Your New Houston Dentist

Searching for the best dentist in Houston can feel like an arduous task. So many dentists in the city, so many references to search through, and so many opinions on who does the best work.

At Naba Dental, the team led by Dr. Rubab Mirza stands on their reputation and commitment to excellence in the community.

Dr. Rubab Mirza emphasizes conservative dentistry, which focuses on preventing tooth decay and gum disease through regular checkups and proper oral hygiene.

She has worked in the dentistry field for over a decade, helping families develop and maintain healthy teeth. Her strength as a pediatric dentist has provided a way for children to feel comfortable in a dental setting with warm friendly faces and an inviting atmosphere.

Finding a Houston dentist that specializes in both adults and children takes more effort in searching due to the extra qualifications needed to be able to treat both. The qualifications for pediatric dentists are considerably more robust, and many dentists who work with children will only work with children.

However, at Naba Dental, the whole family is able to be seen by a single Houston dentist. And with a convenient location in west central Houston, near the Galleria, Memorial, and Tanglewood areas, it’s easier than ever to visit the best family dentist around.

Helping Children Feel Relaxed at the Dentist

The staff at Naba is welcoming and loves to interact with children, helping them feel at ease, particularly when it’s a new place for them.

Familiarity with the staff helps a child’s fear of the dentist and the gentle approach of Dr. Rubab Mirza and her staff keeps them calm through any procedure.

If a child is still uncomfortable with dental visits, sedation dentistry can be used to put their minds at ease. Sedation dentistry provides a completely safe, constantly monitored state of relaxed calm for a child through the use of nitrous oxide gas or IV sedation.

These methods reduce pain and awareness of time, making it seem like the dental visit goes by much faster for the child. And the interactivity between the staff and children makes them feel welcome and part of the Naba family.

Top Dental Services

With an emphasis on conservative dentistry, many procedures are non-invasive, consisting of cleanings, dental sealants, and general oral health checkups. In the event treatments are needed, Naba Dental is fully equipped to deal with any problem.

Repairing decayed teeth with fillings and root canals, fixing a broken tooth, and creating a brand new tooth to replace a lost one are just some of the procedures Naba is capable of. In addition, support services like sedation dentistry are available for patients who are nervous about having a procedure done.

Care for Both Teeth and Gums

Caring for your teeth is only half of the equation. Your gums are equally important, and making sure they are in good health will in turn maintain good health for your teeth. Gum disease can be a particularly devastating problem in its later stages, making conservative dentistry a must to avoid plaque buildup and the onset of periodontal disease.

At Naba Dental, you get the whole package. Affordable dental and periodontal care for the whole family all in one convenient location. 

How to be Completely Relaxed with Sedation Dentistry

If you’re nervous about an upcoming dental appointment, there are a few ways to take the edge off that will leave you feeling relaxed and calm.

Patients who have dental procedures done using sedation dentistry often report that the procedure seems to go by faster and they experience very little or no discomfort at all.

Sedation dentistry is perfectly safe as it is performed by certified dentists and anesthesiologists. They ensure you get only the amount of sedation needed for your procedure and will continually monitor and adjust it as needed.

8 Steps to Relaxing with Sedation Dentistry in Houston

1.    Have a friend or family member drive you to an appointment where you’ll be needing sedation dentistry.

2.    Take a medication prescribed by a doctor or dentist one hour before your appointment to help calm you.

3.    Once in the dental chair, try to relax and make yourself as comfortable as possible.

4.    The dentist or an anesthesiologist will set up the sedation method you’ll be using.

This may be nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or an IV sedation.

5.    Breathe deeply with the nitrous oxide or just lay back comfortably with IV sedation. Allow the effects to calm you.

6.    The dentist will perform the procedure and either they or an anesthesiologist will continually monitor and adjust the level of sedation to keep you totally relaxed and free of discomfort.

7.    Once the procedure is done, they will turn off the sedation entirely.

8.    You will regain full cognitive capabilities as the sedation wears off over the next few hours.

Some sedation like nitrous oxide can wear off quickly, usually within 45-60 minutes.

Benefits of Sedation Dentistry

●     Fear is virtually eliminated as sedation puts you into a calm and relaxed state.

●     It never takes more than a gentle nudge to awaken a sedated patient.

●     Time seems to go by much faster for the patient.

●     The dentist is able to accomplish a lot of work in a shorter amount of time, especially with patients who may be resistant to treatment, such as children.

●     Pain and discomfort can be totally eliminated through sedation.

Balancing the Intensity of Sedation

In most cases, only a moderate level of sedation is needed for a patient. Prescription pain relief pills or nitrous oxide will dull the senses enough to allow a procedure to be done without pain.

More invasive procedures that take a long time and cause a lot of discomfort are the prime scenario for IV sedation.

IV sedation dentistry is much stronger, and it can be controlled the most accurately.

It can bring people to the brink of consciousness, either just barely conscious or unconscious as needed.

The higher level of sedation means that the patient will unlikely be aware of what is happening, making the procedure seem to pass much quicker and without any pain or discomfort.

IV sedation is continually adjusted to ensure the patient is always at the optimum level of sedation. Too much and they may be unresponsive to the dentist’s instructions, too little and they may become uncomfortable.

This delicate balancing act is a premier trait of the best dentists in Houston, requiring them to be certified to use IV sedation.

Their high level of training grants them the ability to maintain the perfect balance of sedation throughout a procedure, so the patient gets through it quickly and with as little discomfort as possible.

Safe Sedation Dentistry in Houston

Feel nervous about visiting the dentist? So do a lot of other people.

It’s common to have phobias about visiting medical facilities, but it’s important to remember that whether you’re in a hospital or a dentist office, you’re there to feel better. Or at the very least continue being healthy with periodic checkups.

However, if you’re one of the millions of Americans that isn’t fond of the dentist, sedation dentistry is just what the doctor ordered.

Origins of Sedation Dentistry

The first recorded uses of successful sedation dentistry date back over a century and a half ago. Doctor William T.G. Morton used a sulfur-ether compound on a live patient at Harvard University in front of an audience of students and doctors back in 1846.

The surgery was a rousing success thanks to the effects of the sedation, but these results were spurred by an even earlier example, used by a dentist.

Horace Wells attempted to use nitrous oxide in a similar experiment a year earlier, but was unsuccessful. He did not have the dosages correct and as a result, the patient remained conscious and aware of sensation.

Little did he know, despite his failure, nitrous oxide would become one of the most common methods used in sedation dentistry.

Nitrous Oxide Sedation Dentistry

Often referred to as laughing gas, nitrous oxide has a curious effect on patients, causing them to relax and feel at ease, despite being in a situation that might otherwise cause them anxiety.

Unlike Dr. Wells, today’s dentists are quite adept at adjusting the dosages of nitrous oxide, often adjusting them on the fly while they work. This is all in an effort to keep the patient conscious, while simultaneously dulling their senses to a point where pain becomes little more than an aware presence of a minor sensation.

The primary benefit of nitrous oxide is to not only reduce sensation but also to calm the patient. While agitated or fearful, a patient is more likely to make sudden movements as reflex actions, which can cause a procedure to be prolonged or halted to protect the patient.

While under the effects of nitrous oxide, the patient is more likely to lie still and allow the dentist to continue unimpeded.

IV Sedation Dentistry

For more involved dental procedures, the patient may need to be brought to the edge of consciousness. IV sedation reduces the sensation of all feelings, nearly to the point of not feeling them at all, and has a very profound effect on a patient.

Just like with nitrous oxide, the IV sedation dentistry is continually monitored and adjusted so the patient is right on the edge of consciousness. In some cases, the patient is barely conscious so that we may give them instructions, or they may be barely unconscious, so that we can complete a lot of work in a single session.

In either case, IV sedation can really calm a patient, eliminating fear and greatly increasing their pain tolerance.

Safety

As we mentioned, both gas and IV sedation dentistry are continually monitored to adjust dosages on the fly.

Both forms of sedation are safe for adults and children alike, though for use as a kids dentist in Houston, the anesthesiologist must be board certified in pediatric anesthesiology, which is more stringent than the adult counterpart.

No matter how heavily a child or adult is sedated, a simple nudge of the shoulder is often enough to wake them.

After a dental procedure with sedation dentistry, the most common side effect is grogginess, which can last up to a couple of hours, so it’s best not to operate any machinery in this time.

When to Visit the Kids Dentist

Taking care of your child’s teeth and gums is an important part of early development. Children’s teeth need to be well cared for in order to develop properly, reducing the likelihood for misshapen mouths caused by teeth growing in at odd angles or decay causing infections.

It’s extremely important to teach your child the proper way to care for their mouth as when they get older, they will still need to exercise good care to keep their smile from fading in the decades to come.

Meeting the Best Dentist in Houston

The first visit to a pediatric dentist should be a pleasant experience.

Children want to feel safe wherever they go, and getting briefly introduced to a new face and immediately engaging in a dental procedure is going to make them fear future visits.

Instead, we like to introduce them as if they were meeting family members.

           

We like to introduce your child to our dental staff and show them around the office in an effort to familiarize them with the location and make them feel like it’s just a fun family trip somewhere.

Building a relationship with the child garners trust and relieves anxiety about visiting the kids dentist. We recommend introducing your child to us very early on, preferably right after their first tooth comes in or by the age of 12 months, whichever comes first.

We want to start them early so as to check the development of their teeth and ensure that they will continue to come in without issue. Should it be necessary, we may also be able to determine if corrective measures such as braces may need to be taken later in life.

Pediatric Dentist Care Standards

To become a dentist, there are many standards that must be met and certifications that must be required.

To become a pediatric dentist, the standards and certifications are much stricter and require an unrelenting devotion to the care of children. As a result of this more involved level of care, we take great pride and care when it comes to children’s teeth.

Along with general care, we specialize in sedation dentistry for children. Keeping your child calm and relaxed helps the procedure go by quicker and without any fuss.

The Importance of Checkups

Getting your teeth checked out every six months and getting x-rays every 12 months will go a long way toward monitoring the health of your teeth.

For children, these periodic checkups are even more important as their teeth are coming in for the first or second time. In addition to the benefit of a standard checkup, the visits will reinforce the idea that a visit to the kids dentist is not something to be feared. Proactive pediatric dentistry will be of greater benefit than reactive dentistry.

When a child is familiar with their dentist from repeated visits, there becomes a greater chance that they will look forward to the visit more than a child who goes infrequently or has never gone at all.

We will always provide a welcoming atmosphere for them and do everything we can to make them comfortable. In addition, we will teach them ways to take good care of their teeth at home, so their twice yearly visits are never anything more than a cleaning and checkup.

Centrally Located Galleria Dentist

At Naba Dental, we focus heavily on conservative, proactive dentistry. This form of dentistry is especially helpful for children as it instills a desire to preserve the teeth.

We will, of course, provide care needed for root canal treatments in Houston or dental sealants, and we will always provide these with the same level of care and comfort as we do with conservative measures.

Children are very important to us, and we will go the extra mile to help them keep their smiles.

Houston Sedation Dentistry Methods and Safety

Sedation dentistry is an exceptional method for keeping patients calm and accomplishing a lot of dental work in a shorter amount of time.

The primary use for sedation dentistry is to relax the patient. The most common forms include laughing gas, IV sedation, and local anesthetics.

Sedation Dentistry Methods

Local anesthetics are topical and injected medicines that reduce sensation in a small area. They are used to reduce or eliminate discomfort and pain at an operation site, such as in the gums when extracting a tooth.

When using local anesthetics, the patient is still fully awake and aware of what happens. They may also be able to feel the procedure taking place, albeit in a much lower capacity than normal.

Nitrous Oxide, also known as laughing gas, is an inhaled sedative that relaxes and calms patients, including adults and children.

Nitrous oxide is an excellent method for calming children at the dentist when they are fearful of a procedure.

The gas makes it seem like time passes much more quickly, and the typical sensory information is decreased even more than with a local anesthetic alone.

The patient remains awake, but their demeanor is often described as “loopy,” meaning they are conscious but a little less coherent or much more gleeful, even about random things.

IV sedation is a much stronger form of sedation dentistry that brings patients right to the edge of sleep, either barely awake or barely asleep.

This form of sedation reduces total awareness of the patient, as well as virtually immobilizing them. It never takes more than a gentle shrug to wake a patient under IV sedation, but the greatly decreased motor function makes it much easier for the dentist to work.

This method is particularly useful with invasive surgeries that can take a long period of time. The patient remains nearly unconscious while the dentist works, allowing the dentist to accomplish a lot of work all at once since the patient is calm, relaxed, and sedated.

Safety Concerns with Sedation Dentistry

Many people are concerned with the use of sedation dentistry, especially when it comes to children.

Sedation dentistry in Houston is perfectly safe and the levels of sedation are continually monitored and adjusted to ensure perfect balance.

An anesthesiologist must pass rigorous training and exams to become certified, and the certifications are even more difficult to work with children.

A kids’ dentist that offers sedation dentistry will be miles ahead of dentists who do not offer it, as children can be more difficult to work with than an adult.

Children may fuss or generally be nervous about going to the dentist, but by using completely safe sedation dentistry, they’ll feel relaxed and will be done with their procedure before they realize it.

The main side effects of sedation dentistry are limited to fatigue, which wears off within hours of completing a procedure.

Since the use of sedation is heavily monitored and adjusted, there is no need to worry about any other ramifications beyond a little tiredness.

For adults undergoing sedation dentistry, it is highly advised they have someone drive them home afterward. In some cases where very little sedation is used, such as only a local anesthetic, the patient will be fully capable of driving home after a procedure.

Reversing the Damage of Advanced Periodontal Disease

Gingivitis can be annoying, periodontal disease can be painful, and advanced periodontal disease can be devastating.

Taking care of your teeth is just a part of maintaining overall oral hygiene. The tongue and gums should also be cared for as they can harbor some nasty bacteria that leads to infection.

And if the infections are not addressed early on, they can spread, causing all sorts of havoc in your mouth, including losing teeth and infecting bones.

Causes of Advanced Periodontal Disease

Advanced periodontal disease, or advanced gum disease, stems from an infection that was not contained and eliminated. The infection has spread, damaging tissue throughout your gums and possibly infecting the bone.

The infection itself may come from one of several different situations, including poor oral hygiene, poorly fitting dental implants, and accidents.

Plaque, the waste left by bacteria, fosters more bacterial growth and provides a haven for them. When it hardens to form tartar, it provides more protection for the bacteria, allowing it to spread further.

Treating Advanced Periodontal Disease in Houston

At the earlier stages of gum disease, gingivitis and periodontitis, antibiotics, deep cleaning, and proper hygiene are usually enough to clear up any infection and get your mouth back to normal.

Instead, surgical procedures are needed to remove the infection at its source: clusters of bacteria under the gum line.

When tartar hardens along the gum line, it can become nearly impossible to root out the bacteria below, clinging to the roots of the teeth.

As such, it can grow virtually unchecked.

This can lead to pockets of infected tissue, and they can cause gums to swell and become painfully tender.

What’s worse is that these pockets can cause changes to your gums themselves. They may deteriorate, causing teeth to become loose or fall out. The gums may also change color from pink to purple.

Eventually, the infection can reach the jawbone.

This is where advanced periodontal disease is at its worst. If it infects the bones of your jaw, bone grafts may be needed to repair the damage and keep the bones from supplying infected blood.

Other treatments for advanced periodontal disease include flap surgery and guided tissue regeneration.

Available Treatments in Houston

Grafts, both soft tissue and bone, are used to replace tissue or bone that has been damaged with other tissue or bone from the patient them self, a donor, or with synthetic material.

Flap surgery uses small incisions in the gums to peel up a flap of tissue and treat the infection underneath. This method is very direct and allows the dentist to scale the teeth (scrape the bacteria out) and contour the roots (root planing).

Guided Tissue Regeneration uses a bio compatible fabric that encourages gum tissue to grow while preventing anything else from growing. It is primarily used to strengthen the areas of the gums where teeth are at risk of falling out.

These methods of treatment are available at dental offices in Houston and while they may be uncomfortable, especially in the case of grafts, they are often necessary to protect your teeth from falling out.

A skilled Houston dentist can perform these treatments along with sedation dentistry to reduce the amount of discomfort experience, saving the teeth from further damage.

After the procedure, proper oral hygiene at home will prevent this condition from reappearing in the future.