More Comfortable, More Precise: Why We Love Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia
Building positive experiences for your child using painless dental anesthesia.
None of us enjoy seeing our kids uncomfortable, so when you get the news that your child has one or more cavities, it’s natural to dread the appointment to get them filled. Taking your child to the dentist, especially for a dental procedure, can feel overwhelming. But what if we told you that there’s a piece of cutting-edge dental technology that could help your child feel calmer and more comfortable throughout their dental procedure?
This is where Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia comes in! This painless dental anesthesia delivery system makes several improvements to the traditional method of injecting localized anesthetic by hand. Together, these benefits make it capable of transforming your child’s experience during dental procedures. I
t’s this transformation that makes it so popular at our practice. If you’ve never heard of it before, though, it’s natural to wonder exactly what it is and what attributes allow it to provide such an improved experience for your child. We’ve put together a guide to help you understand just that.
What is Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia?
Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia is a new and painless dental anesthesia delivery system. This system uses cutting-edge technology to painlessly deliver anesthesia directly to the tooth that needs it. Instead of the traditional needle with a syringe that’s pushed down by a dentist, Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia consists of a pen-like delivery tool that’s connected directly to a specialized computer system. It receives real-time pressure feedback, which allows it to flawlessly control the speed of the anesthetic as it is injected into the gum tissue.
What are the benefits of this dental anesthesia?
Just like other advances in dental technology, Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia provides quite a few benefits over traditional methods. It’s especially beneficial for children because it can make their experience during a procedure—such as getting a filling for a dental carie—calmer and more positive than ever.
1. Less Scary for Kids
One of the first things you—and your child—will notice about the Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia Wand, which is what administers the anesthetic to your child, is that it doesn’t look like a typical syringe and needle. Instead, it looks like a pen with a tiny needle on the end, which makes it much less scary and intimidating for children. Seeing the syringe and needle can be a scary moment for your child, but this eliminates that. It’s a simple change in appearance, but it can make the process of numbing their mouth much easier for everyone involved, especially your child!
2. Less Pain
When localized anesthetic is delivered with a traditional needle, several factors can make it more painful. The first is the speed with which the anesthetic is pushed into the area, and the second is the number of times that the needle needs to be taken out and reinserted. This change in the needle’s positioning is often necessary to completely numb the entire area with traditional methods. Topical anesthesia can be used to help offset this by numbing the surface of the gums before injections are delivered, but multiple injections can still be particularly hard on kids.
The Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia system fixes both problems by delivering the local anesthetic at a set, controlled speed, and eliminating the need for multiple injections. With less pain and only a single injection, you won’t have to worry about getting your child to sit still or calm down for a second injection—they’re simply one and done! It’ll be over before they realize it, with as little fuss as possible.
3. More Precise
While traditional local anesthetic injections often end up numbing a larger area of your child’s face, Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia uses advanced technology to provide real-time feedback to deliver the exact amount of anesthetic right where it’s needed. This high-tech system and its easy-to-control wand work together to help your child’s dentist deliver anesthetic to a precise area—directly to the tooth that needs it.
4. Fewer Side Effects
Since this painless dental anesthesia delivery method is so precise, it also results in fewer side effects. This means that while the area that needs to be numbed will experience no pain at all, your child shouldn’t experience the uncomfortable, lingering feeling of a numb tongue or lips. Without that infamous fat lip sensation, they’ll have an easier time eating and speaking right away. Plus, it just helps them recover faster overall, which is a great bonus for both of you!
Must Love Kids has your child’s comfort in mind.
Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia is just one of several ways we can transform your child’s experience with dental care and procedures, making it easier and less stressful for both you and your child. Plus, transforming your child’s experience with dental procedures can help make taking them to future appointments easier as they build more positive experiences. If you’d like to learn more about this painless dental anesthesia delivery technique, other ways we can make your child’s experience at the dentist more comfortable and less stressful, or simply how to know if your child has a cavity from a pediatric dentist in Vancouver, WA, feel free to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mo or Dr. G at any time.