Total Dental Solutions Blog

You can face all sorts of dental problems throughout your lifetime, but none can have as much of an impact on you as tooth loss.
That’s why it’s so important to find the tooth replacement option that will help you resume the same quality of life you were used to before.
Dental implants at George A. Hoop, DDS can do that, allowing you to eat all the foods you love without pain or worry.
Could you benefit from replacement teeth secured by dental implants?
Take this short quiz and find out!
For a consultation in our Fort Myers or North Naples, FL dental office, call us today at (239) 594-8817 or fill out our online form.

Millions and millions of American adults don’t get the routine dental care they need to stay healthy.
It’s not because of affordability.
It’s not because of accessibility.
And it’s not because they don’t care.
It’s fear. Good ol’ fashioned fear of the dentist keeps millions of people like you away from the dentist office and at the top of the risk factor list for gum disease, tooth loss, and other health issues.
Today, our team at George A. Hoop, DDS wants to tell you how to curb dental anxiety in your own life and get your mouth healthy again with help from dental sedation in our Fort Myers, FL practice.

When Dental Fear Got The Best Of You

The best start on your road back to better oral health and a beautiful smile is to try to come to terms with your dental fears.
One way to do that is by considering where it began so you can begin to step over that hurdle and regain control of your dental health moving forward.
Here are some common possibilities that may have put your fear in control of your oral health:

*What Your Own Experience Tells You*

Perhaps the most powerful of all causes of dental fear is your own experience. No amount of talking down or attempts to ease your mind can withstand what you know to be true from your own life.
So if you’ve had terrible experiences at the dentist office, even going all the way back to your childhood, it can be especially challenging to overcome your current anxiety about dental treatment.

*What Your Body Does Under Stress*

Even when you’re doing pretty well to keep your mind in a somewhat calm, rational state, stress can still manifest itself physically and leave you unable to control your body during a dental appointment.
You might have a hard time sitting still in the dental chair, or maybe you have a sensitive gag reflex that only becomes worse when your body tenses up.

*What Time Has Done To You*

The longer you stay away from the dentist office, the more mysterious and scary dentistry as a whole will become in your mind. If you’re not current on the latest technology that’s made dental treatment more comfortable and painless, you’re going to remain stuck with past hurts and outdated methods that may have ignited your dental fear in the first place.

*What Other People Tell You*

When someone tells you about a terrible experience at a place of business, you take it to heart, right? It’s why online reviews are often so helpful when you’re trying to decide where to eat or where to go when you need your car worked on.
So it’s natural to avoid the dentist office when all you hear from other people are horror stories about their own dental treatments!

Curb Your Anxiety With Dental Sedation

One of the ways anxiety is intensified, especially at the dentist office, is that you’re often rushed through your appointments. It heightens the awareness that you’re not the one in control, that your feelings and concerns aren’t important, and that you’re more like a number than an actual person.
That’s why our Fort Myers, FL dental practice is one where you’re treated like part of a family by a compassionate team of people who listen to your concerns and care about your feelings and needs.
Beyond that, we also know that regardless of how warm and caring the staff is, your body will still react to the underlying anxieties you have about being in a dentist office. This is why we offer dental sedation to help your body relax while you receive high quality treatment to keep your mouth healthy.
Dr. Hoop can help you choose the right method of sedation that’s best!

*Inhaled Sedation For Mild Anxiety*

The mildest, and most common, form of dental sedation is laughing gas where you inhale a gas that has an immediate calming effect on your body. It also wears off quickly, as well, so you wouldn’t have to make arrangements to have someone drive for you that day.

*Oral Sedation For Moderate Anxiety*

Before your appointment, we can prescribe oral medication for you to take early enough to feel completely calm and relaxed in time for your procedure.
You’ll be awake during treatment, but you won’t care at all that it’s happening! Because the sedative will take effect before you arrive and wear off a bit after you leave, this type of sedation would require you to have someone drive you to and from your appointment.

Make An Appointment

There is always a way back to the dentist when you’re surrounded by a supportive, caring team and have the right tools to make you feel more comfortable.
That’s what you’ll find with us at George A. Hoop, DDS in Fort Myers, FL.
We know how hard it is to be ruled by dental fear, which is why we go above and beyond to cater to your comfort and relaxation needs.
Together, we can get you back on the road to a lifetime of good oral health.
Call us today at (239) 594-8817 or fill out our online form to request an appointment or to learn more about how we can help you.
 

As exciting as it is to finally pursue your dream smile with cosmetic dentistry, there’s a certain amount of anxiety that comes with it. With such an investment, it’d be nice to know what the end result will look like, right?
At George A. Hoop, DDS, you don’t have to wonder!
That’s thanks to our digital smile makeover where you’re able to see what your new smile will look like before the treatment process even begins!
Here’s Dr. Hoop talking more about this advanced technology and how it can make you feel more confident about your cosmetic dentistry journey.
Call our Fort Myers, FL dental office today at (239) 594-8817 or fill out our online form to request a cosmetic consultation.

Stop living with dental pain and visit George A. Hoop, DDS today to find out if a root canal could solve your problem.
We offer a variety of dental services and allow our patients to take advantage of our Direct Dental Savings Plan at both our North Naples, FL and Fort Myers, FL dentist offices. Hear Carol P. discuss her experience with root canals, crowns, and our savings plan below
For affordable options for root canals and so much more, call George A. Hoop, DDS at (239) 594-8817. You can also fill out our simple online form to schedule.

You’ve had it. You can’t spend another night listening to your spouse snore, then stop breathing, then snore some more, until he or she stops breathing again.
The snoring keeps you from falling asleep; the breathing stoppages make you worry.
Is something wrong? Is there some way to get relief … and get a good night of sleep?
Yes, there is. You can talk to your spouse, then call (239) 594-8817 to schedule a consultation with George A. Hoop, DDS. We have offices in North Naples and Fort Myers, FL.
The snoring and the breathing stoppages may be symptoms of sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder that may be preventing you and your spouse from getting a good night’s sleep.
 

Why Your Spouse Snores So Loud

Most people snore sometimes, but people with obstructive sleep apnea seem to snore constantly. And, as you already know, they tend to snore rather loudly. (They can be so loud that they even wake themselves up at times.)
Why is this?
Snoring is the result of soft tissue in or near the throat vibrating. Those vibrations become more intense — and therefore louder — as the opening of someone’s airway gets smaller. That’s exactly what’s happening for many people with sleep apnea.
As they fall asleep, the muscles around their airways relax. This allows soft tissue to gradually close in on their airways, making the opening smaller and smaller until it’s closed off completely. That’s when they stop snoring because they also stop breathing.
Many people have told us that it’s terrifying to listen to the love of their life stop breathing for what seems like minutes at a time before they gasp, take a few breaths, and start snoring again.
 

Deep Sleep is Healthy Sleep

While the noise and your understandable concern are keeping you from sleeping, your spouse isn’t really getting deep, healthy sleep either.
Cycles are part of the sleep process. This starts with light sleep and gradually moves into deep sleep, including REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is when people dream. Health experts believe that deep sleep is necessary to recuperate from our daily activities, which is why it also can be helpful when someone is ill.
Without deep sleep, people suffer from sleep deprivation. This can have mild symptoms like forgetfulness and difficulty staying focused on a task or a project.
It can also lead to daytime sleepiness. This can be embarrassing if it happens at work, frustrating if it happens when you want to watch your favorite team on television, or dangerous if you are behind the wheel of a car or truck.
And that is a real concern. The journal Sleep has reported that people with untreated sleep apnea are more than twice as likely as other drivers to be involved in a car collision.
When someone has sleep apnea, they drift into light sleep, but they stop breathing before they reach the stages of deep sleep. Their body will wake them up so they can take a few breaths, and then they drift off again.
The constant breathing stoppages also can cause their bodies to release a stress hormone. This could help explain why people with sleep apnea also are more likely to have high blood pressure, heart attacks, cardiovascular disease, and strokes.
 

A Treatment to Help You Rest

To treat sleep apnea, the person with it must have a way to keep breathing when they fall asleep.
For a long time, the best option was CPAP therapy. This requires the patient to wear a mask with a tube connecting it to a fan. This forces air into their airway to keep it open.
Many people find the masks uncomfortable to wear. Some find that noise of the machine keeps them awake. For these and other reasons, many people give up on their CPAP after a short time.
Dr. Hoop has a different solution that has worked for many of our patients in North Naples and Fort Myers. He can design a special mouthguard for your spouse. This mouthguard changes the position of his or her jaw by moving it forward slightly. That adjustment is all many people need to keep their airways open throughout the night.
That means they can finally get the deep sleep they’ve been missing. It also can significantly reduce the frequency and the volume of their snoring, so you can get a good night’s sleep, too.
 
If you are ready to wake up feeling rested and alert, then you are ready to call (239) 594-8817 or contact us online to make an appointment