5 Reasons to Consider Sedation Dentistry for Kids

Visiting a dentist is known to be among the most dreaded and scariest experiences for most children. This is because many dentists do not sedate patients unless one is undergoing a major procedure. All kids do not have the same comfort levels during dental procedures.

Therefore, what is easily endured by one kid can be a great source of stress and anxiety for another kid. The panacea for such anxiety is sedation dentistry.

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How do you know that sedation is best for your child?

If your kid is frightened of the dentist, the best way to have him undergo a dental procedure is through sedation. The intimidation by the dentist might have been caused by past negative experience or just fear of needles.

Another perfect reason to opt for sedation is; if your child needs to undergo an extensive dental procedure at once. This is so because cosmetic dentistry or an extensive amount of dental procedure requires long visits and you may not have enough time for such visits.

Many kids experience post-treatment soreness after dental procedures. Therefore, if your child is sensitive to pain and he is booked for complex or long dental procedure, then sedation is appropriate.

Understanding sedation dentistry

Sedation dentistry is when the dentist sedates your child with a particular medication which both reduces the levels of pain and anxiety. The kid will remain awake throughout the procedure although without being worried about what is happening as well as being able to respond to the dentist. Sedation can be of the following types:

1. Oral sedation that is given through the kid’s nose or by mouth. It is almost immediately given when the kid arrives at the appointment because the medication takes about 20 minutes to be effective. It does not put your kid to deep sleep but ensures that he is calm and relaxed.
2. Laughing gas or nitrous oxide helps your child to stay calm. The child wears a mask on the nose which releases a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide. The patient will experience euphoric feelings and be relaxed.

After the procedure, the patient is provided with pure oxygen to help clear any nitrous oxide left behind. The benefits of using a safe sedate mask are:

• light to prevent undue pressure,
• provides a clear vision as it prevents obstructions to the patient’s vision,
• does not cause skin reactions, and
• can securely fit the patient’s head to allow movement.

3. Intravenous sedation also known as IV sedation is administered to your kid’s intravenous line straight into his circulatory system. Therefore, it works faster than the oral sedation.

As a parent, you might be in a dilemma when your kid needs to undergo a dental procedure but is very scared.

Luckily, this post discusses the top 5 reasons for considering sedation to lessen your kid’s dental anxiety:

Top 5 reasons for considering sedation

1. Allows dentists to treat kids who are too fearful to undergo dental procedures

Sedation helps kids undergo invasive treatments such as extractions or root canals. This way, dental problems for kids will be addressed at an early phase and helps in preventing more extensive dental work from being performed at a later age.

For that reason, the overall costs associated with dental issues are greatly reduced. Also, this helps in preserving kids’ natural teeth.

2. Sedation help kids get over the fear and have a healthy smile

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In the past, many kids usually avoided visiting a dentist unless it is very necessary or when they are experiencing unbearable pain. However, with sedation dentistry, even their first appointment becomes friendlier than ever. It changes the old perception about dentistry and the kids will be okay with their forthcoming appointments.

All manner of excuses that children normally give will be eliminated. It allows children to overcome fears of dentists so that they can achieve the healthy smile they deserve.

3. Safety

The main reason to consider sedation dentistry for kids is the fact that it is extremely safe. The kid will still be conscious throughout the dental procedure. Thus, he will be able to breathe well on his own as well retain the capability to follow dentist’s commands.

The kid’s natural reflexes are not affected during the procedure and in case the child experiences pain, he will be able to tell the dentist. The reduced amount of stress the kid will feel throughout the appointments and actual procedure helps minimize the chances of experiencing any stress-linked health problems, particularly heart issues.

4. Comfort associated with sedation

Much of the time while visiting a dentist, most of the time is spent sitting. Therefore, sedation helps a child who is prone to feeling rigid and uncomfortable on a chair. The sedative medications suppress the soreness in the kid’s back or neck as a result of sitting for a long period. This ensures that the kid’s emotional and mental state is more relaxed.

5. Quality care and efficiency

A dentist cannot work well on a kid’s teeth that keeps moving around. Consequently, sedation makes sure that the child is still to allow the dentist to work more efficiently.

Most parents put off dental procedures because they do not have time to accompany their kids for dentist visits. With sedation, they can block all the kid’s sessions together and just set aside one day to take the kid for dental procedures. Sedatives help the kid sit for longer hours during the procedure comfortably.

Conclusion

It is a crucial role for every parent to ensure that his child receives the best dental care. Having a child with dentist fears can be challenging. However, sedation dentistry is a superior kind of dentistry than normal dentistry because the kid will benefit from more efficiency, less pain, reduced dentist visits, and more comfort. It helps make the journey for your kid’s dental procedure much smoother.

Author Bio:

Ross is a blogger who loves to write especially in the Health vertical. He has written many informative Blogs. He has also written blogs in other verticals too like personal development, unique gifting blogs.