Dental Health Check with Dr. Linda Niessen
Dental health topics from Dr. Linda Niessen of Baylor College of Dentistry
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 Sleep Dental Patients

By Dr. Linda Niessen
Monday, February 07, 2005

STORY:  SLEEP DENTAL PATIENTS

Many Americans--fearful of going to the dentist-- are choosing to sleep through their appointments. That is take a nap in the dental chair during a procedure. Dr. Linda Niessen looks at this trend in this Dental Health Check.

Connie Davis and Maxine Willis used to hate to come to the dentist. In fact, for almost 40 years, Connie never saw a dentist until she had major problems that could not be ignored. Her biggest fear was needles.

"That was the price I chose to pay because of fear. And it's absolute fear and that fear is real for me," said Connie.

But things have changed. Now Connie and Maxine take a sedative an hour before their appointment and another pill when they arrive. The sedatives cause them to sleep through their entire dental procedures.

Maxine said, "It's neat to have all that done at one time. Just sleep for a day. It's all gone."

Being able to sleep through a dental procedure may be the only way to get some people in a dental chair.

"The generic name is triazalam. A lot of people know it as Halcion. It's called the blue pill. What it does is just help you sleep real well. It's very sedating. It's real relaxing," said Dr. Hugh Oser.

Dr. Oser uses triazolam or Halcion in cases where patients have a fear of needles, fear of gagging, a difficult time getting numb with local anesthetics, or have a negative reaction to smells, tastes and sounds of dentistry. 
 
Dr. Oser monitors the patient's pulse and oxygen saturation.
 
"Pulse oxymeter is just another way of making sure it's safe," Dr. Oser added.

For Connie, oral sedatives have made all the difference.

"This technique certainly has made this a very pleasant experience." Most adults can take the medication, triazolam, except for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and people with a known sensitivity to it. For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A & M System, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.

Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and  the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.

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