Child Sedation Dentistry In New Orleans, LA

Some parents dread taking their children to dental appointments because it’s difficult to keep a child still long enough for a procedure. Children don’t like sitting still for long, even for non-surgical procedures, but sedation dentistry for children takes care of this challenge.

At NOLA Pediatric Dentistry, we offer in-office IV sedation dentistry to keep your child calm throughout the dental appointment and procedure(s). Our pediatric anesthesiologist, Dr. Sisney, has over a decade of experience helping children deal with dental anxiety.

Let’s change your child’s dental care experience today.

How In-Office IV Sedation Dentistry For Children Works

During intravenous sedation, Dr. Sisney uses a mask to allow your child to fall asleep so they are not awake for the insertion of their IV.

The sedative helps the child relax and fall asleep during the process, similar to someone who has their wisdom teeth removed by an Oral Surgeon. Your child will be able to sleep for the entire procedure and most importantly, wake up with no cavities and still enjoy coming to the dentist for years to come!

Dr. Sisney and Dr. Kris are with your child in the room for the entire procedure. This allows Dr. Sisney to monitor your child without any distractions during the procedure, and Dr. Kris to focus solely on fixing your child’s teeth knowing your son or daughter is being properly monitored by Dr. Sisney.

Why Choose In-Office IV Child Sedation Dentistry?

Compared to other forms of sedation, in-office IV sedation dentistry offers the following advantages:

• It’s a fast-acting form of sedation.
• IV sedation eliminates gag reflex in affected children.
• It doesn’t interfere with the body’s natural process.
• IV sedation puts the patient in an amnesic state, so they can’t recall a dental procedure’s smells, sounds, and sights.
• Your child can have all of their dental needs addressed in one appointment.

Is Your Child A Candidate For In-Office IV Sedation Dentistry?

Your child is a candidate for in-office IV sedation dentistry if they are apprehensive of needles or undergoing a dental procedure. We often recommend this type of sedation for children undergoing complex procedures such as implant placement, extractions, root canals, and other such procedures.

Children constantly battling anxiety during dental treatment and those slated to undergo multiple procedures in one day will also benefit from dental sedation. We do not have to be concerned about your child becoming impatient and wiggly in the middle of the procedure, and Dr. Kris is also not limited by the amount of local anesthetic he can use which is often a limiting factor in the amount of treatment that can be rendered in one appointment.

Dr. Sisney will examine your child and provide guidance on whether they need IV sedation or other forms of sedation such as nitrous oxide or oral sedation.

We’ll look at your child’s medical history and current state of health before making any decisions.

How To Help Your Child During In-Office IV Sedation Dentistry

Parents, we recommend watching our video below from Dr. Sisney so you can know what to expect for your child’s IV sedation appointment. Although we do this procedure on a weekly basis, we understand your concerns as a parent and we want to make sure you know exactly what to expect on the day of your child’s surgery. We want to make sure you feel confident we are doing the best treatment for your child, so please call Dr. Kris or Dr. Sisney with any and all questions prior to your child’s appointment.

What Happens After The Procedure?

At the end of the procedure, Dr. Sisney will call you into the room to keep your child company as the effects of the sedation starts to wear off. The length of the wait time from the end of the procedure to complete alertness varies from one child to another.

You should also keep in mind that children recovering from in-office IV sedation dentistry will react differently. However, this is common and should give you no cause for concern. Your child will recover fully in just a short period.

It’s important to keep your child rested for the rest of the day after the procedure, at the very least. During this time, your child is what we consider a “Fall Risk” and we do not want them doing any activities for the remainder of the day as they could fall and hurt themselves.

Keep Your Eyes On The Prize

While in-office IV sedation dentistry sounds like a stressful process for your child, it’s not—especially compared to other alternatives. If you’re too worried about the effect of the procedure on the child, remind yourself of the reasons for the dental treatment. We went through great obstacles to obtain an anesthesia permit for our practice. Dr. Kris does not believe in holding children down for any dental treatment as this has life-long traumatic consequences that can damage a patient’s developing psyche. We want to make sure your son or daughter can enjoy going to the dentist when they are your age!

Dental sedation might be the only way to get your child to reap the benefits of full dental treatment. At NOLA Pediatric Dentistry, we’re with you every step of the way.