Blog Coburg Dental Group

Many people fear the dentist and dental procedures. They may worry about the pain they might feel or be scared of a needle or the noise of the drill. They may have concerns about the dentist being in their personal space. They may feel embarrassed about the poor condition of their teeth. Sleep dentistry or sedation dentistry can definitely help patients receive their treatment and feel more relaxed during their visit, but is it the right choice for you?

Patients who consider sedation or sleep dentistry often have different reasons for their needs, such as the following:

• Phobia (fear) related to dental procedures
• A past bad experience with dental work, especially in childhood
• Particularly sensitive oral nerves or pain threshold
• Small mouth with limited opening that becomes sore during dental work
• Resistance to local anaesthetic
• Severe or uncontrollable gag reflex
• Extensive dental work required eg multiple extractions
• Children or others who cannot stay still in the dental chair
• General anxiety disorder

Dental sedation can help patients get through many types of dental work, such as general hygiene, fillings, gum treatment, root canals, tooth extractions, crowns, bridges, dental implants, and more.

What Is Sleep Dentistry Melbourne?

Sleep dentistry Melbourne refers to the provision of dental treatment while the patient is asleep at Coburg Dental Group. With sedation, the dentist administers a drug before and/or during the dental procedure. Only general anaesthesia, which is administered by a medically qualified specialist anaesthetist in our Coburg, Melbourne sleep dentistry rooms, renders the patient completely unconscious. The other forms of sleep dentistry will relax you, but won’t knock you out completely.

At sleep dentistry Melbourne, our anaesthetist can administer a“twilight sleep”during which you are unaware of your surroundings, feel sleepy but you don’t remember any of the procedure or a general anaesthetic which will put you into a deep sleep throughout the whole procedure until it wears off.

For many patients, general anaesthesia offers the best solution but your dentist and anaesthetist will discuss what is recommended for your situation. You might prefer dental sedation or sleep dentistry, but talk to your dentist about it first. It will be a joint decision between you and the professionals.

Additionally, you should discuss local anaesthetics. These drugs numb your mouth during a dental procedure so you don’t experience pain. We administer local anaesthetics by applying a numbing gel on to the gum first and then use a short needle in one or several places along the gum line. We often use a machine called The Wand which is a low pressure method of painless local anaesthetic injection. If you don’t fear the dentist, local anaesthetic might be the only thing you need.

Will You Benefit From Sedation Dentistry?

Before you decide on whether or not you wish to have dental sedation or sleep dentistry, consider the procedure which you require and your general attitude to dental care. For example, do you fear needles or the drill? If so, intravenous sedation might cause more anxiety than the dental work itself. Similarly, if you’re concerned about being vulnerable in the dental chair, you might want to stay awake and have a local anaesthetic.

Nevertheless, if you’re delaying your dental work because you fear the pain or any other part of the treatment, sleep dentistry might offer the best solution for you. When you ignore issues such as tooth decay, loose or broken teeth, and other problems, you put your oral health and even general health, at risk. Furthermore, the problem can become more complex as time passes, which usually means that you’ll need more extensive dental work in the future.

Talk to us first

We are only a phone call way from Sleep Dentistry Melbourne.
Call us on (03)9386 1805 to make an appointment for an obligation free consultation with one of our dentists to discuss your needs. We are not judgmental, we understand your needs and desires and we want to help you achieve your dental health goals.

Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.