Sedation Dentistry – Garland, TX
Safe, Gentle Sedation
Dentistry for Children
At The Dental Specialists Pediatric Dentistry, we understand that children often feel nervous before and during a dental appointment. While we strive to provide a kid-friendly atmosphere with a caring, friendly staff to help ease their anxieties, we also offer sedation dentistry for children in our Garland dental office to help them feel even more comfortable and relaxed during certain dental procedures. We offer different forms of sedation dentistry in our Garland, TX dental office by request, ranging from nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to oral conscious sedation and IV sedation.
Why Choose The Dental Specialists Pediatric Dentistry
for Sedation Dentistry?
- Plenty of Experience with Special Needs Patients
- Sedation Options Tailored to Every Child
Nitrous Oxide
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recognizes the proper usage of nitrous oxide as a safe, effective way to calm a child’s fear of visiting the dentist while also enhancing effective communication. This type of gas is inhaled through a nicely scented, comfortable mask that’s placed over the nose. It allows your child to feel calm and relaxed during their appointment. Once the appointment is over and after a couple of minutes of regular air, your child will feel normal and ready to go home or back to school.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Nitrous Oxide?
Nitrous oxide is known to be a safe option for young patients because of its mild yet fast-acting effects. However, it is important that before any type of sedation is provided, Dr. Preece or Dr. Hui meet with your child to discuss their medical history, and the reason nitrous oxide is being suggested.
Generally, this method of sedation can be helpful if your child has:
- Mild to moderate dental anxiety
- A strong or sensitive gag reflex
- Difficulty with other numbing agents
- Difficulty sitting still in the treatment chair
- Sensitive teeth
- A fear of needles
If your child is dealing with sinus congestion, has some sort of respiratory illness, or is taking certain medications, we may recommend holding off on treatment until these issues clear up. If it is the medicine they’re taking that could interfere with sedation, we might suggest an alternative technique or solution to ensure their safety and comfort.
How Does Nitrous Oxide Work?
The process of administering nitrous oxide is quite simple. Our dental team will begin by placing a nasal mask over your child’s nose so that it remains covered throughout treatment. Once the mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen is turned on, we will instruct them to inhale. In just minutes, the effects will start to kick in, leaving them to feel more relaxed and even slightly euphoric. They may even begin to giggle (hence the popular term “laughing gas” as nitrous oxide is more commonly known).
The use of this type of sedation will help dull your child’s senses so that they feel no discomfort or fear during their visit. This can be extremely helpful for those who previously experienced dental trauma at another practice.
Aftercare for Nitrous Oxide
After treatment is complete, our team will turn off the gas and remove the mask. Within minutes of breathing pure oxygen, your child will feel like their normal self. This is one of the added benefits of nitrous oxide is that it has no lingering side effects.
We will likely have your child stay in the treatment chair for a few minutes to ensure they feel fine after the mask is removed, but they should be free to resume normal activity after leaving our office.
If there are any aftercare instructions for the treatment they received, our team will make sure to provide them so that your child heals without issue.
Oral Conscious Sedation Dentistry
This type of sedation is recommended for children whose level of anxiety prevents good coping skills, those requiring extensive dental treatment, and very young children who don’t understand how to be cooperative during the appointment. This sedation can also be helpful for some children who have special needs. Administered in the dental office by the dentist, the sedative’s dosage is determined by your child’s weight. Vital signs will be monitored throughout your entire visit.
Your child will keep all their natural reflexes and may become drowsy but will not be unconscious. After the appointment is over, we’ll continue to monitor your child until the dentist feels they’re alert enough to go home. We ask that your child relax the remainder of that day due to the effects of the medication that is still in their system. These will wear off naturally over the next few hours.
IV Sedation Dentistry
For children with special care needs who have extensive oral healthcare needs, or children who need more invasive dental procedures, we may recommend IV sedation.