Are you concerned about your child’s upcoming dental appointment? If your kid experiences anxiety, fear, or other challenges when going to the dentist, then know there is a solution: dental sedation. Sedation dentistry helps children relax enough to receive necessary dental treatments without sacrificing safety.
At Clover Hills Dentistry in Mission, TX, Dr. Alexander Ochoa Falla offers multiple forms of dental sedation for kids so that parents can feel confident when deciding about their child’s oral care needs.
The Clover Hills Dentistry team understands that all kids are individuals. While some kids are eager to visit the dentist and comply with treatment, others feel nervous or can’t physically tolerate dental procedures.
Suppose your child suffers from dental anxiety, a severe gag reflex, or has trouble sitting still for extended periods. In that case, Dr. Ochoa might recommend sedation dentistry to help children with special needs or behavioral challenges. If you believe that your kid or teen could benefit from dental sedation, please have an open discussion with Dr. Ochoa and his team about your child’s needs. We value partnering with parents to ensure our team leaves a positive impression on young patients.
Since infants and toddlers are still growing and have much more restricted airways, Dr. Ochoa does not sedate children under age 3. Instead, he focuses on preventative treatment, educating parents on how to maintain oral hygiene at a young age, and leveraging minimally-invasive techniques, such as:
At Clover Hills Dentistry, Dr. Ochoa has specialized training in pediatric sedation dentistry and offers the following types of sedation for kids of age and need:
Nitrous oxide (or “laughing gas”) is a popular form of dental sedation because it is light, easily administered, and allows children to be in control of their bodies (but in a blissful state).
Oral conscious sedation offers mild to moderate sedation through medication. Typically, kids will start to feel the effects within 15 minutes, but it could take up to an hour for the prescription to reach its full effects. Children should be able to respond to commands, feel more relaxed, and not remember much (if any) of the procedure.
General anesthesia is reserved for complex dental procedures, so a child would rarely need this form of sedation. Dr. Ochoa describes general anesthesia as “putting the body and mind to sleep” because patients should not feel or remember anything under deep sedation.
Even though not all children need dental sedation, all children over the age of 1 must visit their dentist twice a year to set their smiles up for a lifetime of good oral health. Bring your infants, kids, and teens to Clover Hills Dentistry. Dr. Ochoa and his team offer inclusive, specialized dentistry and can help even the most nervous children feel at ease by offering them the highest standard of pediatric dental care. Call 956-997-9799 or message us online to schedule a pediatric dentistry appointment with the Clover Hills Dentistry team.
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