Archive for August, 2009
Sedation and Sleep Dentistry: Dental Care for Special Needs Patients
Before, patients with special needs and other medical conditions find it difficult to receive dental treatment. Making them sit still on the dental chair for longer periods is a huge challenge for the treating dentist. Now, dental innovations in the special needs dentistry allow patients with disabilities needs to receive dental treatments like normal patients do. Sedation and sleep dentistry provide solutions to treat the once hard to treat patients with disabilities.
Patients with mental and developmental disabilities such as Down’s syndrome, Alzheimer’s, Cerebral Palsy and behavioral problems can undergo dental treatment by administering sedation or sleep dentistry. Each dental procedure is designed to meet the needs and goals of each patient. The treating dentist will conduct an evaluation of the patient's dental health including mental and physical condition to determine which treatment applies to his case. Patients suffering from mild anxiety can undergo sedation dentistry treatment. This procedure involves putting the patient into a relaxed state by administering sedative drugs orally or intravenously. In the case of patients with special needs and disabilities, sleep dentistry treatment is more appropriate.
What is the difference between sedation and sleep dentistry?
Sedation and sleep dentistry are often interchanged in dental advertising. Both treatments are regarded as forms of sedation but the sedation and sleep dentistry are two different practices. Sedation dentistry uses sedative drugs that will alleviate the pain and anxiety during the procedure. The treating dentist will administer the sedative drug to put the patient in a deep state of relaxation. The patient will remember little of the procedure but will remain awake and able to respond to verbal commands. Sleep dentistry, on the one hand, puts the patient to sleep by administering general anesthesia. The patient has no recall of the procedure and unaware of his surroundings.
The treatment plan involves different levels of sedation. In the case of sedation dentistry, the treating dentist can administer oral sedative drugs, use laughing gas or administer intravenous or intramuscular sedative medications. The same procedure applies to sleep dentistry; the dentist may administer general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. The type of treatment depends on the needs of the patient.
When choosing a dentist specializing in sedation and sleep dentistry, it is important to note that not all dentists are qualified to perform this treatment. In the Plantation area in the state of Florida for example, before any Fort Lauderdale dentist can administer general anesthesia, he has to have completed one year medical residency in general anesthesia in a hospital. This is in addition to the training they received from the dental school. So before undertaking any sedation or sleep dentistry, inquire about your dentists’ education and level of training to see if he is indeed qualified to perform the specialized dental treatment.
| Account limit of 2000 requests per hour exceeded. |
Compare________________________________________________
|
|
Visual Diagnosis and Care of the Patient With Special Needs (Paperback) $127.6 Eye care professionals have the responsibility of providing primary and specialized eye and vision care to a wide variety of individuals. One patient population that has in some ways been greatly ignored by many eye care practitioners are those with special needs. Approximately 1 of every 110 children born in the United States will develop an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Down syndrome effects 1 of every 1000 children born to mothers 30 years of age or older. Individuals with Fragile X syndrome are frequently encountered as well. Learning disabilities are currently estimated to be noted in 4.6 million children while 17% of individuals have some form of developmental delay. With the average eye care practitioner seeing between 3 and 4 thousand patients a year, chances are they will encounter multiple patients falling into each of these categories. Using the statistics previously noted, special populations could comprise as much as 37% of some practices. |
|
|
Essential Emergency Procedural Sedation & Pain Management (Paperback) $148.18 Procedural sedation is commonly utilized in the emergency department (ED) for patients undergoing painful procedures.  It is a critical interprofessional skill set required to allow the delivery of painful procedures such as fracture reduction or electrical cardioversion. Essential Emergency Procedural Sedation and Pain Management is a unique interprofessional handbook designed for staff physicians, residents, nurses, professionals, and allied health workers. Although procedural sedation is commonly employed and recognized as a required skill set for emergency physicians, there are barriers to its effective implementation in the ED.  The biggest hurdles are the lack of appropriate education in the area, a paucity of interprofessional educational programs, and a lack of proper education from professional training bodies. This handbook is designed for the health care team and encompasses the philosophy of interprofessional education.  The developing faculty members of the course are from medical, nursing, pharmacy, and educational backgrounds. This is critical in the development of any educational endeavor as it provides a means for all members to participate and understand the process effectively and in a complementary fashion. |
_______________________________________________________
Mail this post