Children who are overly anxious at the dentist’s office may need sedation. While we have many techniques available, we find that the kind of sedation where the child will be awake is usually ideal.

We can offer your child oral medications that should be consumed before the appointment. Such medication will keep your child awake during the procedure while also putting her in a state of complete relaxation.

We also frequently use a combination of inhalation conscious sedation (nitrous oxide or laughing gas) along with a local anesthetic in order to reduce children’s nervousness. Local anesthetics are a safe and effective management of pain control. Children recover promptly and can resume normal activities immediately.

If you think your child needs sedation while at the dentist’s office or if you have any questions about sedation, call our office at 480-830-5466.

While our staff will do all that we can to reassure your child and try to make him feel comfortable while in our care, sometimes sedation is necessary, for those children who are especially anxious and are unable to sit calmly for dental work. We have seen many patients who need extensive work because they have stayed away from going to the dentist out of fear. If a lot of work needs to be done and a patient needs to sit for long hours, we will consider sedation techniques.

When dental anxiety cannot be alleviated through other means, such as laughing gas, we use intravenous (IV) sedation. Used rarely, it is administered by a licensed dental anesthesiologist who is trained to administer, monitor and manage sedated patients. This allows the dentist to focus on his work. With IV drugs, your child will have little or no memory of the dental treatment. The dental anesthesiologist utilizes monitoring devices to evaluate breathing, blood pressure and heart rate during the procedure so that your child’s safety is maintained during the procedure.

If you think your child needs sedation while at the dentist’s office or if you have any questions about sedation, call us at 480-830-5466.