We fully understand that many people are anxious about visiting the dentist. Since we don’t want fear to hold you back from getting the dental care you need, we offer sedation dentistry to improve your experience. Sedation dentistry allows you to relax while we perform dental treatment.
Sedation is used for a child’s safety and comfort during dental procedures. It allows certain children to cope better with dental treatment and helps prevent injury to the child from uncontrolled movements. Sedation may be indicated for children who have a high level of anxiety or those who are very young and do not understand how to cope with dental treatment. It can also be helpful for some patients who have special needs.
Sedation can be used safely and effectively when administered by a pediatric dentist who has extensive training in sedation dentistry and follows the sedation guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Your child’s safety is Dr. Alyssa’s #1 priority, and we do everything in our power to ensure the safest possible environment for your child’s dental treatment. Dr. Alyssa can discuss sedation options and patient monitoring for the safety and comfort of your child.
Instead of avoiding dental procedures, ask us about sedation dentistry.
Nitrous Oxide
We are proud to offer nitrous oxide– often referred to as laughing gas– as a sedation option. This type of sedation also helps you relax if you are nervous about a procedure or a regular visit to the dentist. The purpose of nitrous oxide is to make it more comfortable for your child to undergo dental treatment by helping reduce pain and helping your child relax in a safe manner. It is also helpful in reducing the gag reflex, which can interfere with dental treatment.
Laughing gas is fast-acting and has no lingering effects after dental treatment. Your child will remain awake during the entire procedure and will be able to interact and communicate with the pediatric dentist. Dr. Alyssa will review your child’s medical history, dental needs, and level of anxiety and inform you if nitrous oxide is recommended for your child.
Oral Conscious Sedation
With oral conscious sedation, your child’s anxiety will decrease and you’ll feel more comfortable during your dental treatment. Your child will stay conscious throughout the procedure. With this type of sedation, we provide an oral medication and in combination with nitrous oxide, it helps reduce your child’s anxiety and allows the pediatric dentist to complete the necessary dental treatment. Our goal at Pediatric Dentistry and Family Orthodontics of Jupiter & Wellington is to use an appropriate level of sedation in the safest way possible in order to provide dental treatment that will restore your child’s dental health. Please ask Dr. Alyssa if oral sedation is a good option for your child.
IV Sedation
Dr. Alyssa and team have a very conservative treatment approach to dentistry and strive to treat every child in the safest and least traumatic way possible. We want all our young patients to have a calm, comfortable, and positive dental experience. For some patients, fear of the dentist or the inability to cope during dental treatment can be very severe and other forms of sedation may not overcome this degree of anxiety. Dr. Alyssa may recommend IV sedation as an option to allow the highest quality, most comprehensive, and least traumatic experience to be completed for your child.
This form of sedation is typically completed in one appointment rather than multiple visits and is completed in our office with a Board Certified Pediatric Anesthesiologist. Children will have no memory of the dental treatment and leave without the fear/anxiety of the dental visit.
Sedation dentistry is separate from medication that you might receive for pain. While sedation dentistry will help you relax, you might also receive a local anesthetic (Novocaine type medication) for certain dental procedures. If the idea of sedation or pain medication makes you nervous, please do not hesitate to express your concerns with Dr. Alyssa.