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Dental Sedation for Children

Many kids are frightened of undergoing dental procedures. As this phenomenon is not unusual, such children are dentally sedated to calm down their fears or tensions before they go through these dental procedures. In fact, sedation can make kids feel calm and composed when they are undergoing treatments.   

There are three common types of dental sedation for kids: nitrous oxide sedation, general anesthesia, and oral conscious sedation.  

In nitrous oxide sedation, children are administered a mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen using a mask. With this, the children will be awake throughout the entire procedure. They also recover easily from the effects that the gas creates once the dental procedure is completed.  

When dentists feel that the sedation of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, will not be effective enough, kids are administered general anesthesia, which will be monitored by an anesthesiologist who is board-certified. Here, dentists will oversee children during the entire procedure, as they will fall into a deep sleep.  

In oral conscious sedation, oral sedatives will be prescribed for children by dentists. These will sedate children only mildly or moderately and will be dependent on the type of medicine administered and its dosage. Here, too, children will usually be conscious when their procedures are taking place. Even if they fall asleep, they will be able to respond to the instructions of dentists.