Conscious Sedation

Conscious sedation is recommended for apprehensive children and very young children. It is used to calm your child and to reduce the anxiety or discomfort associated with dental treatment. Medications are administered orally. Your child may be quite drowsy, and may even fall asleep, but they will not become unconscious. Conscious Sedation works best for 2 to 5 year-old children with minor treatment needs that can be completed in one or two visits. Restraint (hand holding and/or Papoose Board) may still be required to safely complete treatment. Sometimes the sedation will not be effective and we may recommend that your child be treated with general anesthetic in a hospital setting. Oral sedation of healthy children has an excellent safety record: however, there are still risks whenever a child receives sedation medications. All children treated with sedation must have a physical examination form completed by a physician prior to their treatment.

There are a variety of different medications, which can be used for conscious sedation. The doctor will prescribe the medication best suited for your child’s overall health and dental treatment recommendations. During your new patient visit, we will explore conscious sedation options based on your child’s age, level of anxiety, amount of dental work required, and the number of necessary appointments. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have concerning the specific drugs used or the sedation treatment process in general. Please call our office for any questions or concerns that you might have.