Let’s face it! No matter how much we try to ease the experience of a dental visit for our kids, the trouble does remain. We can try to accompany them with their favorite toys, play games or even read out stories; but when the time comes to lay back on the dentist’s chair, anxiety does come swinging hard at the little ones!
So how can sedation dentistry solve this issue and make the effort of taking a child to the dentist worth it? Is it safe? What are the ways in which sedation dentistry can ease a child’s dental experience? Let’s get straight into it!
Types:
Laughing Gas
Laughing gas or nitrous oxide is administered to the child through a mask to relax the child at the chair. This does not put a child to sleep but rather relaxes their anxiety while they are still responsive. This is best suited for minor dental treatments such as cleanings, simple tooth extractions, placing sealants, etc.
Oral sedation
Oral sedation is administered to a child through an oral pill. This type of sedation is usually stronger than laughing gas sedation. However, it does not put the child to sleep and keeps them responsive. It is best suited for most curative dental procedures.
General anesthesia
This is the last resort for a dentist to relax a child. When the child has significantly high dental anxiety or when the procedure involved in dental treatment is meant to be complex and painful, a child is given general anesthesia to be put to sleep.
Benefits:
There are enormous benefits of sedation dentistry when it comes to pediatric dentistry. From painless dental treatments to quick dental procedures, here are the 4 main benefits of sedation dentistry for kids:
- Sedation dentistry helps kids get a painless dental treatment. This ensures that they sustain no trauma during their dental treatment and make way for a rather positive experience for them.
- With a kid relaxing perfectly, a dentist can go about the procedure with more control and precision in the treatment process, producing better treatment quality.
- Sedation dentistry helps in reducing dental anxiety in kids for future visits, thereby facilitating the task of taking them to the dentist. This is significant for the maintenance and improvement of their oral health.
In case you’re worried about the safety of sedation for kids, the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated the guidelines for safe and secure sedation in pediatric dentistry, which is followed by every dentist. So, yes! Sedation dentistry is safe for kids.
However, not every dentist can legally provide sedation to kids. To get a dentist that does, you can choose the best pediatric dentist near you in Bradley IL. Click here for details.
