It’s extremely common for both kids and adults to experience fear or stress when going to the dentist. Some people suffer from something called dental anxiety or have an intense phobia of needles which can cause panic and dental avoidance.
At The Little Royals: Dentistry for Kids, we want your child to be comfortable and relaxed. We have multiple methods of achieving this, including sedatives and behavioral management. The more at ease your little one is during their dental treatment, the easier it is for us to get more dental work done in less time and reduce the number of dental appointments necessary.
A commonly used method of relaxation in dentistry is sedation. Sedation is used to relieve dental anxiety as well as suppressing the gag reflex, enabling restless children to sit for long periods, and to treat your child painlessly, even if they have a low pain tolerance or tooth sensitivity.
Sedation not only helps your child feel relaxed and experience less anxiety during their treatment, but it also helps reduce anxiety when it comes to anticipating dental visits. Children who have experienced traumatic incidents in a dental setting may get triggered in dental settings and can take comfort in knowing that nitrous oxide reduces their ability to remember the procedure.
At The Little Royals: Dentistry for Kids, we offer nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, to sedate your child if desired. It is a mild sedative that is extremely safe. Your child will inhale nitrous oxide and oxygen through a nasal mask and quickly feel the onset of the sedative’s effects.
Nitrous oxide makes people feel relaxed, giddy, and euphoric. While they will be conscious during the procedure, they will feel like they are in a dream state. Your child can respond to questions and instructions but will have reduced awareness of what is going on and may make them sleepy.
Your child may not remember what happened during the treatment once the sedative has worn off. At the end of the treatment, we administer a steady flow of oxygen to rid any remnants of nitrous oxide from the body, and within 5 minutes, it will have completely worn off.
Nitrous oxide is the safest dental sedation available and Dr. Sal Colombo and Dr. Yasi Colombo are board-certified pediatric dentists who are highly experienced in administering and controlling sedatives.
We will discuss what you can expect from sedation during your child’s consultation and we will inform you of any risks associated. Nitrous oxide poses a low risk of complications but could make your child feel nauseous.
To reduce the likelihood of experiencing nausea, we recommend your child fasts for the 2 hours leading up to the treatment. After we have administered the nitrous oxide, we will closely monitor your child to ensure everything is going smoothly and are prepared to respond accordingly to the low risk of running into complications.
If you don’t think sedation is suitable for your child, we have alternative methods of making your child feel comfortable in our dental practice. Using child-friendly communication, we can explain the diagnosis and treatment plan to your child so they aren’t caught off guard.
We also have a method called Tell, Show, Do which can put your child at ease if they know what to expect. At The Little Royals: Dentistry for Kids, we are committed to accommodating our patients' needs and can distract them during the procedure to help take their minds off of any discomfort. Contact us today to learn more about our non-sedative relaxation methods.
Whether or not you elect for your child to be sedated, we will ensure that your child feels as relaxed and at home as possible. At The Little Royals: Dentistry for Kids, we have experience working with kids who have special needs and severe anxiety.
We will develop a customized treatment plan which fits their needs. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Sal Colombo or Dr. Yasi Colombo today and take comfort in knowing that we will place your child’s comfort above anything else.
