Nervous system overview: Dental assisting

The nervous system is involved in nearly everything we do. It functions as the body's main communication and control system, managing coordination, sensation, and responses to internal and external stimuli.

As a dental assistant, understanding how the nervous system functions is crucial, not only for monitoring patient comfort and anxiety, but also for recognizing when additional support may be needed.

All right, so the nervous system is organized into two main divisions, the central nervous system or CNS and the peripheral nervous system, or PNS.

The CNS includes the brain, which serves as the central command and control center of the body, and the spinal cord, which is the body's communication superhighway.

In contrast, the PNS is composed of a complex network of nerves that connect the CNS with the rest of the body. Now, let's take a closer look at the CNS.

The brain controls our thoughts, emotions, and memories, but that's not all. It's also busy coordinating the many activities happening throughout the body.

Meanwhile, the spinal cord carries messages back and forth between the brain and the rest of the body. In dental settings, the CNS plays a vital role in your patient's pain perception, consciousness, and protective reflexes, such as responding to discomfort, anxiety, or sudden stimuli.

While monitoring your patient during dental procedures, your knowledge of how the CNS works helps you in understanding your patient's reactions while providing comfort and ensuring safety.

Now, let's shift our attention to the PNS, which is divided into two main parts, the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.

The somatic nervous system is responsible for voluntary actions or things you do on purpose, like making a fist or reaching out for a piece of pie.

On the other hand, the autonomic system controls involuntary responses or things your body does on its own, such as breathing or increasing your heart rate when you're anxious.

During a dental procedure, you might notice your patient gripping the armrests or an increased breathing rate. Recognizing these responses can help you anticipate and address your patient's needs effectively.

Now that we've reviewed the CNS and PNS, let's look at neurons, which are the main cells of the nervous system. Neurons have properties like excitability, so they can respond to a stimulus and conductivity, which allows them to send impulses that coordinate sensation and movement.

There are 3 types of neurons sensory, motor, and associative. Sensory neurons pick up a stimulus from areas of the body like the skin, internal organs, muscles, joints, and sense organs like the eyes and nose, and carry the impulse toward the brain and spinal cord.

In contrast, motor neurons transmit impulses away from the brain and spinal cord and send them out to muscles, organs, and glands that allow voluntary and involuntary actions like talking and breathing.

Between the sensory and motor neurons are associative neurons that help pass messages from one neuron to another. Where two neurons meet, there's a gap called a synapse.

When a nerve impulse reaches this gap, a chemical called a neurotransmitter is released from the first neuron, which helps the message jump across the synapse to the second neuron, allowing communication to continue.

So for example, when your patient has a toothache and the dentist touches the tooth with an explorer, sensory neurons transmit the impulse to the spinal cord.

There, associative neurons relay the message to the motor neurons, which then send an impulse to the muscles of mastication, causing them to contract and pull the jaw away from the painful stimulus.

This automatic and instantaneous response involves the actions of these neurons working together as the stimulus travels across synapses with the help of neurotransmitters.

As a dental assistant, one of your most important tasks is aiding the dentist in administration of local anesthetics that temporarily prevent pain by blocking nerve impulse transmission along sensory neurons.

Your understanding of how the nervous system works helps you recognize and respond to the pain and anxiety that patients may experience during dental treatment, and helps you to provide safe and effective dental care by communicating more clearly with patients, anticipating their needs, and creating a more comfortable overall experience.

All right, as a quick recap, the nervous system is the body's main communication and control system, managing coordination, sensation, and responses to internal and external stimuli.

It's made up of two main parts the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system, which includes the autonomic and somatic systems.

Neurons transmit impulses that travel across synapses, with neurotransmitters helping the messages jump from one neuron to another.

As a dental assistant, understanding how the nervous system works is essential for monitoring your patient's comfort, responding to pain and anxiety, and making sure every dental visit is safe and effectively addresses your patient's needs.