Sedation Dentistry

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Some children – like some adults – experience anxiety when it comes to dental visits. Our goal is to help minimize or even eliminate the emotional stress that these children experience. Sedation dentistry can help your child, if he or she is anxious.

Your child will be in gentle hands as Dr. Rose is committed to providing safe and effective sedation options for our pediatric patients. We use all of the appropriate equipment to monitor vital signs, and maintain the necessary emergency equipment and medicine to ensure safety. We will treat your child with the utmost compassion and empathy, and do everything we can to make their visits with us pleasant and enjoyable.

We offer three different types of sedation: Nitrous Oxide (also known as Laughing Gas), Oral Conscious Sedation and General Anesthesia.

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas, is one of the safest and most predictable sedative agents available in dentistry, and has been used safely for decades. The gas is odorless but we offer several choices of flavors or scents for our patients to choose from. It is administered with a mixture of oxygen, and helps relax and calm your child within a few minutes. Because it is a mild sedative, your child will be awake and can still communicate with us during treatment. After treatment, the nitrous oxide is turned off and oxygen is administered for five to 10 minutes to help flush any remaining gas from the body, and the effects wear off almost immediately. Nitrous oxide rarely has side effects, although some patients may experience minor nausea or dizziness, which can quickly be reversed with oxygen if necessary. It is best not to eat heavily immediately before breathing nitrous oxide as this can sometimes lead to a greater chance of nausea during or after treatment. Afterwards, it is also a good idea to limit any activities that require your child’s full coordination such as sports, bike riding, or swimming. An extra bit of caution will help prevent any unnecessary injuries, but most patients are completely back to normal soon after they leave our office.

Oral Conscious Sedation

Oral Conscious Sedation involves the use of one or two liquid sedatives, which are given to the child 30 minutes to an hour prior to starting treatment. It is very important that your child does not eat or drink within four hours of their sedation appointment to prevent risk of nausea or vomiting. Also, they must be in good health on the day of the sedation. Any fevers or illness requires us to reschedule their appointment for safety reasons. We base the dose on your child’s body weight, age, procedure planned, and length of treatment time needed. Your child receives the medicine in the office, and can watch a movie or play quietly while we wait for the medicine to take effect. This is extremely helpful in calming an anxious child that may have more extensive treatment needs. We are able to alleviate anxiety and pain during longer appointments, and were also able to complete more treatment in a shorter time. Some children are drowsy and may fall into a light sleep, but they can be awakened easily with gentle stimulation. Usually the child will be awake and cooperative, and able to follow instructions appropriately. There are several important criteria for selecting children as candidates for oral conscious sedation and we will be happy to discuss these as they relate specifically to your child. We will monitor your child very carefully and thoroughly during their sedation appointment to ensure their safety and comfort.

Outpatient General Anesthesia

Some children are not able to have dental treatment performed in a routine office setting due to a variety of reasons. Some examples are very young children that have sustained a severe injury or have baby bottle tooth decay. Another example would be children who are mentally or physically disabled such as children with Autism or Cerebral Palsy. In some of these situations, oral conscious sedation is not feasible or possible, or has been attempted but was not successful in managing a child’s behavior. When no other options are possible, dental treatment can be performed under general anesthesia at an outpatient surgical center. There are typically no shots or no pain involved prior to going to sleep. A child will simply breathe the “sleepy air” and fall asleep within 20 to 30 seconds. After going to sleep, we can take care of all of your child’s dental treatment and they will feel nothing. They will wake up in the recovery room and typically can go home two or three hours after treatments.