Sedation/General Anesthesia
There are a variety of different ways that a person can be sedated. There are also different levels of sedation. Sedation is described as a way of altering a patient’s state of consciousness. There is a mild form which usually is used to reduce anxiety. This can be done as simple as breathing nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas or by taking a medication such as Valium. Using Nitrous Oxide is a wonderful method of relaxation because it only works while the patient is inhaling it. The patient leaves the office feeling just as they did when they came in and they can return to school immediately. On very small children (2-3 yr olds), laughing gas is not has effective because they don’t always breathe through their noses. Valium is an effective drug to use on small children to reduce anxiety because parents can put it in a spoonful of applesauce, give it to the child, and let it work, and the child has no control over the effectiveness. Because these drugs are mild, they can also be used in combination with each other.
Many parents will say, “I don’t want my child to cry. I want them to be asleep.” We can easily take care of that. We can go to IU Methodist Hospital operating room and put your child to sleep under general anesthesia. There is no pain involved in this. A mask is used to put the patient to sleep. Once the child is asleep the IV is started. The child wakes up in the recovery room and the parents are there to greet them. There are many advantages to general anesthesia: no pain is involved while going to sleep, patient wakes up with ALL the teeth fixed in 1 appointment, and can reduce fears of dental treatment and of the dentist. Can any patient go to the operating room? NO. Certain criteria have to be met to justify using general anesthesia. The criteria are: number of cavities, age of patient, health of patient, if the patient has disabilities to name a few. Taking a 2 year old to the operating room for 4 cavities is not justified. Though the risk is small, there is risk involved in using general anesthesia. So the benefits MUST outweigh the risks. If you have any questions regarding the sedation/general anesthesia option for treatment, please contact our office.