Sleep Dentistry
HEALTH SERVICES BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Sit Back, Relax And Watch Some Netflix
Anxiety amongst dental patients can prove to be a daunting challenge. Dealing with anxiety can be tough for everyone involved. It often leads to unnecessary stress or even to people not showing up for dental appointments at all.
What people don’t realise is how crucial it is to deal with dental problems right away. By delaying or ignoring intervention, we risk greater problems which can affect the health, wellness, speech, confidence, mental health and overall well-being of a person.
Dental anxiety affects many Australians today. Studies by Oral-B show that eight out of ten Australians admit to having some level of anxiety when visiting the dentist. With the anxiety comes a level of unneeded discomfort. It also brings serious risks of error caused by panic during procedures.
Dental decay is also now more prevalent among Australian children with more than half of six-year-old Australians suffering from some form of tooth decay. And getting children to dental visits can be a real challenge at any time.
Anxiety can be a real issue, but it’s an issue that can be alleviated with the right solutions. One of the most common and readily available solutions today is sleep dentistry.
What is Sleep Dentistry?
Sleep Dentistry is the process of performing dental procedures while the patient is induced with general anaesthesia, causing a patient to “sleep” while going through the process. This allows for minimal discomfort dentistry giving patients peace of mind necessary to bring them through the whole process.
Under the influence of General Anaesthesia (GA), patients are brought under a state of extreme calm which can even lead to no memory of any part of the procedure whatsoever. General Anaesthesia brings relaxation to the body’s nerve systems making patients oblivious to pain receptors for a given amount of time.
You can stop avoiding the dentist once and for all and get back on track on your road to oral health.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Statistics show that more and more patients prefer “sleeping” during dental procedures. There also seems to be an increase in preference once the procedure becomes more major. Here are a few numbers to look at.
| 7.2% of patients prefer sedation for cleaning procedures. | 18% of patients prefer sedation for fillings or crowns | 54.7% of patients prefer sedation for endodontics | 68.2% of patients prefer sedation for periodontal surgery | 46.5% of patients prefer sedation for tooth extraction. |
| 7.2% of patients prefer sedation for cleaning procedures. |
| 18% of patients prefer sedation for fillings or crowns |
| 54.7% of patients prefer sedation for endodontics |
| 68.2% of patients prefer sedation for periodontal surgery |
| 46.5% of patients prefer sedation for tooth extraction. |
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15859442
A great number of patients prefer to be heavily sedated in dental surgeries. And with the technologies we provide here in Melbourne at Dental Boutique, we can provide you with the steps necessary to relieve you of any anxiety-induced stress or risks associated with such fears.
Oral medication – valium or a sedative – will take the edge off.
Dr Peter AlldrittChairman, Australian Dental Association’s oral health committee
Oral medication – valium or a sedative – will take the edge off.
Dr Peter AlldrittChairman, Australian Dental Association’s oral health committee
Who Needs Sleep Dentistry?
Sleep dentistry exists to serve the purpose of specific individuals. The following people can greatly benefit from it:
1 Patients dealing with anxieties and fears towards dental procedures. When you’re faced with a fear of dentists, the best way to get through the process is to get through it with sleep dentistry. There’s nothing to be afraid of when you’re relaxed and calmed for the procedure.
2 Patients with traumatic past experiences. You might have had a bad experience with previous dental procedures. While our goal at Dental Boutique is to be as excellent as possible when it comes to our dental practice, we understand that some traumas do not leave overnight. We use sleep dentistry to set aside that trauma for the time being.
3 Patients with general anxiety disorders. Maybe you don’t have a fear of dentists. Maybe it’s a fear of needles, of the sound of a drill, or maybe just a general anxiety disorder. We completely understand and we’ll find a way to make you feel comfortable.
4 Patients with low tolerance for pain. Some patients have very sensitive oral nerve endings. If that’s you then a certain level of sleep dentistry can prove to be extremely helpful.
5 Patients with resistance to local anesthetics. Yes, we know local anesthetics don’t work for some. We can provide you with something more potent.
6 Patients with small mouths.
People with small mouths can often tire from keeping their mouth open through a long procedure. Sleep dentistry can ease that discomfort for you.
1 Patients dealing with anxieties and fears towards dental procedures. When you’re faced with a fear of dentists, the best way to get through the process is to get through it with sleep dentistry. There’s nothing to be afraid of when you’re relaxed and calmed for the procedure.
2 Patients with traumatic past experiences. You might have had a bad experience with previous dental procedures. While our goal at Dental Boutique is to be as excellent as possible when it comes to our dental practice, we understand that some traumas do not leave overnight. We use sleep dentistry to set aside that trauma for the time being.
3 Patients with general anxiety disorders. Maybe you don’t have a fear of dentists. Maybe it’s a fear of needles, of the sound of a drill, or maybe just a general anxiety disorder. We completely understand and we’ll find a way to make you feel comfortable.
4 Patients with low tolerance for pain. Some patients have very sensitive oral nerve endings. If that’s you then a certain level of sleep dentistry can prove to be extremely helpful.
5 Patients with resistance to local anesthetics. Yes, we know local anesthetics don’t work for some. We can provide you with something more potent.
6 Patients with small mouths.
People with small mouths can often tire from keeping their mouth open through a long procedure. Sleep dentistry can ease that discomfort for you.
Is Sedation Beneficial For You?
Determining the source of your anxiety and how you best cope can help you determine if sleep dentistry will work for you or if any sedation type might work best. There are sleep dentistry methods, for instance, that come through IV insertions, so that won’t be the best for people who are afraid of needles.If you want to learn more about sleep dentistry, the side effects and the costs, you can speak with us at any point. We’d love to help guide you through your dental journey.
Alternatives to Sleep Dentistry
At Dental Boutique, we have invested time and resources to grow our knowledge and expertise in the best sedation procedures that will work for any patient who needs it. Here are a few other alternatives to sleep dentistry that we also have available:
Relaxation Techniques
The simplest of the techniques is controlled breathing. By breathing well and right, you feel more relaxed and calm when the fear starts to set in. Another alternative is listening to music. We provide our patients with headsets that can allow them to take their mind off things as we do our work.
Gas Inhalation
Minimal Discomfort and Needleless Injection
Advances in technology has brought sedation to the next level. We also carry an option for patients to be sedated through a needleless and minimal discomfort injection.The needleless solution is made of small, lightweight, spring-operated device that delivers anaesthetic into the gum as an extremely fine jet of liquid in a fraction of a second.
We also have in our facilities a technology that controls the flow of anesthetic via a computer program, making the flow of anesthetics more steady and making the procedure more comfortable.
Creating Fail-safe Signals
IV Sedation
How Much Does Sleep Dentistry Cost?
At Dental Boutique, we collaborate with our in-house Specialist Anesthetist. The fees outlined below are rebatable through your private health fund and Medicare. Once you’ve lodged your claim with Medicare, the amount will be paid into your account within 48 hours. However, please confirm this with Medicare for certainty.
- Time
- 2 hours or less
- Fee structure
-
Facility fee $650
1st hour $700
30 minute increment after $350
- Medicare Rebate
- 30% of amount up to $2000
- Time
- Over 3 hours of treatment
- Fee structure
-
No facility fee charged
Fixed fee of $6000
This is regardless of length of time (ie. does not matter if it is 3,4,5 or 6 hours or longer)
- Medicare Rebate
-
First $2000 (30% rebate)
Remaining $4000 (80% rebate)
If you have reached your safety net threshold of $2000 with Medicare, the entire $6000 could be rebatable at 80%. This is determined solely by Medicare.
Have a Look at Some of Our Work
We have transformed thousands of smiles and improved the confidence of countless patients
Frequently Asked Questions
How much longer might a particular treatment take because sleep dentistry is involved?
Is there a gender difference between people who prefer sleep dentistry, or also an age difference?
Can children also opt to have sleep dentistry, and do they need parental authority?
Is there any risk of side-effects of the anaesthetic, and what precautions do you take to mitigate the risks?
There might be some more permanent effects on special cases, which we would like to know about before giving you sedatives. These cases include heart problems, brain function problems (such as memory problems caused by Alzheimers), diet considerations, medical history and so on.
Is sleep dentistry growing as a preference? If so, how many are you typically doing year-on-year?
Can people have sleep dentistry repeatedly over many dental procedures over many years, or is there a risk in the same way repeated concussion can cause brain damage?
When people wake up from the anaesthetic, how long do they need to stay around at the clinic before they can leave or drive again?
What are the main types of dental anxiety people usually suffer from?
If a patient has a fear of needles, is there a different way for the anaesthetic to be administered?
Dental Boutique has invested into Minimal discomfort and Needleless Injection technologies that allow for the administration of anesthetics in a minimal discomfort and needleless manner.
