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If your child has been scheduled for an upcoming dental procedure, you might be worried. Younger children can be especially fearful and anxious, leading to an inability to hold completely still during a necessary dental therapy, even a preventative one such as a checkup or routine cleaning. Advances in sedation dentistry allow dentists to treat pediatric patients, affording them the same comfort and relaxation available to adult patients.
Conscious oral sedation is administered in the form of a pill or liquid and can be given to a pediatric patient up to an hour before a procedure. In some circumstances, a dentist will recommend that the child be given an additional dose the night before the procedure to ensure a good night’s rest. This type of sedation is minimal.
Your dentist’s office will have a dental professional on staff who is trained in all forms of conscious sedation, from inhaled sedation to oral sedation to IV (intravenous). Specialized training is required for sedation dental professionals, and those who work on children will require additional training.
In preparation for sedation dentistry procedures, your dentist may recommend that your child have a small, low-fat dinner the night prior to the therapy, and to abstain from eating after that time until the procedure is completed. Your dentist will give your child a physical evaluation done through clinical observation and through electronic means, such as a pulse oximeter.
During his or her treatment, your child’s vital signs will be monitored closely. Once the procedure has been completed, this monitoring will continue until all vital signs have reached pre-sedation levels. Do not plan for your child to return to school or daycare after a procedure; you should take your child home for rest and check on him or her frequently throughout the day.
