Gentle Care for Little Smiles: Pediatric Sedation Dentistry in Colorado Springs
At Simply Kids Dental in Colorado Springs, CO, we understand that dental anxiety is common in children. Our compassionate team specializes in pediatric sedation dentistry, offering nitrous oxide, oral conscious sedation, or a combination of both to ensure your child feels calm and comfortable during their visit. These safe and effective options make dental care a positive experience for kids of all ages.
What Is Pediatric Sedation Dentistry?
Mild sedation treatments are used in pediatric sedation dentistry to assist children to relax during dental procedures. At Simply Kids Dental, we offer two primary sedation options:
- Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
- Oral conscious sedation
These methods are carefully tailored to meet your child’s needs, ensuring their comfort and safety throughout treatment.
What Is Nitrous Oxide, And How Does It Work?
Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is a mild sedative delivered through a small mask placed over your child’s nose. It works quickly to ease anxiety and create a sense of calm while keeping your child awake and responsive.
Benefits:
- Fast-acting and easy to administer.
- Wears off quickly after the procedure.
- Safe for most children.
What Is Oral Conscious Sedation?
Oral conscious sedation involves giving your child a prescribed medication administered by the pediatric dentist at their scheduled appointment to help them relax. This method is suitable for children with moderate anxiety or who need more extensive dental work.
How it works:
- Administered as a liquid or pill.
- Relatively fast acting to take effect.
- It helps your child remain calm while staying awake.
- Can cause temporary amnesia, making a longer procedure appear very quick to the child.
- Effects may linger for a few hours, so your child will need close monitoring afterward.
Which Sedation Option Is Right For My Child?
The best option depends on factors such as your child’s level of anxiety, the complexity of the procedure, and their medical history. Our experienced team will evaluate your child’s needs and recommend the most appropriate sedation method.
Hi parents. So today, we’re gonna be going over our sedation paperwork from Simply Kids Dental. So there are four main important parts I need you to remember when we’re doing sedation. One, please, no eating or drinking. This is because they’ll be in a supine position lying down nice and flat. Anytime our gag reflex is triggered, if they do vomit, they run the risk of choking on that. So, absolutely nothing to eat or drink after midnight the day before their procedure. The next point we’re gonna go through is that your child’s breathing oxygen level and heart rate will be monitored throughout the entire procedure. This means we will have a blood pressure cuff either on our leg or on our arm. We will have an oxygen sensor either on our finger or on our toe, and we will have a CO2 monitor attached to that oxygen nitrous mask that’s on our face. Please wear loose-fitting clothing only. That way we can get that blood pressure cuff on there and no nail polish. If we have nail polish on the hands, we need to make sure that the toes are nice and clear, and vice versa.
Next point we’re gonna go over is that you can’t be in the room with your child. That is because there’s just not enough room, and we really need to focus on the kiddo while they’re going under sedation. We’ll have you wait up front and the doctor will have two assistants in at all times. So we will have the assistant helping with treatment and then a Vital Monitor’s assistant, keeping an eye on your child at all times. That way, if we fall asleep, or decide to take a nap, we’re still monitoring them, making sure we’re breathing, making sure our heart rate and our blood pressure are nice and solid and steady.
Next, we’re gonna be using this medical stabilization device. This is to keep our child nice and safe and in the chair when we’re sedated. Sometimes kiddos like to take a nap, which is totally fine, but I don’t want them to roll around in their sleep and possibly roll off the chair and really injure themselves. They’re also kind of unaware of their movements, so I don’t want them to be reaching up and touching a drill or touching a needle or anything that could get them hurt since they’re too sedated to really understand the consequences of their actions. This is a nice and soft memory foam board, little fabric wraps. It’s basically what I call a sleeping bag or a large child swaddle. This piece of paper right here is gonna go over that papoose board. Feel free to take it home, read it if you have absolutely any questions. It’s nice and safe. The child cannot hurt themselves. This is Velcro and the only sticky part on the wrap.
So if they do kind of play with that, they have the chance of scratching themselves. But that’s about it. Everything else is very, very soft, nice, and easy on them. This paper is what we’re gonna have you fill out, and so this talks about our medical history. Do we have any adverse reactions to medications, any allergies, et cetera. Your dental assistant will go over this portion with you. Then we have these three lines where you’re signing again, you understand, please loose fitting clothing, no nail polish, that you’re gonna be in the waiting room, and no eating or drinking before our appointment.
Lastly, we will send you home with a post-op instruction paperwork that goes over what numbing is, what nitrous is, and what your child may have received from crowns to spacers to unclear. It’ll talk about each one of those procedures and what you need to do for your post-ops. So, now that you’ve viewed this video, feel free to give our office a call and ask absolutely any questions you need, we look forward to seeing you at your next sedation appointment.
Is Sedation Dentistry Safe For Children?
Yes, both nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation are safe when administered by trained professionals. At Simply Kids Dental, we have a board-certified pediatric dentist and an experienced team that adhere to strict safety protocols and monitor your child closely throughout the procedure to ensure their well-being. To find possible hazards, we also conduct a thorough pre-sedation screening.
What Are The Benefits Of Sedation Dentistry For Children?
- Reduced fear and anxiety: Helps children feel at ease in the dental chair.
- Improved cooperation: Allows the pediatric dentist to complete procedures more efficiently.
- Loss of sense of time: Children under sedation perceive that time passes quickly, making the procedure seem shorter and easier for those who struggle sitting still.
- Positive experiences: Encourages children to maintain regular dental visits as they grow.
- Additional pain relief: The medication can provide pain relief so that children do not feel the numbing sensation or the dental procedure.
- Strong gag reflexes: Sedation helps manage a gag reflex, enabling the child to perform procedures more comfortably.
- Very young or special healthcare needs status: Helps those who otherwise have difficulty coping or understanding the dental treatment.
How Can I Prepare My Child For Sedation Dentistry?
- Follow all pre-appointment instructions provided by our team.
- Explain the procedure in simple terms to ease their concerns.
- Plan a quiet, restful day following the appointment, especially if oral sedation is used.
Comfort And Care You Can Trust
At Simply Kids Dental, we’re committed to providing a stress-free dental experience for your child. With our expertise in pediatric sedation dentistry, we help little ones overcome dental anxiety and build a foundation for lifelong oral health.
Let us make your child’s next dental visit calm and comfortable. Call us today at (719) 249-2030 to learn more about our sedation options or to schedule an appointment. Together, we can help your child achieve a healthy, confident smile!
