Dental Sedation Options For Children

Is Sedation Right for Your Child?

Every child is different, and has different needs when it comes to oral health care.

Certain children just feel more anxious or uneasy about visiting the dentist than others. This is understandable, since even adults can sometimes find visiting the dentist a bit intimidating! All those mysterious, cold metal tools, the big chair, and the generally unfamiliar surroundings can be pretty scary for a kid.

Our dentists and team here at Smile Town North Delta do their best to make children feel comfortable. We give them a tour of the dentist's office, and always providing gentle, patient care and plenty of distractions. Unfortunately though, these methods just aren't enough to make certain children feel at ease.

Some children also have special needs that require more than the typical games, calming techniques, or quiet persuasion.

For children who need more than just our usual methods in order to comfortably and calmly receive dental care, we offer some safe and effective sedation and anesthesia options.

Sedation is safe. Our experienced pediatric dentists have received in-depth, comprehensive, training in administering sedation medications, and we'll thoroughly discuss the most appropriate sedation options for your child with you ahead of time.

Special Needs

According to Statistics Canada, more than 155,000 kids in Canada are living with disabilities. Parents of children with special needs sometimes feel uneasy about visiting the dentist with their children, but delaying preventative dentistry is never a good idea.

You don't need to worry. Our caring team is experienced in working with children across a wide range of needs. Combined with the safe, effective sedation options we offer, this means that your children can receive quality dental care, no matter what their needs. > Learn More

Your Options as a Parent

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide (also known as 'laughing gas') is a combination of nitrous oxide and oxygen. Nitrous Oxide helps to calm nervous and anxious patients, but it does not hinder their natural reflexes, or render them unconscious. These patients will still be able to talk and interact with the people around them.

Nitrous oxide has no addictive qualities, and it's effects don't linger in the body for long. It is nonetheless a very effective sedative because it both relaxes patients, and also blunts pain and alters their sense of time. This makes the dental procedure seem to go by much faster.

Oral Conscious Sedation

Oral Conscious Sedation is an umbrella term for a number of different medications that all achieve a similar effect. The dentist will discuss the appropriate options for your child with you ahead of time, and together you'll make a decision based on your child's needs.

Patients who are under the effects of oral conscious sedation don't aren't actually rendered unconscious. Instead, they become relaxed and drowsy enough to drift off to sleep. Many oral conscious sedation patients don't remember anything at all about their treatment. Oral conscious sedation medications typically take 2-6 hours to wear off.

General Anesthesia

Anesthesia, which renders patients completely unconscious, is usually recommended for children whose limited comprehension, physical hanicaps, extreme behavioural challenges, or high sensitive to pain make treatment otherwise impossible.

It will also typically be used for dental procedures that are very complex, or that take a long time, and that would therefore be difficult or to perform on a conscious patient.