Sedation dentistry is beneficial for children with dental anxiety, who are apprehensive or have special healthcare needs. Depending on the extent of dental treatment your child needs, Dr. J.D. may recommend one of the following types of sedation:
Oral Conscious Sedation
For some procedures, we use prescription medications that allow your child to be semi-awake, but feel like they are napping. Instead of using an IV and traditional anesthesia, your child will drink the medicine in our office about 30-45 minutes before their procedure.
This approach allows us to treat your child safely, predictably, and effectively. Best of all, the medications we use quickly wear off after the procedure is completed.
In-office IV Sedation
If your child is extremely anxious or has complex needs to address, Trailhead Pediatric Dentistry can arrange for a pediatric anesthesiologist to administer IV sedation in our office. This sedation method is also effective for extensive treatment that may take longer to complete.
This option prevents the need to visit an offsite hospital or surgery center. When the anesthesiologist administers the medications, your child will fall asleep nearly instantly allowing us to complete all dental work in one visit.
General Anesthesia
We sometimes utilize general anesthesia when it is in the patient’s best interest. For example, children with special needs or who need multiple complex procedures.
In these cases, we will work with the Tennessee Surgery Center to complete the procedure.
Dental Sedation for Children
To learn more about how pediatric dental sedation can help your family, reserve a consultation today.
