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Skip the Discomfort of Dental Work with Sedation Dentistry

When asked if they offer their patients sedation dentistry, two out of three dentists in a poll conducted by dental management resource The Wealthy Dentist reported that their dental practices offer oral conscious sedation (OCS). A quarter of dentists don't feel comfortable offering sedation. And 8% said that they wished they were able to offer OCS, but regulations in their state made it too difficult to implement in their practice.

Sedation dentistry is perfect for a variety of patients: those with dental anxiety, past dental trauma, difficulty getting numb, bad gag reflexes, sensitive teeth, complex dental problems, and/or limited time to complete dental care. In addition, dental sedation can make it significantly easier for a sedation dentist to treat young children or special needs patients.

However, regulation of sedation dentistry is a hot topic. "I am very pleased that many states are starting to regulate this and have established minimum requirements to use OCS, " said an Arizona periodontist."The regulations are overly onerous. More rules and regulations won't prevent irresponsible behavior; they will only prevent many competent practitioners from utilizing this modality, " opined a Maryland pediatric dentist.

Many dentists are frustrated and unsure if they will be able to continue offering sleep dentistry. "We need a clear understanding of the new laws regarding what type of training/certification we will need to continue to offer oral conscious sedation in our practice, " said a North Carolina dentist. A Minnesota dentist voiced another concern, saying, "Liability issues scare me off."

Those outside the dental industry may not realize the grand power struggle behind the sedation debate. Explains a California general dentist, "Dental anesthesiologists are expensive and OCS has taken away a lot of their business; therefore they want the most onerous regulations and education requirements so fewer general dentists can offer OCS. Oral surgeons don't like OCS because general practitioners can do wisdom tooth extractions in their office, and those are oral surgeons' bread and butter."

"Oral conscious sedation may be the most controversial topic in dentistry right now, " said Jim Du Molin, dental consultant and founder of The Wealthy Dentist. "There's a huge battle going on in the sleep dentistry arena. It hurts me to think of how many patients won't get dental care if the ADA's new guidelines - engineered by the surgeons - go into effect. Is it really in patients' best interest to limit their dental options?"

About the Author

Find a sedation dentist in your area, email a dentist with your questions, and learn more about sedation dentistry, sleep dentistry, and how to beat dental anxiety. Get more information regarding sedation dentistry.