Pulling Teeth Has Never Been So Fun Dentists’ New Approaches Make Visits Quite Painless
When many of us make our twice annual visit to the dentist, we go unwillingly, white knuckles gripping the padded armrests. Thanks to technological inventions in the past several years and a new approach to dentist visits, our children may have a lifetime of painless visits.
One way some pediatric dentists in the Spokane area are hoping to raise a generation that is not afraid of going to the dentist is to make dental offices a fun place to visit.
Valley dentist Dale Ruemping’s office at 12615 E. Mission is an example. The large waiting room is filled with a crawl tube, a slide, a television and six video games of varying heights and difficulty levels. In back, kids can watch TVs installed in the ceiling as they recline in the dentist’s chair, listening to the soundtrack with earphones.
It’s not just the toys, though. Many new tools and products are making for virtually painless dentist visits. There’s a new sealant that can be applied to teeth that have a lot of pits and fissures in them. “It’s a protective plastic coating that keeps the teeth from getting decayed,” says Ruemping. “The object is to prevent decay from happening before it does.”
Another tool in Ruemping’s arsenal is the electro-anesthesia tabs. The tabs are placed on the face, where they send an electric current to the nerves. Ruemping says he uses it on kids who are very afraid of needles. “It’s a very minor current. You don’t feel anything. It just basically confuses the nerve.”
A big part of working with kids is making them feel at ease, which comes from practice as well as training. Pediatric dentistry is a specialty and includes extra training. The required two-year residency includes hospital training, work with general anesthetics and psychology.
Pediatric dentists are trained in behavior psychology, behavior management and ways to approach different fears in order to make kids feel comfortable in that environment, says Ruemping. “Basically we play with kids a lot and just gain their confidence. We go slowly. We always try to tell them what’s going to happen, show them what they need to know and then we actually do it.
“You have to always use terms and images that they can understand. I think the main thing is to know where the children are coming from and then do dentistry in a loving environment.”
Even with all the new advances and techniques, dentist visits will not always be completely painless. But in the right environment, that doesn’t seem to matter. “The majority of our patients, even though some things bother them at some times, they continue to like to come and they run down the hallway. Instead of running away, they actually run to the clinic to play the games and watch the TV,” Ruemping says.
Another benefit of the TV and earphones installed with each chair is that the sound coming in through the earphones helps muffle what can sometimes be unpleasant noises. Plus the TV grabs the kids’ attention, leaving them only partly focused on what is going on inside their mouths. And, if something does bother them, all they have to do is raise a hand to signal the staff, says Ruemping.
As one of only a handful of pediatric dentists in Spokane, Ruemping spends one day a week across the street from his office in the Valley Hospital, treating kids with serious dental problems. A lot of those kids have what is called Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. The decay is caused when children go to sleep with a bottle in their mouth, causing fluid to pool in their mouth, breeding bacteria and causing rapid tooth decay.
Teeth can show visible signs of decay in only a few months, says Ruemping. Eventually the teeth simply chip away down to the gum line. Sometimes the teeth can be repaired, but if the damage is too extensive they must be pulled.
Ideally, he says, parents should start brushing teeth as soon as they appear and wean children off the bottle by age one. Night bottles are discouraged at any age. He also prescribes fluoride for his patients to strengthen young teeth.
With 6,000 patients visiting his office, Ruemping is fighting his own battle against both tooth decay and fearful patients.
“We’re trying to win the war, not just the battle,” he says. “Anyone can just fill the holes in the teeth. We want to create good dental patients for a lifetime.”
1. OPTIONS Care for low-income families Several options for dental care are available to children in low-income families. * The Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) Program serves children who have medical coupons through DSHS or who are covered by the state’s Basic Health Program. Children must be enrolled by age 4, dental visits are covered up to age 6. Over 50 dentists participate in the program. Parents can sign up at various locations, including WIC offices, DSHS offices and Head Start locations. A list of locations is available by calling 324-1478. Parents can also sign up their children by visiting the Spokane Regional Health District, room 365, at 1101 W. College. * The Community Health Association of Spokane (CHAS) is a private non-profit group that treats patients of all ages. The focus is on children over age 5, who receive full preventative dental care. The clinic also sees adults who need emergency care. Treatments are available for those with medical coupons or Healthy Options insurance, or on a sliding fee scale. CHAS also operates two dental chairs in the Northeast Community Center, 4001 N. Cook. The association also runs CHOMP, Children’s Health and Oral Maintenance Program. CHOMP is a mobile outreach program that travels to various locations. Parents interested in getting dental care for their children must call 835-1203 for an appointment. The clinic is at 242 W. Sprague.
2. GIVEAWAY Free mouth guards February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. On Saturday, the Spokane District Dental Society will be handing out 500 mouth guards at the Spokane Chiefs’ hockey game in the Arena. The giveaway is one of several activities the group is doing this month to promote healthy dental habits among children.