Our Grandville, MI, pediatric dentists offer sedation dentistry for children who may be too nervous or too young to sit calmly through a dental procedure. This safe treatment option can be explored for any child, but is particularly beneficial for children with special needs. If you think your child may be a good candidate for pediatric dental sedation, speak with our team before their next appointment.
Inside our Grandville, MI, pediatric dental office, we provide a few types of for our patients: laughing gas, oral conscious sedation, and outpatient general anesthesia.
How Does Laughing Gas Work for Kids?
At Grandville Pediatric Dentistry, we prioritize your child’s comfort and safety above everything else. Laughing gas is a form of mild or conscious dental sedation for kids and adults that helps manage dental anxiety, making it easier for patients to undergo procedures without fear. Even better, the administration process is straightforward and non-invasive.
If used, we’ll ask your child to breathe normally through a small mask that fits snugly over their nose. The gas is mixed with oxygen and as they breathe it in, your child will start to feel a sense of relaxation within a few minutes. As mentioned above, your child will not fall fully asleep so they’ll be able to communicate with our team throughout the procedure, allowing us to adjust the level of laughing gas sedation or ask them to perform an action, such as turn their head.
What Is Oral Conscious Sedation?
In most cases, we recommend oral conscious sedation, or pill sedation, to help our young patients remain calm during their dental treatment. This option allows your child to experience the benefits of sedation while still remaining conscious during the procedure.
By remaining aware of their surroundings, your child can experience their dental treatment in a more relaxed state. Much like with laughing gas, they can also play an active role in their treatment by spitting when asked, for example, or tilting their head so our board-certified pediatric dentists can get a better angle on a tooth.
There are a variety of medications our dentists can use for conscious sedation. We will prescribe the medication best suited for your child’s needs.
When Is General Anesthesia Needed?
In situations where oral conscious sedation may not be an option for your child, our dentists may recommend general anesthesia for pediatric dental treatments.
Unlike our other two sedation options, treatment under general anesthesia renders your child completely asleep. Your child may have been placed under general anesthesia previously if they have had their tonsils removed, for example.
If your child requires general anesthesia but the hospital setting is too stressful for them, they may be eligible to have a licensed dental anesthesiologist from CarePoint Anesthesia present in the exam room with them. Otherwise, our pediatric dentists offer services through the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital for patients who are not qualified to be under general anesthesia in our office. Safety is our number one priority and we will only go in this direction if we feel it would benefit your child.
Schedule an Appointment Today
Our pediatric dentists in Grandville, MI, can answer your questions about sedation dentistry for your child if you’d like to learn more. Call Grandville Pediatric Dentistry at (616) 531-3430, or contact us online to request an appointment.