Learn 3 Amazing Ways Computer-Assisted Local Anesthesia Makes Dental Visits Easier for Kids

No More Pokes

It’s no secret that children don’t appreciate needles. Any time anything with a needle comes out at a doctor’s office, there’s a high chance that your child is ready to bolt. As you might expect, the same happens when it comes to needles in the dental world.

When it comes time for a dental procedure, numbing medication is traditionally administered through a series of injections. This numbs up both the affected tooth and the surrounding area, resulting in numbness that can last for hours. This is to keep the patient calm and eliminate any pain. However, children don’t look at needles in the same light. The very sight of those needles can be a one-way ticket to dental anxiety!

When a child needs some form of dental work done, they will more than likely have to deal with needles, drastically increasing the chance of dental anxiety. Sure, these injections are used to prevent pain during whatever procedure is needed, but a child is still likely going to be intimidated by needles.

Did you know that there’s a solution to this problem? Computer-assisted local anesthesia is an amazing advancement in technology that offers a more comfortable and stress-free alternative to the traditional injection-style anesthesia.

Here at Must Love Kids, we use a form of computer-assisted anesthesia called The Wand. This is used to deliver precise and pain-free care to even the littlest patients!

You might be wondering exactly what The Wand is. It’s a little pen-shaped device that is used to deliver the necessary anesthetic to the affected area. It doesn’t look like a needle, which helps limit the chances of negative associations. Now, there is a tiny needle at the end, but the appearance makes it easy to use without a fight. It’s over before the child has a chance to realize it’s there, which ensures they can have a good experience. This can drastically decrease the chance of a child developing dental anxiety from the procedure.

Here are three reasons we believe computer-assisted local anesthesia is an amazing advancement in dental technology. 

1. It’s Virtually Pain-Free

Computer-assisted local anesthesia is the answer to pain-free dental care. Gone are the days of that sudden sting of needles to achieve a pain-free procedure. With The Wand, there’s only one stick, and that stick might not even be felt! Once the tiny needle is in, a computer controls the flow of anesthetic slowly and steadily, directly where it is needed.

Because of this, your child won’t have to deal with the sting of multiple injections, discomfort, or pressure from their procedure. With this advancement, we can greatly reduce the fear in young patients. This sets them up for a positive association with the dental team instead of fear.

2. Only the Tooth Gets Numb

When traditional injections are used to numb the area for a procedure, it can be hard to know exactly how much of the mouth will be numb. Using The Wand, we are able to target just the needed area and nothing else. Because of this, there won’t be any lasting numbness. In fact, kids can usually eat, drink, and talk normally immediately after their appointment. This also means that your child will likely heal faster than if there were numbness everywhere. The only con here is that there won’t be any funny videos of your child talking funny on the drive home—but it’s a worthwhile trade.

3. Less Anxiety, Happier Visits

Our goal is for our children to have healthy smiles for the rest of their lives, but sometimes in-depth dental procedures are needed to help keep their teeth healthy. With the traditional delivery method of multiple injections, it’s very hard to keep the fear associated with the dentist to a minimum. Sure, they won’t feel the procedure itself, but they will still likely feel that panic when it comes time to numb them up, and that can be damaging all on its own.

The Wand helps create positive dental experiences early on—yes, even when they have these in-depth dental procedures! If your child already struggles with anxiety related to their dental care, The Wand could help them overcome it through positive experiences. 

Dental Procedures Without the Tears

Computer-assisted anesthesia is a groundbreaking advancement in dental technology. With its help, we can keep even the littlest kids anxiety-free when dealing with dental procedures. At Must Love Kids, we are proud to offer The Wand as a gentle, modern option for our young patients.

Are you ready to get those little smiles in tip-top shape without the tears? You can trust us at Must Love Kids to help them every step of the way, whether they need restorative or cosmetic dentistry, or a regular dental cleaning! For all of your family’s dental needs, you can request an appointment online!