Sleep Dentistry: A Branch of Dentistry or a Term to Make Dentistry Sound More Fancy

The term does sound fancy and compels us to think about it for a while. What it could be? Performing dentistry while sleeping or performing it on a sleeping person?

Well, it is sensibly obvious that it would be the latter: Giving dental treatment to a person when they are unconscious.

Why Sleep Dentistry?

When oral hygiene is neglected, it leads to some major dental problems for which the person has to undergo certain dental procedures of serious and complex nature. Such procedures may involve the usage of needles and other medical equipment which generally do not make a good sight. It can give jitters to anyone, be it a child or an adult.

When people, especially children and older people get nervous about their dental treatment, dental practitioners administer sedatives to relax them. This helps the doctor to carry out the procedure with focus.

Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that deals with correcting teeth positioning. This procedure sometimes requires sedating the patients to make the experience less painful for them. This is where sleep dentistry Cranbourne experts will come to ask about your preferences and other medical conditions before deciding which form of sedation to be given.

Sedatives: An Integral Part of Sleep Dentistry

There are various kinds of sedatives that are administered to the patients. A dentist could help determine the need for sedative and which type of based upon the type of procedure a patient is going to undergo, the pain tolerance level of a patient, any movement difficulty, sensitive teeth, etc.

Let’s understand some of them.

Oral Sedatives

This type of sedation is given orally either by mouth or nose. This could be given 30 minutes prior to the procedure or a night before depending upon the case. It is generally suitable for children and older people who have fear of needles.

Nitrous Oxide Sedation

Nitrous oxide is commonly known as a laughing gas. This type of sedation is administered via the nose. This gas is mixed with oxygen and inhaled by the patient which takes them to a euphoric mental state almost instantly and helps them relax. Children and people with anxiety issues prefer it.

General Anesthesia

General anaesthesia is the same as the anaesthesia given in hospital’s operation theatres. Administering this type of sedation will make the patient unconscious and completely unaware of their surroundings.

People with extreme anxiety and who are undergoing some complex dental or orthodontic Cranbourne procedures are given general anaesthesia.

I would like to wrap up this article by saying medical science has progressed tremendously to make dental treatments and procedures so much more advanced, that patients must now make conscious efforts to maintain their oral health and hygiene by undergoing sleep dentistry Cranbourne as and when required without any fear or anxiety.

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