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Dental Articles - Sleep Dentistry

Sleep Dentistry can Make All the Difference

(c) Copyright 2006 by Cameron Miller

What you are about to read... ...could change how you feel about going to the dentist, forever.

Never fear going to the dentist again!

Do you avoid going to the dentist at all cost? Are you sitting there right now with a problem tooth that is only getting more painful by the day, but just can't bear the thought of going to the dentist?

Sleep dentistry could be just the thing for you, if the idea of going to the dentist makes you uncomfortable or anxious. Statistics show that nearly 1 in 7 people suffer from some level of dental anxiety. There is a better way! There are several options for sedation offered by dental anesthesiology practices like Leff, Weiss & Waldee, DDS of Plantation, Florida, so that you neither have to be conscious for, nor have any memory of your dental procedures.

Oral sedation is a management technique that utilizes oral medications and sometimes nitrous oxide to create a state of conscious sedation, relaxation and at times unawareness. This technique is advantageous for patients that have mild anxiety or fear and may be used for children and adults depending upon the behavior of the child and level of anxiety of the adult patient.

Conscious sedation is the use of certain medications to "take the edge off", but requires the patient to be awake during the dental procedure. When conscious sedation is considered to be inappropriate for the type or level of dental work required, deep sedation or general anesthesia is recommended.

In the trained and certified hands of experienced dental anesthesiologists such as Dr.'s Leff and Weiss, it is as safe for you to receive deep sedation or general anesthesia as it is to receive conscious sedation. Use of modern, short-acting anesthetics ensure patients are just as awake and alert after general anesthesia, as they commonly are after conscious sedation.

Intravenous (IV) conscious sedation is a technique that utilizes intravenous agents and sometimes nitrous oxide to help relax a patient. This has proven to be an effective technique for patients that have mild-to-moderate anxiety with dental procedures. This technique is also advisable for adult patients who require a great deal of dental treatment and wish to have more treatment completed in fewer visits.

Patients treated with intravenous conscious sedation usually have little or no memory of the dental procedure itself. Conscious sedation, otherwise known as Twilight Anesthesia, is a safe and proven method of anesthesia for procedures requiring relaxation but not complete unconsciousness.

During your dental procedure the anesthesia specialist delivers varying amounts of anesthetic and sedating medication through an IV line, monitoring your comfort level and increasing or decreasing the medication as needed.

General Anesthesia is an anesthetic management technique using intravenous and/or inhalation agents such as nitrous oxide to ensure that you are completely unconscious. This is a technique recommended for very young children, very fearful or resistant children, severe dental phobics, as well as special needs patients who are unable to cooperate or to remain still for dental treatment. Dr.'s Leff, Weiss & Waldee specialize in treating all manner of special needs patients, and are known as the premiere authorities on dental anesthesiology in South Florida.

With general anesthesia, you are unconscious and you neither see, hear, nor feel a thing. General anesthesia provides pain relief, as well as amnesia so that you don't remember any of the details of your dental work. You won't remember any sounds or smells.

Sleep dentistry is usually simpler and less traumatic for the patient than standard dental work. You are escorted into the treatment room, where the monitors are attached. During the procedure you are constantly monitored for changes in heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, and heart rhythm with EKG monitors, then an IV will be started to administer the medications. That's it.

Afterwards you are taken home and you go back to sleep in your own bed. You wake up the next day feeling fine and are able to return to all your normal activities, including work unfortunately.

Just as important is your comfort and stress level during your entire dental appointment, procedure and post-procedure. Sleep dentistry clinics like Leff, Weiss& Waldee of Plantation make how you feel the prime consideration in how they approach your dental needs. They listen to your fears and concerns and work with you to devise a dental plan that will adequately and comfortably address those fears and concerns.

Sleep dentistry means no more white-knuckled rides to the dental office, no more putting off getting an aching tooth taken care of until you're in excruciating pain and it's too late to save your tooth! Been there, done that, and definitely regretted it. Don't live to regret the unnecessary loss of your teeth, when there's a solution out there just waiting for you!

Why are you still sitting there with an aching tooth? Contact Doctors Leff, Weiss & Waldee today!