|
|
|
310 South Lake Ave Pasadena CA 91101 Tel. (626) 795-6855 |
 home |
| = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = |
|
meet
the dentist |
| = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = |
|
what we offer |
| = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = |
|
map & hours |
| = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = |
|
appointments |
| = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = |
|
ask
the dentist |
| = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = |
|
newsletter sign up |
| = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = |
|
testimonials |
 |
 |
 |
|
| NewsBank NewsLibrary NewsLibrary Paper: San Gabriel Valley Tribune (West Covina, CA) Title: Group offers sedation method to uneasy patients Date: March 14, 2004 PASADENA -- Those who fear shots and dental drills may be in luck.Through a growing practice known as "conscious sedation' dentistry, dentists like Dr. Leon D. Roisman in Pasadena are attempting to make the dentist's chair a more inviting place. Apprehensive patients - those with bad gag reflexes and those who need to have hours of dental work done in one sitting - now can take a pill-based dose of a sedative about an hour before their procedure, explained Roisman, who has been a dentist for 35 years and started using this type of sedation about two years ago after receiving training from the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation. Just before he begins work, he gives patients another dose so the sedation will last through the procedure. Patients remain conscious during the dental procedures, but they do not feel any pain and often do not remember much of the experience. "Some of my patients were so fearful that they would just sit down in the chair and cry,' said Roisman. "If we didn't offer this, they might never come back. This alleviates that apprehension.' If not for the oral sedation method, Adriana Calleros, a 32- year-old San Gabriel resident said she never would have returned to the dental office after discovering how much work she needed to have done. Calleros said she avoided dental treatments for more than five years. "I was traumatized by the dentist when I was young,' she said. "So I let my mouth deteriorate because I didn't want to go. I was scared.' During three visits last year, she had her wisdom teeth pulled, three root canals, work on her gums and a teeth-whitening. "For someone who is scared or had prior issues with a dentist, this is a great way of going at it,' she said. Though Roisman's Dental Plus+ Dental Group, which has about 18 full-time dentists in every specialty, and a support staff of 50, sees about 200 patients a day, Roisman said a small, but growing percentage use the pill-based sedation method. Treating an average of one or two patients a day using the method, he saw more than 350 patients in 2003. Dr. Joel Weaver, an anesthesia spokesman for the American Dental Association, said the ADA does not recommend using multiple oral doses for sedation because it usually takes at least 90 minutes for the drug to be fully absorbed into the system, creating the potential for dentists to over-medicate their patients. "It is possible to overshoot your mark,' said Weaver, a professor at Ohio State University's College of Dentistry. The ADA is cautious of the procedure, he said, because "there really hasn't been a lot of research on the safety of using multiple doses for dentistry.' Roisman said he takes care not to over-medicate by waiting for the effects of the sedative to kick in rather than giving a patient another dose to expedite its relaxing effects. To undergo conscious sedation, patients must be 18 or older and Roisman and he will not use it on patients with health problems such as emphysema. The dental group also offers nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and intravenous sedation. Most health insurance plans do not cover sedation for the majority of procedures, said Roisman. The costs for oral sedation during typical procedures ranges from $300 to $450. Coni Fadigan, director of the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation, said the group has more than 1,900 members who provide conscious sedation services, 288 of which are in California. -- Kevin Felt can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4454, or by e- mail at kevin.felt@sgvn.com . |
To read more about Sedation Dentistry: |
|
 |
How Does Sedation Dentistry Work? |
|
|
Facts About Sedation Dentistry.... |
|
|
Commonly Asked Questions... |
|
|
Who Is A Candidate For Sedation Dentistry? |
|
|
|
Sedation Dentistry
In Pasadena California and the surrounding
Los Angeles - Glendale - Burbank - San Gabriel Valley CA areas.
Copyright 2004 Internet Dental Alliance, Inc.
Terms of Use
 |
Home Meet the Dentist What we offer Map & Hours Appointments Ask the dentist Newsletter Signup Testimonials |
 |