Child Dentistry

Going to the dentist for any kind of procedure can be scary for a child. Parents that participate in their child's procedure does help the child. Unfortunately sometimes sedation needs to be used on a child. Any type of dental sedation for kids will not put the child to sleep but does make them calm enough to have the procedure completed. Any sedation that is performed is done directly in the dentists office with the parents consent. Children who have a fear of the dentist, have any kind of special needs, or children who do not stay sitting in the chair can receive a type of sedation that is offered through the dentist. The three type of sedation that can be used include: nitrous oxide, oral sedatives and IV sedation. Nitrous oxide is a mild sedative that has shown to be safe. A mask will be placed over the child's nose and they will begin to breath in air mixed with the sedative. The mask will stay on the child until the procedure is finished. Oral sedatives can be taken through either the mouth or the nose. Because it takes a small amount of time for this sedative to take effect, the child is required to take the sedative upon arrival. IV sedation is the last form that is offered due to it requiring a needle being inserted into the arm or hand. The biggest advantage to using this type of sedation is that the child can be given more medication through the IV line for longer procedures. There are IV sedation dentistry risks that a child could experience. Some of the risks include: over sedation, respiratory depression, short term amnesia, the formation of a hematoma where the injection site was, and very rarely sexual fantasies.