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Sleep & Pain Conference - July 2019

Mon, 5th Aug 2019

Four days in Sydney on Sleep and Pain may not sound like much fun – but it was for my colleagues and I. World renowned lecturers Dr Mayoor Patel and Dr Tony Bennett presented the Practice and Science behind dentists’ treatment of Sleep Disordered Breathing and Craniofacial pain at the practical and hands-on SLEEP AND PAIN CONFERENCE - AACP Australian Chapter July 2019.

Dentists are in the box seat in screening for, and in treating diagnosed sleep apnea. So what does that mean for our patients? Treated patients are less likely to be depressed, die early of cancer, heart disease and have more energy, better quality of life and even keep their bed partner! (Only dogs don’t mind our patients snoring – although I haven’t asked them.)

Scientifically validated appliances called MADs (Mandibular Advancement Devices) is one way that dentists can effectively help treat airway related sleep disordered breathing.

Pain and Dentistry? Don’t think of the drill, but of chronic face pain and headaches and what dentists can do to help with what may well be undiagnosed temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome – TMJ for short. Known as the “great imposter” for headaches.

TMJ is a major factor contributing to other tension headaches and certainly contributes to migraines due to vascular innervation of the trigeminal nerve, which also supplies sensation to all of the teeth and front of the face – and that is just the start of a very complex topic that dentists can have a very beneficial role in helping to treat. “Holistic Dentistry” to me means treating patients as a “whole” and key to this is understanding how all the “parts” of dentistry relate to overall health and wellbeing.

Dentists are able to coordinate more complex treatments with your GP and other health care professionals.

AACP Australian Chapter

https://www.sleep.org.au/

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