Sedation Dentistry

No matter what type of treatment or procedure your child is visiting our office for, we feel that it’s very important to provide each of our patients with a comfortable, painless, and anxiety-free experience. Any procedure that may cause discomfort will be performed with a local anesthetic. However, some children have high levels of dental anxiety or may be receiving a more intensive procedure. In these instances, we do have sedation options available.

Pediatric Dental Sedation Options

Below are the sedation options offered to our pediatric dental patients here in Delaware, Ohio:

• Nitrous Oxide – Nitrous oxide, sometimes referred to as “laughing gas” or “happy air” consists of breathing a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide gas through a mask aka “puppy dog nose” placed over your child’s nose. At Little Smiles of Delaware, your child can also choose from a variety of flavors to make the air smell more pleasant and relaxing. Your child will remain awake, but very calm.
• Oral Conscious Sedation – Oral conscious sedation consists of medication administered to your child prior to his or her procedure. Your child will remain awake during the treatment but will feel very relaxed and free from anxiety. In most cases, nitrous oxide is also used to work hand in hand with the medication.
• In-Office IV Sedation with an Anesthesiologist – If you choose intravenous sedation with an anesthesiologist, an anesthesiologist will administer medication to your child through an IV. This medication will cause your child to sleep throughout the procedure, but his or her vital signs will be closely monitored by the anesthesiologist and oxygen will be administered the entire time.
• Surgical Center or Hospital Anesthesia – Lastly, if your child requires a more extensive type of oral surgery or if he or she suffers from a medical condition that could complicate a routine dental procedure, we may perform the procedure in a hospital or surgical center. In this instance, an anesthesiologist working for the hospital or surgical center will be the one administering the anesthesia to your child.

We know how scary dental procedures can sound to small children and it’s important to us that your child feels comfortable and free from fear or anxiety during his or her dental appointment. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s sedation here in our office. We want you to feel confident in your decision and are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding dental sedation for your child.