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St. Catharines
Sedation Dentistry – St. Catharines and Hamilton, ON
A Calm Appointment Every Time
Bringing your child to the dentist can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! Dr. Jonathan Campbell is a highly trained dental anesthesiologist, which means he’s able to offer a wide array of dental sedation options designed to help your little one’s nerves disappear. Between this and our friendly team, you’ll be surprised how relaxing a trip to the dentist can be! Give us a call today to learn more about our available options for sedation dentistry in St. Catharines and Hamilton.
Why Choose Coral Kids Dentistry & Braces
for Sedation Dentistry?
- Dental Anesthesiologist on Staff
- Fun, State-of-the-Art Dental Office
- Kind, Warm, & Compassionate Team
Nitrous Oxide Sedation
Nitrous oxide is the lightest type of sedation available – in fact, you may have heard it referred to as “laughing gas” before! Therefore, it’s a common solution for little ones who experience dental-related anxiety or have trouble staying comfortable in the treatment chair. If you’d like to learn more about this calming solution, read on.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Nitrous Oxide?
The good news is that nitrous oxide is both light and effective, making it a great solution for children coming to visit us for essential preventive, restorative, and emergency care. With that said, it isn’t the right fit for everyone. For example, children with severe anxiety and/or a complex amount of dental work to complete may need a stronger type of sedation, like oral conscious sedation. Additionally, if your little one has any breathing issues that involve the nose, nitrous oxide might not be the best fit. Don’t worry – our knowledgeable team will review all of this with you at your initial visit so you can make an informed decision on what’s best.
How Does Nitrous Oxide Work?
In addition to being fast-acting, nitrous oxide is easy to administer. After your child settles into the treatment chair, we will place a comfortable nasal mask over their nose. Then, we will adjust the nobs to administer the nitrous oxide. Within minutes, they should feel much more relaxed and at ease. After their treatment is complete, we will adjust the flow to just oxygen, and the effects will dissipate almost instantly.
Aftercare for Nitrous Oxide
Unlike other sedation options, nitrous oxide won’t leave your child feeling groggy or sleepy. In fact, our patients can often return to their regular activities (school, sports, etc.) with only minimal delay. As a result, just the normal post-op guidelines apply, like making sure they have all feeling in their mouth before eating.
Oral Conscious Sedation
Oral conscious sedation helps our patients achieve a much deeper state of rest without being put to sleep entirely. If nitrous oxide isn’t effective enough for their specific needs, this might be the right choice! The process is simple – we will give them a fruity drink that contains medication, and a short time after ingesting it, they’ll be extremely relaxed. In fact, some of our young patients don’t even remember anything about the experience once it’s over, despite being technically awake throughout the treatment.
What is Oral Conscious Sedation?
Essentially, oral conscious sedation is a prescribed medication. That’s partially why it has such a long name – patients will take the medication orally by swallowing a pill or drinking a cup of liquid. This process enables us to safely administer stronger sedative chemicals that are more deeply relaxing than nitrous oxide. Though your child will be awake for their dental treatment, rest assured, they’ll feel quite comfortable throughout their visit.
How Does Oral Conscious Sedation Work?
It usually takes about 15 minutes for an oral conscious sedative to take effect. Once it does, your child will be numb to pain and discomfort, and other sensations like bright lights, sounds, and smells will be pleasantly muted. They might even start to fall asleep – though we’ll be able to gently nudge them awake if necessary.
Your child might experience mild nausea, dizziness, or drowsiness after their treatment with oral conscious sedation. Fortunately, these effects should fade quickly, but we recommend keeping a close eye on your child when you return home, just to be safe.
Is Your Child a Good Candidate for Oral Conscious Sedation?
Your child could be a good candidate for oral conscious sedation in St. Catherines if they don’t respond well to nitrous oxide sedation. Sometimes, a child’s symptoms of anxiety or discomfort during dental treatments simply need to be soothed by a stronger sedative. Other times, factors like respiratory issues or specific medications can make oral conscious the safer option. Either way, rest assured that we’ll thoroughly review your child’s health history and evaluate the severity of their symptoms before recommending oral conscious sedation.
Deep Dental Sedation
We often recommend general anesthesia for extremely young patients, treatments involving highly invasive and complex care, and/or children with extreme anxiety. The medication is administered intravenously by a highly trained dental anesthesiologist, and your son or daughter will fall deeply asleep as a result. We help them make the transition very comfortably by starting with nitrous oxide and setting them up with a movie until they nod off.
“Deep” sedation has many valuable benefits. This form of sedation allows our team to complete extensive dental treatment in one convenient visit, and it’s also very convenient for cases of extreme sensitivity. Our little patients don’t have to know about any of it – they’ll just wake up with a happier, healthier smile.
Sedation Dentistry FAQs
Is sedation dentistry safe for kids?
Yes! Nitrous oxide sedation is particularly mild, so we will likely recommend this sedation method first. Unless, that is, your child has a history of more severe symptoms. The advantage of being able to offer multiple forms of dental sedation is flexibility; rest assured, our team will thoroughly discuss your child’s options during the consultation. We’ll also ask about any medications and health conditions they might have to ensure the sedative doesn’t produce any negative interactions.
What does it feel like to be sedated at the dentist?
It depends on the type of sedation being received.
Nitrous oxide is quite mild. Your child will be conscious during their treatment, and might feel “light” or “bubbly.” Their senses will be dulled, ensuring their comfort, but they’ll be able to respond to directions and instructions when necessary.
Oral conscious provides a deeper sense of relaxation. Your child might feel “heavy” or “sluggish,” and might also start to feel sleepy. Because oral conscious is stronger, they might not remember the details of their treatment.
Deep sedation (general anesthesia) is the only type of sedation we offer that will keep your child asleep for the entire duration of their treatment. They might have a hazy memory of falling asleep, but then they’ll simply wake up like nothing ever happened.
Is sedation dentistry covered by insurance?
Not usually. However, your plan could very well have special provisions for dental sedation, and we’ll happily apply your benefits if that’s the case. Your insurance is more likely to cover dental sedation if, for example, your child has special needs or a medical condition that would make it very difficult for them to receive treatment without accommodation.
If you’d like help determining what your dental insurance does and doesn’t cover, don’t hesitate to let us know!
How long does dental sedation last?
Once again, it will depend on the type of sedation being received.
Nitrous oxide takes effect quickly and fades just as speedily. Within minutes of shutting off the gas, your child should feel more normal.
Oral conscious sedation lingers longer. Your child will likely feel drowsy or “out of it” for the rest of the day, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on them when you return home.
Deep sedation (general anesthesia) might not last for as long as oral conscious, but your child will probably be groggy for the next couple of hours.