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Types of Sedation
Sedation
Anxiety-Free Children’s Dentistry
At Molar Magic, we know that visiting the dentist can often be very scary and overwhelming for young children. Our dentists are committed to making your child’s dental experience as easy, comfortable and worry-free as possible. We offer sedation therapies to help your child relax when appropriate so that they may receive dental treatment comfortably.
Sedation therapy can range from the use of Nitrous Oxide to help calm and relax a patient to General Anesthesia, which is used to put a patient to sleep while receiving dental treatment.
We want to make sure that you are well informed and comfortable with any decision you make to have your child sedated for dental treatment and our staff is ready to answer all of your questions. Before using a sedative or anesthetic, it is important to tell us about any medications or medical treatments that your child is currently receiving or has had in the past. This information is very important to help ensure your child’ safety and well being. It is very important that all instructions prior to the appointment and afterward are followed very carefully. Our dental team is prepared to help you make the decision to utilize sedative therapies for your child.
Nitrous Oxide Sedation
Nitrous Oxide Sedation, more commonly known as laughing gas, is often used as a conscious sedative during a dental visit. The gas is administered with a mixture of oxygen and nitrous which has a calming effect that helps scared or anxious patients relax during their dental treatment. Because it is a mild sedative, patients are still conscious and can talk to their dentist during their visit. After treatment, the nitrous is turned off and oxygen is administered for five to 10 minutes to help flush any remaining gas. The effects wear off almost immediately. Nitrous oxide rarely has side effects, although some patients may experience minor nausea.
General Anesthesia
General Anesthesia
Anesthesia services in the field of dentistry have been around for a very long time with an excellent record of safety. These services are quickly becoming increasingly important and more readily available. Our Dentists utilize the services of a group of highly trained anesthesiologists that specialize in providing your child with advanced anesthesia services that are the same as those provided at the hospital--all in the comfort of our offices and at a fraction of the cost.
Oral Conscious Sedation
Oral Conscious Sedation involves the administration of an agent, drug or combination of drugs designed to cause an alteration or alterations in the level of the child patient’s consciousness, cognition, motor coordination, degree of anxiety, and physiological parameters. The changes experienced by a patient will depend upon the drug used, the amount used and each patient’s individual sensitivity to the agents used. The goal of Oral Conscious Sedation is to achieve a minimal or moderate level of sedation. Minimal sedation is defined by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry as a drug-induced depression of consciousness during which the patient can respond purposefully to verbal commands. Moderate sedation is defined by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry as a drug-induced depression of consciousness during which patients respond purposefully to verbal commands either alone or accompanied by light tactile stimulation. Every effort is made to keep patients in either a minimal or moderate stage of sedation. However, patients can move from one stage of sedation to another and can enter deeper stages of sedation including deep sedation and/or general anesthesia.
During dental treatment, your child will be closely monitored at all time. He/She will never be left alone at any time and will continuously be monitored with devices such as a pulse oximeter, blood pressure cuff, precordial stethoscope, and/or with visual and tactile stimuli. There will always be at least one staff member with the doctor at all times during treatment and your child will be protected with a gentle wrap or protective stabilization