Dental sedation is a higher risk for patients who have sleep apnea or who are obese.
To approve your child for sedation, we will need to review their medical history. This is because sedation is not suitable for all patients. We need to know if your child has a medical condition or takes any medications.
Your pediatric anesthesiologist will inform you on how to prepare your child for IV sedation. They will need to fast for 6 hours (no food or dairy products) before their appointment.
At the start of your child’s appointment, your child will have the opportunity to play with toys and an iPad as a distraction. Many children can breathe in "fruit flavored candy air" through a mask, and within a few seconds will fall off to sleep. Shortly after falling asleep, they will be carefully laid back, monitors placed, and the IV will be started. The IV provides medicine that ensures your child will remain asleep throughout the procedure.
Once your child is fully sedated, we will proceed with the treatment as well as any needed x-rays. They will be completely relaxed and the pediatric anesthesiologist will monitor their vitals the entire time.
During treatment, a nurse will review aftercare with you. Once we’ve completed the dental treatment, we will allow your child to slowly wake up. Your child may be kept for monitoring for a short period before they can go home. They will need to avoid certain activities for the next 24 hours.
Your child’s heart rate and blood pressure, and oxygen levels are monitored while they are sedated.
Your child will need to come in for a consultation with Dr. Azer to determine if your child is a good candidate for IV sedation. During this consultation, he will review their medical history and determine if any medical conditions or medication that they take will interfere with the sedative.
If your child does take certain medications but is approved for sedation, Dr. Azer will inform you if any changes need to be made such as avoiding taking certain medications on the day of sedation. You will also be informed of the level of risk of sedating your child depending on your child’s health.
Not all patients fall asleep during the procedure when they are sedated.
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