Blog
The Pros and Cons of Sleep Dentistry
Sleep dentistry refers to the provision of dental treatment while a patient is asleep under a general anaesthetic or sedated but awake. Most patients who have this treatment prefer to be totally asleep. Sleep Dentistry Melbourne at Coburg Dental Group is the fully equipped and experienced team to provide this service for you.
Like everything in life, consideration must be given to the pros and cons of this treatment modality.
Pros
1. Convenience and right environment
Many of our patients cannot tolerate having dental treatment whilst they are awake in the dental chair or they cannot keep still or the treatment is extensive. Sleep dentistry provides the ideal environment for this dental treatment to be undertaken
2. Amnesia
A person under the effect of general anaesthesia will not remember any of the treatment. So many patients who have had a bad experience in the past will often prefer this option.
3. Quick and all done in one session
Dental treatment under general anaesthesia is also preferred for its rapid onset, quick treatment times and convenience of all of the treatment being performed in one session in most circumstances so it can be a time saver.
4. Suitable for the majority of patients
General anaesthesia is predominantly suitable for patients with special needs, dental phobia, patients with a heightened gag reflex or patients requiring extensive treatment. For example, people who cannot stop involuntary movements such as cerebral palsy, children and adults who find it difficult to keep their mouths open or to stay still for long periods of time, major dental treatments such as multiple implant treatments, wisdom tooth removal or extensive crown and bridge work.
However, patients need to be relatively healthy to have sleep dentistry in our rooms. In other situations, we may recommend sleep dentistry be done in a hospital environment.
Cons
1. Highly trained staff
At Sleep Dentistry Melbourne @ Coburg Dental Group, the anaesthetic is administered by a medically qualified specialist anaesthetist using the same type of equipment that is used in a hospital setting. We don’t take any risks or short-cuts so we can provide our patients with the best quality of care with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
2. A trained team is required
Our team includes the anaesthetist, a fully qualified anaesthetic nurse, an experienced dentist and fully qualified dental nurses. All of these people have undertaken additional training to ensure that our patients receive the best possible experience.
3. Need for proper equipment and facilities
Giving a general anaesthetic or sedation is not just a matter of administering a drug of choice. Our patients are all fully monitored during the procedure and during the post-operative recovery period, in our clinic. There’s a lot of machines beeping away in the background, just like you may see on some medical television shows.
4. Not for everyone
Although being the treatment of choice for many patients, general anaesthesia or sedation is not suitable for many others. Very sick patients or morbidly obese patients may not be suitable so a pre-anaesthetic consultation with the anaesthetist is arranged to determine a patient’s suitability.
5. Cost
The provision of sleep dentistry services does add a significant cost on to the dental treatment fees. However, we do have dental payment plans available and our staff will gladly assist you with any claims which can be made on private health insurance extras cover. A firm quote is given to our patients at the initial consultation prior to the treatment being undertaken.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
