It is not uncommon for children to experience anxiety when they need to visit the dentist, and to have a difficult time sitting still and relaxing for long enough to have their teeth cleaned or to receive treatment. At Forest Lawn Dental Centre we want to ensure that dental visits are not unnecessarily stressful for our younger patients, which is why we offer sedation, including IV sedation, in Calgary.
Sedation dentistry can be used safely and effectively to make it easier for children to receive everything from a routine dental cleaning to more complex and time-consuming procedures. By making the experience easier on the child, sedation dentistry can help set them up for a lifetime of regular dental visits.
Many people refer to sedation dentistry as "sleep dentistry", but that is not always an accurate description of how sedation dentistry works. The sedation used can range in its effects. Mild sedation merely helps you feel more relaxed while remaining awake. Under moderate sedation, also called "conscious sedation", you also remain awake but likely won't remember much of the procedure. In deep sedation the patient is not very aware of anything going on around them, but can be easily awakened, while under general anesthesia the patient is completely unconscious.
One of the most common forms of minimal sedation is achieved by inhaling nitrous oxide, which is also known as laughing gas. Nitrous oxide wears off quickly once the procedure is finished. Ranging from minimal to moderate in strength, oral sedation requires taking a pill which makes the patient feel drowsy but generally still awake. The deepest form of sedation is administered through general anesthesia. Under general anesthesia you are deeply asleep, are not aware of anything that is going on, and cannot be easily awoken.
IV sedation in Calgary is typically used to produce a moderately sedated state. The sedative is administered through a vein and therefore works much more quickly than other types of sedation. Another benefit of IV sedation is that it can be much more easily adjusted to suit the patient's needs. If your child begins to feel uncomfortable during a procedure, their dentist can quickly and easily adjust their level of sedation. When administered by a trained professional, IV sedation is a safe and effective method of helping a child through a dental appointment.
Forest Lawn Dental Centre is proud to be able to offer safe sedation dentistry options such as IV sedation in Calgary for adults and children alike. With sedation dentistry your child will not only feel much more relaxed, but they'll also feel like the visit went by very quickly. Next time that they need to visit us for a cleaning or a dental treatment they will likely be much less anxious.
If you have any more questions about how sedation and IV dentistry in Calgary works and how we can ensure that it is safe for your child, don't hesitate to call Forest Lawn Dental Centre today.