and local anesthetics available, sophisticated dental equipment and of course qualified and experienced dental practitioners. However, for some the fear associated with going to the dentist persists and in some cases is unconsciously relayed onto our children, breeding in them an unfounded anxiety of visiting the dentist.