Avoiding Dental Care Impacts Risk of Disease

National health studies estimate that up to 57 percent of people in the U.S. don’t see a dentist regularly. What is the cost of untreated dental disease — and how can it be fixed?
The Washington Department of Health states that 164 million hours of work are lost each year in the U.S. due to dental disease. These lost wages and the overall effect on the nation’s economy runs into the billions of dollars. Additionally, according to a study by Western Reserve University, 51 million school days are lost by students due to tooth pain.
An estimated 30 percent of the population avoids dental care due to fear. There is an answer! Oral sedation dentistry allows patients who were once anxious and fearful — and put off having their dental work completed — to receive dental care while they are totally relaxed and comfortable.
Thousands of people around the country have already experienced this process and would not ever dream of getting dental treatment done any other way. The process is simple. The patient just takes a couple of pills one hour before their appointment time and since the sedative medication is taken, a friend or family member drives the patient to and from their dental appointment. In many ways, the rest is more like a dream that a typical dental visit. A typical patient usually remembers little to no time spent in the dental office since the sedative medication actually makes you forget.
Oral sedation dentistry in not only limited for patients that are fearful and anxious but anyone who wants to get more dental work done in less time. Since the patient does not experience the time passing due to the sedative effects of the medication, it not unusual of a patient to get the entirety of their dental work done in just one visit. Patients can now avoid spending countless hours away from work or school for the benefit of multiple dental appointments, saving both time and money.
As patients overcome their dental fear and receive care in the most comfortable and efficient way possible with oral sedation dentistry, mounting economic costs and repercussions of untreated dental disease are allayed.
Ask your dentist for more information about sedation dentistry, or contact Promenade Dentistry at 661.222.2242 or www.PromenadeDentistry.com