Sedation dentistry is a growing practice, especially among pediatric patients.
There are two types of sedation, conscious and unconscious, also known as awake and asleep. Sedation dentistry can help patients to feel less fear and anxiety about coming to the dentist. This not only allows for better patient experiences but also enables our staff to complete procedures without interference from an especially fearful or uncooperative child.
Our providers are all pediatric dental specialists who received 2 extra years of training to understand the complexities of pediatric sedation.
In our office we offer 3 levels of sedation:
- Nitrous oxide: The gas is colorless and odorless and delivered through our “scuba mask”. It is inhaled through the nose and helps relieve mild/moderate anxiety. Commonly known as “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide is one of the gentlest, safest, and most effective sedation techniques available today. Within a minute, children feel a warm, comforting sensation throughout their entire body. Once removed, your child will feel completely normal in less than a minute without any lasting drowsiness.
- Oral conscious sedation: Instead of inhaling a gas through the nose like Nitrous Oxide, your child will drink a liquid before the procedure. This drink causes them to be more sleepy and relaxed, but not completely asleep. This sedation type helps children with moderate to high levels of anxiety or need extensive dental work.
- General Anesthesia: Unlike nitrous oxide and other conscious sedation techniques, general anesthesia involves putting your child into a controlled unconscious state. We reserve this type of sedation type for our patients with the highest levels of anxiety and the most extensive dental work. We have options for our patients to have care completed with an anesthesia team who comes to our office. We also work out of multiple surgery centers and Covenant Women’s and Children’s Hospital and University Medical Center.
We understand that each child has specific needs and levels of fear we will work with each family to help decide which level of sedation best fits the needs of your child.
