Sleep dentists are equipped to sedate patients who require dental work but who, for a variety of reasons, cannot be awake whilst this work is carried out. Here are two examples of people who could benefit from using the services of a sleep dentist.
People who have Tourette Syndrome
Tourette Syndrome is a neurological condition that causes a person to suffer from 'tics'. 'Tics' are involuntary physical movements and noises that a person with this health issue makes. The type of tics that people have can vary widely but may include feeling an irrepressible urge to grunt, say a particular word, whistle or make an animal sound or to jerk their head or grimace.
These tics can cause sufferers immense distress and can be particularly troublesome when a person needs to get dental work done as for many dental treatments, it is imperative, for the safety of the patient, that they remain completely still whilst their dentist is working on their teeth. For example, when a dentist is operating a dental drill in a patient's mouth, it is critical that the patient does not make any vocalisations or facial expressions that might cause their mouth to move, as this could result in the drill injuring them.
For a person with Tourette Syndrome, the sedation services provided by a sleep dentist could be invaluable as the sedative or general anaesthesia the dentist gives them could allow them to remain perfectly still throughout the dental procedure, without expressing any tics, which should ensure their safety and allow their dentist to focus solely on doing their work.
People who suffer from emetophobia
Emetophobia is a psychological condition that causes someone to have an extremely intense fear of vomiting. Dental work can also be challenging for individuals who have this issue, because any dental procedures that activate (or at least, have the potential to activate) their gag reflex, which is associated with vomiting, may induce a panic attack. This can make dental work difficult for both the patient and their dentist as the patient might have to repeatedly ask their dentist to stop working on their teeth because they are so terrified of getting sick.
If a person with emetophobia requires dental work, then they should consider visiting a sleep dentist as the sedation methods that this dentist can employ should ensure that this process does not leave this person traumatised (which could happen if they did end up vomiting as a result of their gag reflex being activated). Sedation will also enable their dentist to carry out the dental treatments in a timely manner as their patient won't feel the need to interrupt them.
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