The dentist’s office – and its attendant discomforts – is not high on most people’s list of their favorite things. But for some patients, the experience of sitting through a cleaning or tooth extraction isn’t just uncomfortable; it’s nearly impossible.
Safe Smile Sedation offers a mobile solution to that quandary, bringing hospital-grade equipment and monitoring to dental offices all over Western New York in order to provide general anesthesia and IV sedation on site.
The practice of dental anesthesiology has been around for nearly 50 years, but the American Dental Association only just recognized it as a specialty in 2019. That was partly in response to the growing population of older adults, including those with disabilities.
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“It was an access to care issue,” says dental anesthesiologist and Safe Smile owner Dr. Naressa Singh. “Waiting lists at local hospitals for this same level of dental care are as long as 18 months. Our model allows medically complex patients and those who aren’t able to undergo treatment in a traditional manner to get the care they need in a timely fashion.”
Dr. Singh says the profession of dental anesthesiology is limited. There are about several hundred in the country but only one mobile operation in Buffalo – Safe Smile.
Official recognition of the specialty means dental anesthesiologists are highly regulated, highly trained and board certified. It gives outpatient sedation for dental procedures the same level of oversight and safety a patient would find in a hospital setting.
Dr. Singh says Safe Smile can benefit anyone with dental anxiety, including young children who can’t sit still and adults with a past traumatic experience. It can also help those who need extensive work and want it done in one session rather than little by little over weeks or months.
Other populations who can benefit from mobile dental sedation are those with physical, cognitive or behavioral delays or disabilities. Dr. Singh says many people with disabilities require sedation during dental procedures due to an inability to follow instructions from the dentist, sit still or hold their mouths open for extended periods.
Safe Smile allows these patients to get the care they need in their normal dentist office rather than a hospital, which is far less intimidating for them and helps maintain their routine.
In addition, because of the wait times for hospital services, a minor infection in these patients could potentially grow into a significant issue. For instance, what could have been a simple cavity filling could now require aggressive treatment and affect their broader health, such as nutritional intake. Safe Smile eliminates that risk.
“We can address those issues right away,” Dr. Singh says. “It also allows their dentist to provide preventative care, which can help them avoid the more aggressive options all together. With our training and accreditation, this is the safest way for any patient to get sedation in the dental office.”