Sedation dentistry procedure involves the use of a mild sedative to manage anxiety or special needs while your child gets dental care. A dentist may also use sedation if your kid has a strong gag reflex, or there are several procedures to be done at a similar time.

After receiving sedation, your child receives an injection or injections in the area receiving treatment to keep it pain-free after and during the procedure.

The goal of sedation is to provide the most pain-free and safest treatment. If your kid needs sedation, you can contact our pediatric dentist Houston, TX.

Types of Sedation

Nitrous oxide

It’s also referred to as laughing gas. It is a mild sedative that helps your child to be calm during dental procedures and is very safe.

Your child’s dentist administers the sedative by using a space mask, which contains a mixture of air (oxygen) and the medication. The dentist will request your child to breathe through the nose, where they will discover a faint sweet smell.

The sedative will kick in after 5 minutes. This type of sedation will keep your child awake all through the procedure and may experience a happy feeling. Once the procedure is over, the dentist will turn off the nitrous oxide, and the child will inhale pure oxygen for at least 5 minutes to get rid of any remaining gas.

Your kid should eat a very light meal prior to the procedure, such as a bagel or toast.

To know more about nitrous oxide sedation, you can visit sedation dentistry in Houston, TX.

Oral sedatives

Oral sedation is used when a child is nervous. It is given through the nose or by mouth. Your child may become a little drowsy after taking medicine. They will be calm and relaxed during the treatment.

It takes about 20 minutes for the medicinal effects to work. The dentist gives your child the medicine upon your arrival at the appointment.

If your child is going to be sedated, make sure they don’t drink or eat anything past midnight the night prior to the appointment.

You can go to sedation dentistry near you to know if your child qualifies for oral sedation.

IV sedation

Intravenous (IV) sedation involves the insertion of a needle in your child’s vein, either in the hand or arm. An advantage of IV sedation is that your child may receive more medicine during lengthy procedures to make them relaxed.

This type of sedation requires home preparation.

A pediatric dentist may use IV sedation if a child has an extreme dental phobia, is too young to receive oral sedation, cannot take an oral sedative due to a medical condition, or has large amounts of cavities that are challenging to treat.

Do you want to make your child’s dental visit comfortable despite his or her anxiety? Urbach Pediatric Dentistry offers sedation to help children relax and be calm during their treatment.  

General Anesthesia

When general anesthesia is used, the patient becomes temporarily unconscious and is completely sedated.

At our sedation dentistry for toddlers, an anesthesiologist performs this type of anesthesia in an outpatient setting at an ambulatory surgery center or a hospital.

Home Preparation

When you require sedation, there are important rules to follow regarding eating and drinking hours before the procedure. The dental clinic may contact you a day before the child’s procedure to issue essential instructions.

You will receive precise drinking and eating instructions for your kid, depending on your child’s age. The following are common instructions for drinking and eating.

For infants under one year:

• Babies that feed on formula can be fed formula until 6 hours before the planned arrival time
• Breastfed babies can nurse until 4 hours prior to the arranged time

For all children:

• The night before sedation, don’t give any non-clear liquids or solid food past midnight. That includes coffee, milk, juices with pulp, candy, or chewing gum.
• You can only give clear liquids up to 2 hours before the expected arrival time. Clear liquids are water, Koolaide®, and juices like apple or white grape juice.   
• If your child has daily medication, you can give it unless the scheduling nurse or your child’s doctor tells you not to. 

To find out more about eating and drinking instructions, you can call our pediatric dentist near you.