Fear of the dentist affects one in seven Australian adults — making it one of the most widespread anxiety disorders in the country. The good news is sleep dentistry (IV sedation) is available to help decrease these fears of visiting the dentist. .
What Is Sleep Dentistry?
Sleep dentistry is also commonly referred to as IV sedation. Here at Beaches Dental Mona Vale, we have specialist sedationists who put you under IV sedation before your dental procedure — perfect for people with dental phobia or anxiety over their upcoming dental treatment. IV sedation simply relaxes patients rather than causing them to fall completely unconscious as with a general anesthetic. But, even when sedation levels are light, many patients become so relaxed that they fall into a sleep-like state.
One of our qualified and experienced Sedationists is on hand to ensure your sedation runs smoothly and safely. However, if you do require a general anaesthetic, we can refer you to a specialist for your dental procedure as it will require a trip to a hospital or day surgery.
10 Reasons You May Consider Sleep Dentistry
#1. You Suffer From Dental Anxiety or Phobia
For patients downright afraid of the dentist, sleep dentistry can help. Dental anxiety or phobia can prevent people from remaining in good dental health and may make them more prone to a dental emergency because of delaying treatment due to their dental fears. Sleep dentistry helps you have a positive experience, making it easier to book that next appointment.
#2. Reduced Pain
If you’re having a dental treatment that is particularly invasive or long, sleep dentistry can help. This is especially true for patients undergoing major dental procedures such as wisdom tooth removal or multiple restorations.
#3. Trigger Management
Common triggers in dental patients include the smell, sounds and sights of the dental clinic or dentist’s chair. For example, the sight of the dentist with a mask and gloves on or the sounds of a dental drill can trigger fear in some patients. Sleep dentistry can help decrease these triggers, relaxing you so you are less aware.
#4. Ease of Treatment
How often have you wiggled, clenched your teeth or twiddled your thumbs during a long dental procedure? In longer procedures, your jaw can often get tired and need breaks. Sedation allows you to work longer while you are more relaxed making treatment quicker.
#5. Gag Reflex Control
It’s quite common for patients to be sensitive to things poking around in their mouths, causing the undesirable urge to gag when something is in their mouth. This can be worse among patients with a strong gag reflex. No matter what kind of dental treatment you are undergoing, the dentist will need to work in your mouth with some tools. Sleep dentistry can help to decrease the gag reflex, making things more comfortable for you.
#6. Ease of Performing Multiple Procedures
Patients with dental anxiety or phobia may want to limit the number of dental visits they must take. Sedation dentistry helps with this because it allows the dentist to conduct multiple procedures at once without overwhelming the patient. Sleep dentistry can combine dental procedures into one session, resulting in fewer trips to the dentist.s.
#7. Your Appointment Will Go By Faster
There’s nothing worse than sitting in a dentist’s chair staring up at the ceiling while your mouth is being worked on. Sedation dentistry helps your appointment go by much faster because of the incredible comfort and relaxation it brings. Some sleep dentistry medications may even lead to you not remembering much of your procedure, and it will feel like you only just hopped in the chair!
#8. You Won’t Miss Out on Preventative Dentistry
One of the biggest downfalls of dental anxiety is that it can prevent patients from seeking care and even from their regular checkups. When you miss your dental check-up and clean, your dentist can’t check for problems and you may miss out on the dentist identifying any problems early on, resulting in problems getting worse and needing longer treatments.
#9. There Are Many Options To Choose From
There are a few different sleep dentistry solutions for you to choose from — general anaesthetic for more invasive procedures to IV sedation that allows you to have treatment in the dental chair. There are also lighter sedation options available like nitrous oxide that can relax you also.
#10. Improved Quality of Life
When you repeatedly neglect visits to the dentist, your oral health and overall health may suffer, which will impact your quality of life. With sedation dentistry, your appointments turn into a more relaxing experience, allowing you to get the dental care you need without the added stress and anxiety, thus improving your overall quality of life.
Beaches Dental Mona Vale Is Here
Are you ready to stop fearing the dentist? Beaches Dental Mona Vale can help you turn the dreaded dentist into a positive, pleasant — and, dare we say, dreamy experience. Contact us today to learn more.
