Dear Patient:

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You'll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
- We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
- You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (509) 485-8620 or visit our website at www.drweigand.com

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely,
Richard D. Weigand, DDS

Are Dental Implants Really Painful?

Posted By: Dr. Richard Weigand | Published On: Nov 5, 2019 | Blog

Too many people who could have their lives greatly improved by dental implants aren’t ready to get them because they have anxieties about how the procedure will go. But taking a closer look at what goes into the procedure, including the pain-numbing anesthesia you’ll receive, can go a long way into helping you put those fears away and embarking on your journey to a restored smile.

No Pain, Plenty of Gains

There’s a good reason the anesthetics used in the dental office aren’t available over the counter. It’s because they’re extremely potent. And because they’re so potent, you won’t feel anything at the implant site after the injection of the local anesthetic. You won’t feel the drilling of the tiny pilot holes the dental implants will be placed into and you won’t feel your dentist insert the titanium implant posts.

One of the biggest reasons general anesthesia typically isn’t used during the placement of dental implants is because it’s simply excessive. Local anesthesia offers all the pain relief any dental implant patient will need, and it’ll wear off much quicker than general anesthesia – which can leave you asleep for hours before it finally wears off and you wake up.

In and Out in No Time

Beyond being more than enough, another reason local anesthesia is used during a dental implant procedure is because the placement process is quick. It’s also one less reason to worry about your procedure.

The implanting procedure takes much less time than many people think. The process is so efficient because your dentist will use digital imaging and modeling software to determine precisely where to place your implants.

Aftercare: It’s in Your Hands

Your dentist will provide recommendations for keeping the implant site clean and managing any discomfort related to the procedure. As far as pain management goes, all you’ll need, most likely, are standard over-the-counter painkillers to keep the swelling and tenderness down.