Sleep Dentistry a Dream Come True!

Online, December 17, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Chicago dental implant specialist Dr. Irfan Atcha combines his passion for dentistry with cutting-edge sedation techniques to provide patients with dentist chair experiences that are pain, anxiety and phobia free.

It's that time of year again! Time to visit the dentist to have those pearly whites thoroughly checked and cleaned! What do you do? Do you:

A. Start up a lovely conversation with your dentist while he pokes around your mouth?
B. Nervously count the number of painted stars on the ceiling?
C. Find a happy place, find a happy place, find a happy place!
D. Give in to your instincts and run away as fast as you can five minutes before your appointment?
E. It doesn't even get that far. You haven't set foot in the dentist's office in years because you are so terrified.

If you selected A, you are actually a part of the minority!

A Closer Look at Dental Phobia and Anxiety

Most people experience some degree of fear or anxiety when going to the dentist. It could be a mild nervousness; a feeling of restlessness and wanting to get it over with. Or, it could be a full-blown phobia characterized by severe physical symptoms that can include heart palpitations, panic attacks, trembling hands, nausea and even fainting. A feeling of fear and anxiety associated with visits to the dentist is incredibly common, while an estimated 10% of the population suffers from crippling phobia.

Why do we fear the dentist? It's not like the Dark Ages when the solution to any dental problem was a set of pliers and a lick (or three) of strong brandy to quell the pain and prevent infection. Nowadays, there are few oral problems and complaints that can't effectively be tackled - pain-free - by experienced dental healthcare professionals, like Dr. Irfan Atcha.

"It's not the dentist patients are afraid of, really," explains Dr. Atcha. "I've tended to patients with the full spectrum of fears and most of the time what they're really scared of is needles, pain, choking, claustrophobia, waking up in the middle of a procedure or of having a negative reaction to anesthesia."

Dr. Atcha goes on to explain: "The most damaging problem caused by these fears is that patients tend to avoid going to the dentist and as a result, their oral health deteriorates. This is why sleep dentistry plays such an important role in modern dental healthcare."

Sleep dentistry? For countless fearful patients, it's quite literally a dream come true!

Sedation Dentistry: Wake up when it's over

Sleep dentistry, or sedation dentistry offers a fantastic respite from the crippling fear and anxiety many patients experience at the prospect of going to the dentist. Whatever the cause of this fear, sedation dentists - whether by orally administered pill or intravenous technique - can transport patients to la-la land. Here, all fear triggers are short circuited and patients bounce around on great clouds of cotton wool! Of course, the details of each patient's account of conscious sedation vary, but the common factor is that it enables Dr. Atcha and qualified dentists like him to perform the necessary procedures to keep a patient in excellent oral health.

"In many cases, all it takes is one sedation session for patients to realize just how NOT unpleasant an appointment with the dentist can be," says Dr. Atcha. "I have seen life-long phobias dissipated using conscious sedation. Patients receive the care they need without any fear or anxiety, and I get to perform entire procedures in a single sitting without having to calm a panicking patient. It benefits both parties. By the time a patient emerges from sedation, everything is over and they are free to return home."

No More Excuses!

With the availability of sedation dentistry, patients no longer need to avoid the dentist to keep those panic attacks at bay. This, of course, is excellent news for your teeth, which can now receive the love and attention they need to stay in beautiful shape for life!

So, when last did you see your dentist?