Sedation For Your Child Keep Them Safe & Comfortable
If your child is nervous or uncomfortable about seeing the dentist in Muscatine, Dr. Jarod is here to help with expert pediatric sedation. We offer both minimal sedation for kids with laughing gas, as well as sleep dentistry (general anesthesia) for kids who may have serious dental anxiety and fear. Learn more below, or contact us for a consultation now.
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What Is Dental Sedation?
Dental sedation is the practice of using sedative medications to help patients feel more safe and comfortable while they receive routine dental care. It’s used in patients of all ages, and can be particularly helpful when treating kids.
Kids may often be very frightened or nervous about even minor dental procedures, like dental fillings. Our Muscatine pediatric dentist does our best to make dentistry fun and approachable at Arctic Dental, and many children can get treatment without sedation at our office, thanks to our child-friendly techniques.
However, kids who are very nervous or anxious can always benefit from sedation, which will reduce these negative feelings and help them feel better during the process of receiving dental care.
Laughing Gas (Nitrous Oxide) Sedation
Laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, is the most common method of mild sedation dentistry for kids. It doesn’t involve any needles or pills, just a nose mask that your child will wear during treatment. They’ll breathe in through their nose when directed to do so by Dr. Jarod, and they will breathe in a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen.
This gas will make them feel a bit more disconnected from what’s happening around them, and inhibit feelings of pain, anxiety, and fear. However, your child will remain fully conscious and responsive to commands. Laughing gas wears off within about 5 minutes, so you and your little one can get back to your day-to-day routine right away after treatment.
Sleep Dentistry/IV Sedation
Sleep dentistry, or IV Sedation, is a safe and effective option for children who need deeper sedation during dental procedures. This method delivers sedative medications directly into the bloodstream, allowing for quick onset and precise control. This method of sedation results usually will cause your child to fall asleep, and they may forget most or all of what happens during their procedure.
Sleep dentistry is a much deeper method of sedation compared to laughing gas, and is more expensive, so it’s typically only used for children who have serious anxiety, or who are undergoing complex dental treatment or oral surgery. Sleep dentistry may help with multiple major dental procedures like tooth extractions.
Our trained team closely monitors your child’s vital signs throughout the process to ensure safety. If you’re considering IV sedation or sleep dentistry for your child in Muscatine, contact Arctic Dental today to learn more and schedule a consultation!
The Benefits of Sedation
Sedation with laughing gas or sleep dentistry has a lot of great benefits. First, your child will feel more comfortable at the dentist, and will be able to get the dental care they need without fear. Preventing negative experiences when they’re young will help them grow up with a better attitude toward dentistry, and can help prevent dental anxiety in the future.
Along with helping with fear and anxiety, sedation can also help with issues like a strong gag reflex, or a fear of numbing needles. And because sedation with laughing gas wears off within just a few minutes and has minimal after-effects, your little one can get back to their day-to-day routine right away.
*Accepting new patients from Muscatine and areas near West Liberty, Columbus Junction, Wapello, Tipton, Wilton, Durant, Stockton, Walcott, Blue Grass.