Most general dentists offer dentist sedation services to their dental patients, according to a Wealthy Dentist dentist web sites survey. Two out of three dentists reported that their dental practices offer oral conscious sedation. A quarter of dentists don’t feel comfortable offering sedation. And 8% said that they wished they were able to offer OCS, but regulations in their state made it too difficult to implement in their practice.

Dental sedation (commonly known as “sleep dentistry”) is often used to treat people who are anxious, many of whom have not visited a dentist in years. It’s also ideal for patients who are very young or have special needs. Patients may prefer sedation dentistry if they have sensitive teeth, dramatic gag reflexes, problems with Novocaine, or have had unpleasant dental experiences in the past. It can also be a time-saver for patients with complex dental problems: what might otherwise take six appointments can be done all at once.

Sedation is a valuable tool in dentistry, especially for anxious patients, children, or those with special needs. “I love it and think it is very safe,” raved a Michigan dentist. “I think oral conscious sedation is a fantastic way to provide fearful patients a comfortable, safe way of getting their dental work done,” said a California dentist. “When you weigh the negative aspects of dental pathology, conscious sedation provides an avenue of treatment for these otherwise untreatable patients.”

Dentists agree that sedation dentistry should be regulated, but they disagree as to the right level of regulation. “I am very pleased that many states are starting to regulate this and have established minimum requirements to use OCS,” said an Arizona periodontist. “The regulations are overly onerous. More rules and regulations won’t prevent irresponsible behavior; they will only prevent many competent practitioners from utilizing this modality,” opined a Maryland pediatric dentist.

Many dentists are frustrated and unsure if they will be able to continue offering sleep dentistry. “We need a clear understanding of the new laws regarding what type of training/certification we will need to continue to offer oral conscious sedation in our practice,” said a North Carolina dentist. A Minnesota dentist voiced another concern, saying, “Liability issues scare me off.”

Those outside the dental industry may not realize the grand power struggle behind the sedation debate. Explains a California general dentist, “Dental anesthesiologists are expensive and OCS has taken away a lot of their business; therefore they want the most onerous regulations and education requirements so fewer general dentists can offer conscious sedation.”

“Oral conscious sedation may be the most controversial topic in dentistry right now,” said Jim Du Molin, dental marketing consultant and founder of The Wealthy Dentist. “There’s a huge battle going on, and it hurts me to think of how many patients might not get dental care if new guidelines go into effect. Is it really in patients’ best interest to limit their dental options?”