Sedation

Sedation Dentistry
Sedation is a technique used to guide a child’s behavior during dental treatment.  Medications are used to help increase cooperation and to reduce the anxiety or discomfort associated with dental procedures.  Sedative medications cause most children to become relaxed and drowsy.  However, unlike general anesthesia, sedation is not intended to make a patient unconscious or unresponsive.

Children can benefit from sedation dentistry if they experience one of more of the following:

• Difficulty cooperating during dental procedures (due to age or emotional immaturity)
• Young age
• Past traumatic dental experiences
• Fear/anxiety of the dentist and dental treatment
• Extensive dental treatment needs
• Certain patients with special health care needs
• Patients whose gag reflex interferes with dental treatment
• Difficulty getting or staying numb

Types of Sedation in Dentistry

• Inhalation Sedation (Laughing gas)
• Oral Mild/Moderate Sedation
• Intravenous (I.V.) Sedation

If a child has treatment completed with sedation, in order to make sure the child is comfortable, local anesthesia is used. This means that a child will be numbed inside of their mouth even if they are sedated.