Mouth Guards

Mouth guards are an important piece of gear for various other kinds of physical activities and sports-from rollerblading to downhill sledding. Hundreds of thousands injuries occur every year involving the face and mouth-injuries that many times could be avoided or minimized if a mouth guard had been worn.

Mouth guards provide valuable protection for the jaw, face, tongue, lips, and of course, teeth. For example, a traumatic blow to the front of the face can not only tear soft tissue or knock out teeth, but also may force the lower jaw into the upper jaw. A mouth guard can help keep your teeth from tearing the soft tissues of your mouth during a traumatic injury. And in all cases, mouth guards can protect you when you're wearing bridges or braces.

Mouth guards are generally small plastic appliances that safely fit around your teeth. Many mouth guards are soft and pliable when opened, and mold to your teeth when first inserted.

Mouth guards can help prevent a whole host of traumatic injuries to the neck and jaw, as well as more serious problems such as cerebral hemorrhages and concussions.

NITROUS OXIDE

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is simply a gas which you can breathe in. It's colorless, sweet-smelling, and nonirritating. It was discovered in 1772. Gordon loves the stuff! And why wouldn't he... Humphrey Davy (1778-1829), one of the pioneers of N2O experimentation, described the effects of N2O on himself following self-administration for a toothache and gum infection as follows:

“Sounds like fun!! The extract above pretty much summarizes the effects of nitrous oxide: it kills pain - and it induces a pleasureable feeling. After 5 minutes or so of breathing in the gas, you should feel a euphoric feeling spread throughout your body. It really kind of feels like a 'happy drunk' feeling. Some people find that there are auditory or visual effects as well. You will feel a bit light headed and often people get 'the giggles' (hence the name laughing gas!). As an interesting aside, nitrous oxide was one of the drugs of choice for young people in the late1700s and early 1800s, when "laughing gas demonstrations" were a popular source of entertainment and enjoyment!”

GAMA Dental Clinic use as Nitrous oxide, especially to allay anxiety that many patients may have toward dental treatment, and it offers some degree of painkilling ability. The benefits of nitrous oxide are many, and the risks are few. The gas is administered with a comfortable mask placed over the nose, and the patient is instructed to breathe in through the nose and out through their mouth. As a precaution, patients should not eat anything for about two hours prior to use of the gas. The patient begins to feel a pleasant level of sedation in anywhere from 30 seconds to three or four minutes. The cheeks and gums will also begin to feel numb in about a third of the patients.

After the gas is adjusted to the appropriate dose, and the patient is relaxed and sedated, the dentist can comfortably give the anesthetic injection (if needed) to the patient, and then proceed with dental treatment. After the treatment is completed, the patient is given pure oxygen to breathe for about five minutes, and all the effects of sedation are usually reversed. Unlike IV sedation or general anesthesia, the patient can almost always leave the office by themselves, without an escort.