Mild Sedation

Mild sedation is performed in our office with an oral medication that will result in your child feeling sleepy but not asleep. The ideal sedation for us maintains your child's ability to follow instructions but increases their level of cooperation and comfort.Did you know that by starting your child on regular dental visits early in life, you increase their chances for having a positive view of dentists and dental visits as an adult? Our team at Expedition Pediatric Dentistry wants to give you and your child the best dental experiences possible by offering sedation dentistry as part of our comprehensive dental services for kids.

What Is Pediatric Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry includes several tools and methods pediatric dentists use to help children relax and feel comfortable during their dental procedures. There are several levels of sedation with a variety of characteristics and benefits that should be customized for your child.

We know you know your child best so if Dr. Miller recommends sedation she will collaborate with you to determine the most appropriate sedation technique. We will consider a variety of factors to decide what type of sedation to use. Your child's age, the amount of dental treatment needed, the complexity of the procedures, and history of anxiety at other doctor appointments including vaccinations will factor into our decision.

Medication-Free Calming Techniques

When we first meet your child at our office we will use a variety of behavior guidance techniques to encourage cooperation with increasingly complex tasks. Assessing how successful these methods are will give us an idea of their ability to complete treatment and which techniques will be most successful. For instance, we know that children who struggle to take x-rays may have a sensitive gag reflex and need alternative strategies to make treatment easier for them.

We also find that many children are nervous about the unknown so the simple act of explaining, demonstrating, and practicing what we need to do to have a successful dental visit helps children feel more confident and comfortable at our office. We are happy to meet your child where they are - sometimes that means they sit on your lap, other times we all end up on the floor roaring like lions to check our back teeth.

One of the most effective non-medication calming techniques is distraction. Engaging the brain to focus on something other than the challenge ahead is a powerful method to address anxiety. Talking about something your child is passionate about or watching a show they enjoy can provide significant improvement in cooperation without utilizing any medications.

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, is an inhaled gas that provides a fast-acting, gentle means of relaxing your child during their visit. At the end of the procedure, we will turn off the nitrous oxide and administer pure oxygen to stop the effects of the laughing gas. When your child uses nitrous oxide, they stay awake and feel calmer during the dental procedure.

Oral Medication for Mild Sedation

Some children may benefit from a mild oral medication that makes them feel sleepy. Like nitrous oxide, your child stays awake during the procedure so they can follow instructions from the dentist but unlike nitrous oxide, they are drowsy and enable anxious children to complete more challenging procedures

General Anesthesia

For young children, children with very high levels of anxiety, and medically complex patients general anesthesia may be necessary to complete treatment. With general anesthesia, your child would be completely asleep and unaware of the challenges of dental treatment. Utilizing general anesthesia requires little cooperation from your child- they will breathe a medication to induce sleep and then an IV will be started to administer medications that will keep them comfortably asleep. We have a physician anesthesiologist at Expedition Pediatric Dentistry who administers this medication and monitors your child during the procedure.

Ways You Can Help Your Child Have a More Enjoyable Visit

You can help your child have a great dental experience by implementing the following techniques before and during the visit.

For young children:

Read stories about visiting the dentist with them so they know what to expect.
Avoid scheduling a dental appointment during your young child's naptime or snacktime if possible.
Bring something your child finds comforting to the dentist, such as a blanket or stuffed toy.
Keep calm. Your child will pick up on your emotions during the visit, too!

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For school-age children:

Remind them that we will walk them through each step of their appointment and answer all their questions. If you don’t know the answer to their question, feel free to defer to us!
Talk about what movie or show they might want to watch during their visit.
Offer your child something to look forward to after the appointment, such as going to a favorite place or getting a special dessert.

Get Safe, Reliable Sedation Dentistry for Your Child in Bellevue, WA at Expedition Pediatric Dentistry

Lay the groundwork for your child to have great dental care as an adult by ensuring that they have regular, positive dental visits as a child. Trust our caring team at Expedition Pediatric Dentistry to help you and your child through the entire dental process with our wide range of calming techniques and medications.

Do you want to know more about sedation dentistry and how it can help kids like yours to have better dental visits? Contact us, Expedition Pediatric Dentistry in Bellevue, WA, to find out more.