As pediatric dentists we recognize that for some children sedation might be required for children for whom routine dental care using nonpharmacologic behavior management techniques or nitrous oxide alone are inadequate due to their need for extensive treatment, acute situational anxiety, uncooperative age-appropriate behavior, immature cognitive functioning, disabilities or medical conditions.
In these situations, our doctors and staff will discuss with you the option of sedation dentistry to treat your child in the best setting possible and to be able to deliver the best quality of care.
Oral Conscious Sedation
Oral Conscious Sedation might be an option to treat your child
Oral conscious sedation is a drink that your child will take in our office prior to their dental treatment and involves a mixture of one, two or three meds with nitrous oxide. This technique is intended to relax your child and allow cooperation, yet in a conscious state. The medication regiment will be custom tailored to your child’s specific age, weight, and dental needs.
The goals of a sedation are
- Provide efficient, high-quality service for the patient while he is comfortable and relaxed.
- Be able to maintain in the patient a positive psychological attitude toward future dental care while managing anxiety
- Promote patient welfare and safety while delivery dental care.
Some patients may not be candidate for oral conscious sedation, examples are children younger than 3 years of age, large tonsils, obstructive airway, history of sleep apnea or sleep disordered breathing, medically compromised patients.
For small percent of patients, oral conscious sedation may be ineffective due to their extensive dental needs and/or inadequate response to oral sedative medications.
Under any of these circumstances your pediatric dentist will recommend a deeper sedation such as IV Sedation or General Anesthesia may be recommended.
Intravenous (IV) Sedation
IV Sedation may be recommended by your pedriatric dentist in cases where oral sedation is not an option due to age, extreme apprehension, extensive restorative dental work/surgery, or special needs patients. We offer this is a service in-house by a Certified Anesthesiologist. If you would like additional information, please ask to speak to our office manager.
General Anesthesia (GA)
For some patients with complex medical conditions, extensive dental needs or failed oral conscious sedation, it may be necessary, based on the recommendation of your child’s physician, that their treatment would best be completed in a hospital setting under general anesthesia. In this case, our doctors would refer you to the appropriate facility order to receive the best care.
What are Tongue and Lip ties?
A tongue tie (lingual frenulum) and lip tie (labial frenulum) are small pieces of soft tissue under the tongue and lip that are present due to a failure of this tissue to resorb during development. This process is supposed to happen around week 12 in utero, but when it fails to happen, can cause significant restrictions in the movement of the tongue and lip. These restrictions can present themselves soon after birth as nursing difficulties for mother or difficult weight gain for baby.
If not treated as an infant, symptoms of a tongue and/or lip tie as a child, teenager, and adult can include difficulty with speech issues, neck and shoulder pain, feeding struggles, and trouble getting good sleep at night.
As pediatric dentists we recognize that for some children sedation might be required for children for whom routine dental care using nonpharmacologic behavior management techniques or nitrous oxide alone are inadequate due to their need for extensive treatment, acute situational anxiety, uncooperative age-appropriate behavior, immature cognitive functioning, disabilities or medical conditions.
In these situations, our doctors and staff will discuss with you the option of sedation dentistry to treat your child in the best setting possible and to be able to deliver the best quality of care.
Oral Conscious Sedation
Oral Conscious Sedation might be an option to treat your child
Oral conscious sedation is a drink that your child will take in our office prior to their dental treatment and involves a mixture of one, two or three meds with nitrous oxide. This technique is intended to relax your child and allow cooperation, yet in a conscious state. The medication regiment will be custom tailored to your child’s specific age, weight, and dental needs.
The goals of a sedation are
- Provide efficient, high-quality service for the patient while he is comfortable and relaxed.
- Be able to maintain in the patient a positive psychological attitude toward future dental care while managing anxiety
- Promote patient welfare and safety while delivery dental care.
Some patients may not be candidate for oral conscious sedation, examples are children younger than 3 years of age, large tonsils, obstructive airway, history of sleep apnea or sleep disordered breathing, medically compromised patients.
For small percent of patients, oral conscious sedation may be ineffective due to their extensive dental needs and/or inadequate response to oral sedative medications.
Under any of these circumstances your pediatric dentist will recommend a deeper sedation such as IV Sedation or General Anesthesia may be recommended.
Intravenous (IV) Sedation
IV Sedation may be recommended by your pedriatric dentist in cases where oral sedation is not an option due to age, extreme apprehension, extensive restorative dental work/surgery, or special needs patients. We offer this is a service in-house by a Certified Anesthesiologist. If you would like additional information, please ask to speak to our office manager.
General Anesthesia (GA)
At Kids World Pediatrics, we want your child to have the best dental experience possible. For this reason, conscious sedation may be recommended for certain dental procedures. Conscious sedation relaxes your child while allowing them to remain fully or partially aware of what is happening around them. There are two forms of conscious sedation that may be used. The first form is inhaled sedation. With inhaled sedation, a mask is placed over the child’s nose during the procedure. As the child inhales the gas, it causes them to relax. The other form of conscious sedation is oral sedation. Oral sedation works through a sleeping pill that is taken the morning of the appointment and sometimes the night before.
Did You Know?
Inhaled sedation methods have been used in dentistry since the 1700s. It has the ability to create euphoric feelings that would cause giggles in the people who inhaled it.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does My Child Need Conscious Sedation?
Your child may need conscious sedation if they:
- Are resistant to treatment
- Cannot sit still
- Are prone to gagging
- Are afraid or anxious
Ultimately, the type of dental sedation needed will depend on the child, their medical history, and the procedure being performed. In some cases, IV sedation may be a better option. Your Stone Oak Pediatric Dentist Dr. Torres will help you to decide if conscious sedation is the right choice for your child.
Is Conscious Sedation Safe?
Conscious sedation is considered safe for children when performed properly. In fact, inhaled sedation is commonly used in pediatric dentistry to relax children during dental procedures. Oral sedation is also considered safe, although it is not as commonly used. Nevertheless, there are always risks associated with any type of sedation, therefore San Antonio Pediatric Dentist Dr. Torres will thoroughly evaluate your child’s health and medical history prior to administering any type of sedation.
How can I prepare my child for conscious sedation at Kids World Pediatrics?
To prepare your child for conscious sedation, you will need to prevent them from eating or drinking for a set amount of time before their procedure. With oral sedation, your child will generally have to refrain from eating or drinking for 6 hours prior, while inhaled sedation usually only requires 2 hours of fasting time. For this reason, most procedures requiring oral sedation are performed in the morning. With oral sedation, you may also be instructed to start the medication the night before the appointment.
Another way to prepare your child is to dress them in comfortable, loose-fitting clothes and closed toed shoes. You may also advise them to bring their favorite blanket, toy, or stuffed animal for emotional comfort. If your child is old enough to understand, you can explain to them what will happen so they can prepare themselves. If your child is using oral sedation, you may need to give them medication prior to their arrival at our office.
How do I care for my child after they receive conscious sedation at Kids World Pediatrics?
The method of conscious sedation will directly affect how you care for your child after their procedure. With inhaled sedation, the effects of sedation wear off shortly after the child stops inhaling the gas. Children who use inhaled sedation can usually return to their usual activities with no problem and don’t require extensive care afterwards. With oral sedation, the effects last about 1-2 hours before they gradually start to wear off. This means that your child may experience residual drowsiness for the rest of the day and should be monitored. With any type of sedation, it is important to ensure your child drinks plenty of fluids. Depending on their procedure, additional post-operative guidelines may be provided.
