Learn about Caring for Your Dental Health

It is very normal for you to get a little worried before visiting a dentist. But, if this is stopping you from getting the help you need, you are experiencing dental anxiety. This usually happens when you have had a bad experience in the past. If you avoid seeking treatment until the condition becomes overwhelming, it will affect both your oral health and well-being.

At Dr. Richard Wilczek, our professional staff is friendly and ready to provide you with personalized assistance. We will answer all your questions to ensure you feel comfortable before any procedure.

Dental anxiety can affect people of all ages. Some may even have trouble sleeping the night before an oral check-up. It is very important for you to overcome this fear to maintain good oral health. If not, you may have to undergo more complex treatments later.

We have collated a few tips to help with your dental anxiety:

Practice Relaxation Techniques

Coping techniques such as deep breathing, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation are excellent at handling stress. They help reduce your anxiety levels.

Take a Friend or a Relative with You

You can ask your friend or a family member to accompany you to the appointment. This is great for moral support and will put your mind at ease.

Talk to Your Dentist About Your Fears

Are you afraid of pain or needles? You should talk to your dentist to help deal with such fears. If you can’t talk during the treatment, find a way to non-verbally communicate any discomfort to your doctor. They can prescribe different treatment plans, some of which are listed below.

• Nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, is used to relax patients during dental procedures. The effect of this gas wears off in a few minutes. Although you will be awake, you won’t remember much from this period.
• Your dentist can prescribe oral anxiety-relieving medications such as temazepam. You should take a small dose about one hour before the appointment. As driving under anxiolytic medication is unsafe, you will need to have someone escort you to the clinic.
• If you have an unrelenting fear of the dentist, sedation is the best option for you. Intravenous sedation is administered via a drip and is great at calming patients; they may respond to verbal prompts or drift off to sleep. Side-effects like drowsiness and nausea are not uncommon in this case.
• Some dentists use general anesthesia. It puts the patient to sleep and requires a longer recovery time compared with other methods of sedation.

Select the Right Dentist for Yourself

Ask your family and friends for recommendations or do some online research. Choose a dentist who is empathetic about your fears and wants to help. Our team at Dr. Richard Wilczek is compassionate and happy to offer their services.

Ask Your Dentist to Explain Everything About the Procedure

Your dentist should explain the entire procedure in detail and must ask for your permission before going ahead. Feel free to talk to them about your confusions and apprehensions.

Use a Distraction

If you are afraid of the sounds of drills and suction tubes, use earplugs or noise-canceling headphones. They take your mind off what’s happening around and calm you down.

Avoid Certain Foods

Avoid drinking carbonated beverages and drinks high in caffeine before going for a dental appointment. Avoid sugary foods as they increase your anxiety levels.
Instead, eat high-protein foods that produce a calming effect.

If your children have dental anxiety, talk to them. Listen to their worries and tell them it’s nothing to be ashamed about. Teach them good oral hygiene and take
them for regular visits to the dentist.

If you are looking for orthodontics or sedation dentists in Prince George and the surrounding area, contact us today!

If you are missing teeth and want to bring some life back to your smile, dental implants may be an option for you. Some patients without a full set of teeth can experience troubles eating and speaking or with having their remaining teeth shift out of alignment. While Dr. Richard Wilczek doesn’t always recommend dental implants for missing teeth, it’s the only tooth replacement option that prevents jawbone degradation and has many other advantages to boot.

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Many people already know that proper dental hygiene is an important part of their daily routine. Besides visiting your dentist twice a year, caring for your teeth at home is the best way to keep them healthy and clean. Dr. Richard Wilczek’s dental office in Prince George has some tips for taking care of your mouth between appointments.

Many patients are apprehensive about visiting the dentist and may even put off having a checkup for years. But there’s nothing to worry about when you visit a sedation dentist in Prince George. Keep reading to learn more about how dental sedation can help you overcome your fears and allow you to get the dental help you need.

If you’re looking to get a brighter smile, there are many teeth whitening options available, ranging from whitening strips you can purchase at the pharmacy to in-office laser treatments. While the type of whitening method you choose will depend on your particular needs, it’s almost always safer and more effective to have the procedure done under a dentist’s supervision. Before purchasing an over-the-counter whitener, make sure you understand how the teeth whitening process works and why you should consult a dental professional.

Developing a long-standing relationship with a family dentist has lots of benefits. The longer you remain with the same dentist, the more they’ll know about you and your medical history, and the more likely you’ll be to trust their expertise and feel comfortable asking questions. Here are some reasons to choose a family dental clinic to meet the ongoing dental needs of you and your loved ones:

While it’s important to visit your dentist regularly, it’s equally crucial to make sure you practice good dental hygiene between appointments. If you’re not taking the right steps to keep your mouth healthy at home, the benefits of professional cleanings will go right out the window. This is why we’ve compiled our best tips—recommended by our very own dentists here in Prince George—to help you maintain good oral hygiene habits.

Orthodontics, the branch of dentistry dealing with the prevention and correction of irregular teeth as by means of braces, first entered the English language in 1909 having become a discipline in its own right in the late 19th century. However, the use of appliances to straighten teeth dates back more than 3,000 years with evidence found amongst the graves of Etruscans, an ancient civilization predating the Romans. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (c. 460BC–370BC) first published his ideas regarding the correction of tooth irregularities in 400 BC. Today, these appliances have evolved and digital technology means this progress should continue.

Your mouth, teeth and gums are the main entry point into your body and its first defense keeping healthy. When things go wrong in your mouth, your general health can be affected. In many cases, your gums act as an early warning system.

Most people have a much easier time getting into the habit of regular tooth brushing than regular flossing. They also sometimes assume that, because they are brushing well and regularly enough, they don't even need to floss. Every day, however, Prince George dentists see firsthand that those who brush and floss enjoy much better oral health than patients who brush only.

Dental implants are a popular option for replacing one or more missing teeth that only continue to grow in popularity. Though other options such as bridges and dentures may work well for some people, the benefits of dental implants have many patients seeing them as the most desirable option.