Visiting the dentist with young children can be a challenge. Many children are frightened by unfamiliar people and places. Here, our Surrey dentists talk about how dental sedation can help your child relax and the different types that may be used.
How can dental sedation help my child?
You may know that your child gets nervous at the dentist or they may have special needs and require some help relaxing when it comes to experiences such as visiting the dentist. Dental sedation allows us to help your child relax for the duration of their dental visit. Our Surrey dentists are often asked if sedation is safe for children undergoing dental treatment.
When trained and experienced dental professionals administer dental sedation, sedation and anesthesia are a safe way for children to receive the necessary and critical dental healthcare they require.
As the dentist's office is frequently one of the places where kids experience the most anxiety, we might suggest having your child receive dental sedation for the duration of the appointment. With the aid of dental sedation, our staff can assist your child in associating their visit with a pleasant one, making them more receptive to dental visits in the future.
Is it safe for children to receive dental sedation?
There are 3 main types of dental sedation that your child may be given if they are receiving dental treatment. Although we only offer oral sedation at our Surrey clinic, we feel it necessary to educate parents on all three manners of sedation. These are:
Nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, can help calm young patients who are 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 may relax the patient enough for them to actually fall asleep.
General anesthesia may be recommended by 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. If a patient receives general anesthesia they will have no recollection of the dental procedure and they will not have felt anything throughout their visit.
Our dental team would be happy to speak with you and respond to any questions you may have if your child needs to go to the dentist and you want to know more about the dental options available.
