Sometimes the experience at the dentist can be too much for a child to handle and they may need a little help staying relaxed. Here, our Langley and Surrey dentists discuss whether dental sedation is safe for children and what the different types are.
You may know that your child gets nervous at the dentist or they may have special needs and require a bit of help relaxing when it comes to experiences such as visiting the dentist. One way that your child can be assisted with relaxing is by using dental sedation. Our dentists are often asked if sedation is safe for children while they are undergoing dental treatment.
When dental sedation is administered by trained and experienced dental professionals, sedation and anesthesia are a safe way for children to receive the necessary and critical dental healthcare they require.
Because dentist visits are commonly viewed as a negative experience by children dental sedation can help remove the stress during their visit. By reducing the stress and anxiety levels of a particularly nervous child, sedation can play a key role in providing children with positive dental experiences.
The Different Types of Dental Sedation for Children
The three types of sedation that are commonly used for children are:
Nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, can help to calm young patients who are feeling anxious, nervous or frightened. Nitrous Oxide is delivered via a face mask, and will relax the patient and promote euphoric feelings, but will not make the patient unconscious or impair their reflexes.
Oral sedation can take up to 20 minutes to take effect, so it's given to the patient when they first arrive for their dental appointment. Oral sedation will not make the patient unconscious, but patients often dose off during the procedure.
General anesthesia may be recommended by our children's dentists for patients with high pain sensitivity, serious behavioural challenges, limited understanding and/or with special needs. Under general anesthesia, the patient becomes unconscious so that their reflexes are completely relaxed. Patients will have no memory of the procedure once they wake, and will not feel pain during the procedure.
At our Langley and Surrey dental offices, your child's safety and comfort are our priority. Our team can answer any questions or concerns that you may have about dental sedation prior to your child's visit.