Sedation Dentistry

As all adults know, visiting the dentist can sometimes be stressful, scary, or anxiety-provoking, and our children can experience these fears and worries, as well. Sedation dentistry can help ease these negative emotions to help your child have positive, worry-free experiences at the dental office, no matter what kind of treatment they need.

What Is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry is a branch of dentistry that uses sedative medications to ease patients' fear, stress, and anxiety during dental treatments. Sedation dentistry aims to make the overall experience during dental treatments more pleasant for patients so that they can access the care they need while minimizing negative emotions and memories.  

Does Your Child Need Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry isn't right or necessary for every child or every dental appointment. It can, however, be useful in helping patients have better, more positive experiences at the dentist. Additionally, sedation dentistry can also help us ensure your child's comfort in the dental chair.

Most commonly, we sometimes sedation dentistry for children who need to undergo particularly lengthy or invasive dental procedures or multiple treatments. We might also recommend sedation dentistry for patients who have an elevated fear of the dentist, patients who are not able to sit still during their treatments or procedures, and patients with special needs.  

The Different Types of Sedation Used in Pediatric Dentistry

A variety of different types and levels of sedation are used in pediatric dentistry.  

Inhalation Sedation

A light form sedation, inhalation sedation uses nitrous oxide (laughing gas) breathed in with a mix of oxygen to relax patients in the dental chair. With this level of sedation, patients become relaxed and sometimes giggly throughout their appointments but remain away. It is easy to administer, and the treatment wears off quickly.  

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation uses sedative medications administered orally either in pills or liquid. Oral sedation can be used to achieve either a mild or moderate level of sedation. With both levels of sedation, patients typically feel sleepy but can remain awake and responsive throughout their care. Additionally, both mild and moderate sedation can also limit a patient's memory of their treatment after the effects of the medications wear off.  

Intravenous (IV) Sedation

This form of sedation uses medications administered through an IV to achieve a deep level of sedation. With IV sedation, patients sleep throughout their treatments, have no memory of treatment, and wake relatively quickly. This type of sedation is administered under the care and observance of an anesthesiologist.  

General Anesthesia

General anesthesia is the deepest level of sedation, and it is only used in extreme cases for a child's dental or medical care. General anesthesia is administered using intravenous medications. The medications and the patient's vital signs are closely monitored by an anesthesiologist.  

Is Sedation Dentistry Safe for Children?

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry provide strict guidelines, rules, and regulations regarding the administration and use of sedatives in children's healthcare. We closely follow all of these research-backed rules, recommendations, guidelines, and procedures. Additionally, our team always works with extreme precaution, uses the most conservative treatment approaches available, and applies due diligence when determining proper dosages to ensure the safety and well-being of our patients.  

If there are any risks or side effects involved with your child's recommended form of sedation, our dentist and/or anesthesiologist will discuss these with you thoroughly before determining the most appropriate course of treatment for your child.  

Which Type of Sedation Dentistry Is Right for Your Child?

We work closely with parents and guardians to determine the type of sedation dentistry that is most appropriate for each of our patients. When recommending sedation dentistry for a child, we perform a thorough evaluation of your child's individual needs, age, health, and medical history, while also considering the length, complexity, and level of invasiveness of your child's upcoming procedure. Each of these factors must be taken into account when deciding which level and type of sedation is safe and appropriate for your child.  

Learn More About Sedation Dentistry With Our Pediatric Dentist in Dallas

If your child experiences heightened fear, stress, and anxiety when visiting the dentist, has special needs, struggles to sit still during dental appointments, or needs a lengthy or invasive dental procedure, then sedation dentistry could help your child have a more positive experience at the dentist. To learn more about pediatric sedation dentistry and find out if it's the right choice for your child, we welcome you to contact our dental office to schedule an appointment to discuss your options with our pediatric dentist in Dallas.  

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