Sleep dentistry: Solution to a deeply rooted problem

What is Sleep dentistry?
Sleep Dentistry (also called Sedation dentistry, Conscious Sedation or Twilight Sedation) is the most advanced form of dental sedation. It uses a combination of sedative and pain relieving drugs given intravenously (I.V.) to create a dream-like state of deep, calming relaxation for the duration of your dental procedure.
Sleep Dentistry enables patients to undergo complex dental treatments (which often require six to eight appointments) in just one visit. Being in a very relaxed and sleep like state, you will be relaxed and at ease throughout the procedure.
During Sleep Dentistry treatment you are not unconscious at any time, just in a deeply relaxed state. Your vital signs are monitored throughout your entire visit and you are never left alone.
Is it right for you?
Individuals who might be a good candidate for sedation dentistry are those who:
• Has been traumatized in the past by a dentist (usually during childhood).
• Hate needles or shots.
• Hate the noises, smells or tastes associated with dental care
• Are afraid or embarrassed by their teeth
• Require extensive dental work
• Have very sensitive teeth
• Have a strong gag reflex
• Have difficulty achieving a numb sensation
• Have limited time to undergo dental restoration
• Exhibits unexplained high anxiety at the dental chair. The source is usually a horrific past experience that patient has blocked form memory.
What’s involved?
The sedation dentist establishes an I.V. line on your arm similar to technique used during blood donation. This procedure is practically painless. Most my patients don’t feel anything at all. Then a combination of sedative and pain-relieving medication is introduced. The result is immediate. You feel sleepy and fall sleep. When you wake up you will usually have no memory of the procedure, noises, smells, needles or drilling, and feel like no time has passed at all! You just feel like you just woke up from a very deep and satisfying sleep. You will go home with a heightened sense of well-being and the satisfaction of having attended to your dental health.
Will I feel any pain or remember anything about the dental procedure?
The short answer is: No. Sleep dentistry begins before the first injection is given and you will wake up and usually have no recollection of anything. There is no pain or discomfort at all. You are in a very deeply relaxed state from which you are still responsive.
Is it safe?
Yes. Sedation is incredibly safe and is monitored by a State licensed Sedation expert who is highly trained and qualified in administering the sedative agents and is certified and trained in Managing emergencies and Advanced Cardiac Life Support, ACLS.
What dental procedures should be performed under sleep dentistry?
That depends on the level of anxiety of the patient. The goal is to perform the procedure while keeping the patient comfortable and relax. All types of dental procedures can be performed under I.V. Sedation. Think about it, sedation is regularly performed during routine procedures such as Colonoscopy. In my opinion dental procedure is a far more invasive and stressful than Colonoscopy or similar procedures.
What are some of other benefits to sleep dentistry?
Aside from patient experiencing a much more pleasant dental visit, I believe the dentist can perform better when the patient is relaxed and calm as opposed to apprehensive and fidgety. "EMOTIONS are contagious," wrote the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung. "Emotional contagion happens within milliseconds, so quick you can't control it, and so subtly that you're not really aware it's going on," says Dr. Elaine Hatfield, a psychologist at the University of Hawaii.
One mechanism at work in this transmission is the tendency for people to imitate the expressions of faces they look at. For example, Swedish researchers reported in 1986 that when people viewed pictures of smiling or angry faces, their facial muscles changed slightly to mimic those faces.
Think about it... who likes going to the Dentist-
You sit down in a chair petrified of the barbaric tools and white gloves.
You are dreading the results of your x ray and cringe at the thought of getting drilled into your mouth. Your gums bleed, you get injected with Novocain that wears out too fast yet still leaves your mouth half paralyzed.
Deep Sedation is not for every one. To find out if you are a candidate for sleep dentistry please contact my office at (281) 332-4700 to schedule a complimentary consultation with me.