24
Nov
The White Coat Syndrome
There are things in life that we look forward to and then there are things that we can do without. For most people a visit to the dentist is in the latter category. Who looks forward to getting an injection in the mouth followed by getting his/her teeth drilled while keeping the mouth open for quiet some times? In case of tooth extraction, the experience is far more dreadful.
Additionally, all the exaggerated horror stories we hear and sensationalized movies about a visit to the dentist add yet more anxiety to the heart and mind of most people says Houston sedation dentist, Dr. Farid Noie. A good patient of mine who is an IRS auditor once said “when I come to see you, I can relate to the taxpayers that come to my office with an audit letter in hand”.
There are also those with a dental Phobia. A “phobia” is traditionally defined as “an irrational severe fear that leads to avoidance of the feared situation, object or activity”. Exposure to the feared stimulus provokes an immediate anxiety response, which may take the form of a panic attack. People with dental Phobia experience a great deal of apprehension and anxiety, usually days before the dental appointment. My phobic patients (who are generally in good health and have stable vital signs) display unusually high heart rate and blood pressure while sitting in my chair. This condition is unofficially called “White Coat Syndrome”.
Unfortunately many people avoid going to dentist, even for routine check up and simple procedures due to this fear. This of course leads to much bigger problems as small dental issues grow to become major complications. Many studies show that people who avoid going to the dentist due to anxiety or phobia, on average spend more time and money at the dentist and have more complications with their teeth.
Only if there were a way to reduce or even eliminate the fear factor from the dental visit! Wait a second, there is a way. It is called Sleep or sedation dentistry. I am surprised that Houston sleep dentistry is not more widely used here. In my opinion, there is no need for people to dread or be awake during dental experience. Any patient with a stable medical history qualifies for dental treatment with a Houston sleep dentist.
There are two methods of administering sedation: oral and intravenous (IV Sedation). The oral methods involve taking a pill that is prescribed about a half an hour before the appointment time to ease anxiety. It is important to note that these methods do not provide pain relief, but instead provide anxiety relief. Oral method is simple. However, because it is dispensed in a specific dose form (and some people may need more or less than others) customization can be more challenging and time consuming.
The other method of sedation is the intravenous sedation. This method has the fastest effects on patients. Most people do not recollect the experience at all and wake up feeling fresh. Many of them are under the impression that the procedure only lasted for a few minutes, even if it in fact it may have lasted for hours. In this method Dentist or Anesthesiologist can deliver just the right dose of sedatives that will have maximum effects in minutes. Additionally, if more sedatives were needed during the procedure it can be easily administered. This procedure is also quickly reversible.
Dr. Farid Noie is specially trained to administer IV Sedation for over 10 years with thousands of sedation hours logged without any incidents. For more information about sleep dentistry please call Dr. Noie at (281) 332-4700 or visit his website at http://www.drnoie.com/.