Protest Letter Writing Guidelines
All Letters Must Be Mail To TEAM 1500 -- Not Directly To The ADA or Dr. Young
DOCTOR LETTERS:
Salutation for your letter:
Dr. Stephen K. Young
Chairman,
Introduction:
What to include:
¡ Your name
¡ The name of your dental school
¡ The number of years you have been practicing and where you practice is located.
¡ If you practice oral conscious sedation, tell them how for long and how many patients
you have successfully treated.
¡ Don’t forget to tell them if you are a member of the
Talk about the Proposal:
If you disagree with the new guidelines, say so. Explain why you are affronted by them and what parts you think are unreasonable. Feel free to list any specific areas of the proposed guidelines for which you disagree.
When writing about your past and current use of OCS, use strong, positive and encouraging language about the effect OCS has had on your patients and how the proposed guidelines will stop you from delivering the safe and effective care you have provided for years.
Close:
Close by strongly suggesting that the
Sign your letter.
PATIENT LETTERS
In addition to your own letter, please ask at least 5 of your patients whose lives have been positively impacted by sedation dentistry to write letters of concern. The letters should be written in the patient’s own words and should express why they are opposed to the proposed guidelines. It can also mention how their lives have improved or changed for the better since discovering sedation dentistry and what it would mean to them if they could no longer receive sedation dentistry. Patients should either submit their original letters directly to your office where you can forward them on or mail them directly to TEAM 1500 at the address below: (please do not have patients mail their letters directly to the
ADA PROTEST
c/o TEAM 1500
YOU MAY ALSO FAX YOUR LETTERS TO US: 310-861-0763
Ask patients to include their:
- Full Name
- Full Mailing Address
- Home or Business Phone Number
- Email address
- The name of their sedation dentist
February 13, 2007
Dr. Stephen K. Young
Chairman, ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure
Have been in practice in Charlotte NC since 1972. Igraduated from NYU College of Dentistry in 1969. I interned at NY Polyclinic Medical School and Hospital and Then I was on active duty for 2 years with the US Navy and 26 years in the reserves. I have continued learning over the years and have made exceptional customer service a hallmark of our practice.
I am disappointed that the ADA would propose onerous requirements that appear to have no evidence in their basis and heighten the barriers that many patients feel are obstacles to receiving dental care.
The limitations for fearful patients to receiving general dental care will greatly escalate. Using a method other than needles for IV sedation has helped many patients in our office to achieve dental health. These patients have not gone to the dentist for general care because of their fear level and the ADA is about to raise the barriers again.
Safety is always an issue. The use of oral medication has proven to be safe in the many offices using oral conscious sedation. The record of OCS is certainly as good as the record of IV sedation.
The ADA is risking its organizational health by alienating a large segment of its membership. These regulations may cause members to choose to not be part of an organization that no longer listens to them, or serves the needs of the public. The ADA could become the AMA of today, becoming ineffective with rapidly declining membership.
I feel that we are all interested in the welfare of our patients. Creating these new regulations seem to have little to do with the welfare of the patients but seems to have mo to do with dental turf wars.I doubt the oral surgeons and the periodontists will take care of the general dental needs of the high fear patients. l
I suggest that these new regulations be altered to make treating high fear patients an easily accessible event for the patients. I agree with the position of DOCS in relationship to the proposed rule changes.
Joseph Steiner D.D.S.
4525 Park Road
Charlotte, NC 28209
704 523 4515
.
.
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The American Dental Association, just like any association, is supposed to represent its members. I am very surprised to hear that they would let a small group of dentists control the direction of such an important issue. The bottom line is we should do what is best for our patients. Let the individual states continue to set the rules and help regulate qualifications for administering oral sedation, as they have done for a number of years.
Limiting sedation to only specialty offices will only make access to dental care more difficult for the millions of patients that are already afraid of the dentist.
Please forward my comments to the ADA representative.
Jeffrey V. Jones, DDS
712 North Washington, #102
Dallas, TX 75246
www.perfectgrin.com
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I agree fully with Dr. Steiner's comments regarding the possibility that the ADA might take a stand that would adversely effect the phobic public we are much more likely to reach under current guidelines concerning conscious sedation measures available to the general dentist. This would have wide range negative ramifications upon the public, our profession, our practices, and ultimately upon the organization that is supposed to represent dentisry from all aspects, the ADA.
Please forward my comment to my ADA representative.
Steve Deem, DDS
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
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Thank you for your comments. We will let the ADA know exactly how you and so many other dedicated dentists feel about their newly proposed guidelines.
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Having graduated from the University of Missouri - Kansas City, I have been in practice in Oklahoma since 1980 . I have treated thousands of patients over the years while in a private practice venue. Many that I have seen have histories of suffering varying degrees of phobic responses to dental treatment. Through a soft touch, adequate anesthesia, "painless" procedures, a caring atmosphere, and in many cases employing various forms of conscious sedation, I have helped hundreds, maybe more, to not be fearful of the thought of going to a dentist.
The most difficult patient to treat is the patient that never makes/keeps a dental appointment - the dental phobic. According to what I read, there are literally millions of Americans that are kept from obtaining/maintaining their oral/complete health due to their fear of the dental process. I have been encouraged in recent years (largely due to the works of the DOCS organization) to see more public awareness through increased patient education and even advertising that has enabled more people than ever to know about and utilize treatment modalities that would have otherwise been out of their ability to subject themselves to due to their fear. I feel we are beginning to reach, in larger numbers than ever before, both directly through their own experiences as well as by word of mouth from friends, family and coworkers, people who now know that dentistry is not the "scary" thing it used to be (for more people than we would like to think).
Naturally, safety is always of the utmost concern. The use of oral medication has proven to be a safe treatment adjunct when utilized in a conscientious manner (as must everything in a dental armamentarium from an explorer to a handpiece/laser/ultrasonic scaler/perio probe, forcepts, etc) . The record of oral conscious sedation, having been administered for many decades in thousand of offices across our nation and the world is certainly as good as the statistical safety record of IV sedation. It is also important to consider is that through conscious sedation and the adjunct of a more pain-free dentistry, professional dental care has reached millions more people than would have otherwise required complete IV sedation for things such even "simple" cleanings (not simple for phobic people) -- or the other option which is no dental treatment at all. Most that I have personally treated, once convinced from personal experience that they can tolerate the often "painless dentistry" that many observe in today's dental offices, they decide they no longer require sedation of any kind -- a major hurdle and a huge testimony for dentistry. A complete and very rewarding experience for both patient and dentist.
In changing the requirements for utilization of conscious sedation in the offices of general practitioners in this country would seem a major set-back for dentistry, for the public we serve, as well as the ADA, which would be risking alienating a large segment of
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I am writing to in regards the proposed changes to Conscious sedation requirements January 16, 2007. I have been practicing dentistry in Georgia for about four years. I have been using Valium and Nitrous Oxide in my patient population during those years. Treating hundreds of cases without any complications.
I don't understand why our medical colleagues our able to prescribe some of these medications at home for unsupervised use. We are trained to provide them in the office with professional monitoring with blood pressure and a pulse oximeter, but they can give these medications at home without any supervision. The safety record for dental anxiolysis speaks for itself.
The ADA has been pushing evidence based dentistry but where is the evidence that the requirements need to be changed?. I will have to seriously reconsider my membership in the ADA, and also reconsider and any referrals to oral surgeons and periodontists if this change in the standards of education required for OCS is passed. Thank you,
Brian Roehl DMD
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This measure stinks! If there should be any stand made by the ADA: make certain all dental offices are equipped with proper resuscitation techniques and medical devices such as having an automatic external defibrillator on site. Deleting valium from the dentist's access in providing safe and comfortable dental treatment for anxious patients is ludicrous.
Mark Castle, DDS clinical faculty at Northern Arizona Univ. Hygiene Program
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