Special Services

Dr. Kaminski, Dental Anesthesiologist, is focused on providing dental care for patients with special needs including:

Special Needs Patients

From Autism, Downs, Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Bifida to physically and mentally challenged patients, Dr. Kaminski has a special place in his heart and practice for his patients with special needs. Many of these patients have been with our office for twenty years or more.”Our goal is to provide all of our patients with the quality and level of care they deserve. Too many times we see special needs patients who have been held down, papoosed and headboarded while receiving brief treatment at other offices. While we understand that the care of these individuals can be challenging, they shouldn’t be shortchanged by a quick cleaning, no x-rays or an extraction instead of saving a tooth because that office can’t stabilize the individual in a comfortable and humane fashion.

“Early in my anesthesia residency, my program director, Frances Wong M.D., taught me to provide the same level of pain control for every patient- be they a comatose accident victim or a high profile C.E.O. I’ve kept that same philosophy to this day. Our special need patients are treated with the same high standard of care and pain control that all of our patients receive. Just because a person cannot communicate pain, fear, or discomfort, you can’t discount their needs. Much of the frightened behavior we witness at the initial appointment is because of previous bad memories.” During sleep sedation they are able to have radiographs taken, thorough cleanings and proper treatment that were impossible to accomplish previously.

Numbness Difficulties

A number of patients are referred to our office because they can not get numb or are allergic to various local anesthetics. How many of you have had one, two, three shots and your gums are numb but you can still feel the painful drill. The dentist tells you...

A) This has never happened before

B) You must be imagining it, or both.

Neither of the above is true. It is well documented in dentistry the difficulty many of you have in getting numb. Dentists are taught 4 or more ways to numb you. Unfortunately even this is not enough for many of you due to variations in jaw anatomy and where your nerves run. While you might get numb enough for a small filling, a deep filling, a crown or root canal could be excruciating. This isn’t your fault but it is your problem. Only deep I.V. sedation general anesthesia can provide the pain relief you need. Oral or minimal sedation cannot (by law) provide pain control for you.  Any dentist that says otherwise is misleading you.

Local Anesthesia Allergies

Though not common, we see a significant number of patients who are allergic to local anesthetics. Only deep sedation / general anesthesia allows adequate pain control. If you are allergic to some local anesthesics, Dr. Kaminski can also consult your allergist and provide patch testing of over ten local anesthetic solutions to determine if there are locals that you may tolerate but haven't used before.  We also treat patients with other allergies including latex, environmental and auto immune allergies.

Sensitive Gag Reflex

Many of our patients are severe gaggers. Previously their only option was to have the tooth or teeth extracted. Through I.V. deep sedation they can have impressions, crowns, or even root canals in the back of their mouth while they are asleep. They are able to keep their teeth and not require bulky dentures or partials that would only trigger more gagging.

Medically Compromised Patients

Have you ever had any of the following; heart attack, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, stroke?
If so, ask how sedation can provide safer and stress free dental care for you. Given his unique medical background, Dr. Kaminski has extensive knowledge of how these medical conditions affect your oral health, drug interaction and side effects your medications have on your mouth and teeth.

Many people and dentists don’t realize it is much safer for medically compromised patients to be sedated and asleep for their treatment instead of being awake. By reducing the body’s stress, we can lower blood pressure, reduce the heart rate and improve oxygen flow. Think of how nervous you are while getting a shot at the dentist’s office. This act dramatically increases your blood pressure and heart rate to potentially dangerous levels.

The stress reduction protocols used by Dr. Kaminski are also of great benefit for diabetes and stroke victims for similar reasons above. Ask about our dentistry for diabetics’ program.

Including:

• Special Needs Patients
• Numbness Difficulties
• Local Anesthesia Allergies
• Sensitive Gag Reflex
• Medically Compromised Patients
• Neurologic and Neuromuscular Disorders
• Victims of Sexual and Domestic Abuse
• Patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• TMJ and TMD Patients
• Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia, Back Pain, Cancer Patients

Neurologic and Neuromuscular Disorders

These diseases such as Alzheimers, Dementia, Parkinson’s, Multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Muscular dystrophy, Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS can make dental care extremely difficult.

While it is heartrenching to watch a loved ones mind or mobility slowly deteriorate, witnessing the pain caused by an untreated dental problem can only make it worse. Many individuals cannot communicate, cooperate, or sit long enough to receive proper dental care. Extractions only compromise their nutrition, ability to eat and health.

Having treated people with these conditions for over 25 years, Dr. Kaminski has a singular knowledge on how best to restore function while maintaining adequate oral health.

Victims of Sexual and Domestic Abuse

“I was raped 11 years ago and my front tooth was broken in the attack. My dentist patched it but everyday when I looked in the mirror, I was reminded of the incident. I was too terrified to let anyone in my mouth to fix it. Dr. Kaminski put me to sleep and capped my front teeth. Now I can finally put on my make up, comb my hair and brush my teeth without that terrible feeling. Dr. Kaminski changed my life.”
(name withheld)

Unsettling as it may be, a number of our patients have been victims of abuse. The loss of control can cause vivid memories of the incident to reappear. Reluctant to talk about it, many patients delay treatment until their pain overwhelms their memories. The thoughtful and compassionate approach of our office is designed to forget the fears and allow treatment to be completed.

Dr. Kaminski’s sedation expertise and sterling reputation is such that multiple law enforcement agencies seek his opinion and expert testimony when other dentists are charged with inappropriate behavior with their patients.

Patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Vietnam era POW’s, law enforcement officers, former hostages, military personnel who are all suffering from post traumatic stress are among patients who have benefited from sleep dentistry and stress reduction protocols developed by Dr. Kaminski.

TMJ and TMD Patients

Usually referred by their oral surgeon or TMJ specialist, these patients are unable to open their mouths wide enough for dental treatment without causing excruciating pain. Utilizing profound muscular relaxants along with strong pain medication, they can have more treatment in fewer sessions with far less jaw and muscle pain. The TMJ sufferer can now have teeth saved that previously could only have been extracted.

Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia, Back Pain, Cancer Patients

Because of his intense anesthesia training, Dr. Kaminski has a similar background as many pain specialists. This allows him to both better appreciate and address the concerns and needs of the chronic pain patient. Oftentimes conventional pain control is ineffective for these individuals. Dr. Kaminski is experienced in this field to provide more appropriate pain control for this group. We treat many head and neck cancer patients whose teeth and jaw have been damaged by radiation and chemotherapy. Also trained in interventional anesthesiology, Dr. Kaminski utilizes nerve blocks, Botox and conservative myofunctional therapies to provide relief for TMJ, fibromyalgia and chronic pain patients.