Children experiencing dental pain or infection must receive treatment as early as possible, and some dental treatments will require the child to be under anesthesia or sedated. Some dental procedures may require your child to lie still on the dental table since the procedure may have many things to fix, and the noises from drilling may scare and frighten the child.
Types of Anesthesia and Sedation used on Children
Nitrous Oxide
It is a mild sedative that uses less invasive techniques and is also known as laughing gas. An aesthetician administers the sedative to the child by ensuring they have inhaled little gas. The sedative doesn't make them fully unconscious but keeps them calm and relaxed.
Moderate Sedation
With this type of sedation, the child is sleepier, but they can do what the oral surgeon tells them to do. Moderate sedation is essential among older children or children with high fear of dental fears. The child breathes on their own and easily wakes up after the treatment.
Deep Sedation
Deep sedation is an intravenous drug that enables the child to sleep throughout the process. When using deep sedation, the child may move and make little noises and movements, but they do not breathe on their own.
A local aesthetician is allocated when dental treatments need deep sedation medication. Also, an observer monitors the child's heart rate, rhythm, blood pressure, and breathing pattern during the procedure until the child wakes up from the treatment.
General Anesthesia
It is the most commonly given anesthesia; under this anesthesia, the child is completely asleep without pain. In general anesthesia, a dental aesthetician will give the medication to monitor the child's performance while an oral surgeon or dentist performs the dental procedure. For any anesthesia or sedation administration, a dental professional trained in giving anesthesia must be there to help monitor and take care of the child.