Month: June 2024

  • Our solutions to overcome your fear of the dentist

    Our solutions to overcome your fear of the dentist

    1,017 Views

    Fear of the dentist goes by many names. From dentophobia to stomatophobia for the most developed cases, this apprehension of dentists can have serious consequences on your health in general.

    In this article, the specialists at our dental clinic in Montreal show you how to overcome your dentist phobia with a few simple tips.

    What is dentophobia?

    Dentophobia (or fear of the dentist) refers to the anxiety that some people may feel about visiting their dentist or receiving dental care.

    The causes of dentophobia vary from one individual to another and are often wrongly considered irrational, as people sometimes have difficulty putting their fear into words.

    You should know that fear of the dentist is a widespread phenomenon. It is estimated that around 30% of patients suffering from a fear of dentists have experienced a traumatic event during dental treatment in their childhood.

    If you are in a dental emergency situation , but you are still hesitant to make an appointment. Or if you have to muster up all your courage to walk through the door of your dental clinic. Know that you are not alone and that solutions exist to overcome your fear.

    What are the signs of dentist phobia?

    Dentist phobia affects children and adults and generally manifests itself as temporary anxiety and a certain amount of apprehension. Here are some signs:

    You suffer from insomnia the day before your dentist appointment.

    You experience a feeling of “  dry mouth  ”.

    You feel an increase in your heart rate and physical discomfort at the thought of having a procedure, even if it is a simple dental exam .

    You avoid your routine visits.

    You frequently postpone your appointments for fear of seeing your dentist.

    You neglect your dental problems, even when they cause toothache .

    Fear of the dentist can be a real obstacle to adequately monitoring the oral health of those affected. If you think you are suffering from it, it is important to find solutions to your discomfort so as not to compromise your health.

    How to stop being afraid of the dentist?

    Different solutions are available to you if you want to overcome your fear of the dentist.

    You will find something for all affinities depending on your preferences. After discussing it with a health specialist, nothing prevents you from combining several in order to put all the chances on your side.

    Discuss your fears with your dentist

    The simplest solution to knowing how to stop being afraid of the dentist is… simply to talk about it with him/her. Your dentist is in fact the person best able to understand your feelings and ensure that your experience is as pleasant as possible.

    Verbalizing your fears is undoubtedly an essential step towards appeasement. Discussing your concerns openly with your dentist is therefore the best way to put an end to your fear.

    At the Mont-Royal Dental Center, our dentists are used to caring for patients who are anxious at the mere thought of receiving dental care . By showing empathy and being attentive to the stress you may be feeling, your dentist will be able to adapt to your situation and be very careful with you, without any judgment. If necessary, he or she may also prescribe medication to help you reduce your apprehension.

    It is also interesting to share your possible bad past experiences, to go to the appointment accompanied by a friend or to set up a signal between you and your dentist.

    Medications and conscious sedation

    Medications with anxiolytic or relaxing properties can also help reduce your fear of the dentist. Medicinal solutions exist, but must be prescribed by your dentist in advance of your appointment. These can generally be taken the day before the consultation or during it, or both.

    In addition to medications, conscious sedation based on nitrous oxide (the “famous” laughing gas) can be used. The principle is simple: just breathe this anxiolytic gas and after a few minutes you will feel completely relaxed. One of the main advantages is the absence of side effects, with the effects fading within minutes.

    Another type of conscious sedation can be achieved intravenously by administering an anesthetic based on morphine derivatives.

    In both cases, this approach simply reduces the patient’s fear and limits pain, such as that of the injection or that caused by the instruments.

    General anesthesia

    When the fear of the dentist is paralyzing and none of the previous solutions seem to work, more significant solutions can be put in place.

    In certain situations, general anesthesia may therefore prove necessary to preserve the oral health of patients. However, this will only be offered in the event of hospitalization and serious intervention requiring, for example, complex tooth extraction .

    Use hypnosis

    Increasingly used, even in the field of medicine, hypnosis can be the solution to help you overcome your fear of the dentist.

    This is a gentle method capable of helping you overcome many fears and apprehensions.

    Contrary to some popular beliefs, hypnosis cannot be imposed on you. For this to work, you need to be receptive to it and open to being hypnotized.

    Some studies recommend hypnosis to treat many fears and phobias, such as that of heights, animals or even the dentist.

    Use acupuncture

    Acupuncture is perfect to use alongside hypnosis or to incorporate into your routine before your visit to your general dentist .

    Although it is mainly known for its analgesic value, that is to say, short- and long-term pain relief, acupuncture is also relaxing .

    Using acupuncture means benefiting from a sedative and calming effect, by acting directly on brain activity. Thus, your stress decreases and at the same time, so does your fear of the dentis

  • Beta-alanine: For whom, why and how to take it?

    Beta-alanine: For whom, why and how to take it?

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    By now I think many of you have already heard about beta-alanine and the excitement it generates in the sporting as well as scientific community. Indeed, it is a very popular supplement among athletes which helps improve strength-endurance capabilities . This article explains what you need to know about beta-alanine, how it works, and when to use it.

    What is beta-alanine?

    Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid , classified as a non-proteinogenic amino acid, that is to say one which is not primarily involved in protein synthesis. It is rather responsible for increasing intramuscular buffer capacities with the help of histidine by allowing, together, the synthesis of carnosine . Another amino acid that is stored in skeletal muscles and which is of particular interest to us today.

    Carnosine is found in type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers but is in significantly higher concentrations in type 2 fibers. The latter are preferably used for explosive movements or during high intensity effort and are also the most susceptible to muscle growth.

    Thus, beta-alanine and carnosine are most commonly found in meat, fish or certain dairy products. Here are rough estimates of the beta-alanine content in certain foods / 100gr:

    So, although you can get this amino acid through food, you have to consume a lot of meat (kilos and kilos!) before you get an effective minimum dose. So, to make things easier on your stomach as well as your wallet, using a supplement allows you to get enough beta-alanine easily and very quickly. Additionally, if you are vegetarian or vegan, you will have great difficulty obtaining beta alanine and should consider taking a supplement.

    The key, carnosine

    It should be noted that at the muscle level, histidine levels are generally high and beta-alanine levels very low. It is this last limiting factor which hinders the production of carnosine. This is why taking beta-alanine is indicated in order to optimize the production of carnosine.

    The majority of the effects of beta-alanine are thus caused by its ability to stimulate the synthesis of Carnosine. The latter is a dipeptide composed of amino acids, beta-alanine and histidine, and has the ability to stabilize muscle pH by absorbing H+ hydrogen ions (it acts as an intracellular buffer). Carnosine, stored in cells, is released in response to a drop in pH induced by exercise and offers protection against the production of lactates and therefore fatigue during exercise which uses the anaerobic lactic pathway.

    How it works, in brief

    The mechanism of action of carnosine during exercise is as follows:

    Glucose is broken down / glycolysis: Glucose is the main fuel source during high-intensity exercise after phosphocreatine stores are depleted (a few seconds, i.e. the anaerobic alactic pathway).

    Lactates are produced : When you exercise, your muscles reduce glucose to lactic acid which is instantly converted to lactates, which produces hydrogen ions (H+).

    The muscle environment becomes more acidic : hydrogen ions reduce the pH level in your muscles.

    Fatigue sets in : muscle acidity blocks the breakdown of glucose and reduces the ability of muscles to contract and exert force.

    Finally, Carnosine serves as an intracellular buffer , reducing muscle acidity during high-intensity exercise. Carnosine helps stabilize muscle pH and absorb hydrogen ions that are released in excess during exercise ( Artioli, G. G et al ). As a result, this allows you to maintain your strength, speed and power for a slightly longer period of time in the anaerobic lactic pathway.

    However, there is a problem. The amount of carnosine that can be produced at the cellular level depends on the amount of beta-alanine, not histidine. Only when the body has excess beta-alanine (through supplementation) does it produce high levels of carnosine.

    This explains the logic of beta-alanine supplementation: to easily and quickly increase carnosine concentrations in muscle tissue. It is thanks to this indirect effect of beta-alanine that carnosine really exerts its influence.

    You may ask yourself, “Why not take carnosine directly?  “. Well, because carnosine is degraded as soon as it enters the bloodstream! Fortunately, the ingestion of beta-alanine allows the synthesis of Carnosine with the help of Histidine.

    To do what ?

    Whether you are a professional or amateur athlete, you know the importance of endurance on performance. Beta-alanine as a supplement helps increase intracellular buffering capacity during exercise, allowing athletes to perform intense efforts for a little longer. Therefore, if you are looking for a boost in anaerobic lactic performance, beta-alanine is for you.

    Beta-alanine may reduce fatigue, increase endurance, and increase performance in high-intensity exercise.