There are times when your child is more than likely going to need to have some dental work done to help them maintain their oral health. It can be difficult to keep your child’s teeth in perfect condition, all of the time. Even if you are diligent in oral health, some people are more prone to issues like cavities and other issues. When your child is in need of dental work, you might be wondering if sedation is something that is necessary. Smile Reef is here to talk about pediatric dental sedation and when it should and shouldn’t be used.
When is Dental Sedation Used in Pediatric Dentistry?
For the most part, your child should be able to have dental work done without the need for sedation. Some children might benefit from some mild sedation, but it is usually rare when children need much more than that. However, we can acknowledge that there are some children that have unique needs and could benefit from some sedation when dental work is being done. We like to follow a certain framework when we are deciding whether or not we will recommend sedation for pediatric dental work.
– Sedation is a Last Resort: By all means, sedation isn’t the first thing that a pediatric dentist is going to turn to. On average, less than 5% of children will require the use of sedation during dental work. If sedation is necessary, the general rule is to start with as little sedation as possible and go from there.
– Nitrous Oxide: This is often referred to as laughing gas by those that have used it in the past. Nitrous oxide is an extremely mild form of sedation and is usually all the children need during dental work. This usually helps a child relax enough that the local anesthetic can be administered all while the child feels happy and calm.
– Oral Sedation: The next step in sedation would be oral sedation. This is an oral medication that will help the child feel sleepy. It is safe and extremely effective in those rare cases where a child needs more help in relaxing so that dental work can be done.
– IV Sedation: If the previous methods aren’t enough to help a child stay calm enough to perform dental work, IV sedation might be the next step. This is usually done in a hospital setting and will completely put the child to sleep. This is usually done by an anesthesiologist. Less than 2% of children that need sedation need this level of sedation.
Pediatric Dentistry
At Smile Reef, we want your child to feel comfortable whenever they are in our care. We understand that there might be some cases where kids need a little more help remaining calm while their dental work is taken care of. We offer nitrous oxide as well as oral sedation for those children that have unique needs. Call us for your pediatric dental needs today!