1430 N Arlington Heights #200,
(847) 255-3020
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Making Your Child’s Visits Stress-Free
About 16% of school-age children are afraid of the dentist, which can potentially get in the way of efficient, high quality dental care. When you call to set up an appointment with our board-certified pediatric dentist, be sure to mention whether your child has particularly bad anxieties related to dental care; if necessary, we can calm them down using one of our three forms of sedation dentitry for children in Arlington Heights, IL. All the options listed below are safe for children.
Why Choose Arlington Heights Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry for Sedation Dentistry?
- Multiple Options in One Location
- Comfortable Family-Friendly Environment
- Knowledgeable and Gentle Dentist
Nitrous Oxide Dental Sedation
When your child sits down in the dental chair, we’ll place a small mask over their nose, allowing them to breathe in a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen. This sedative will deeply relax them and might even give them the giggles; however, they will still be awake and able to follow our instructions. Nitrous oxide wears off in a few minutes once the mask has been removed, so you can take your child right back to school after their treatment.
IV Sedation
IV sedation is the most powerful form of dental sedation available and is generally reserved for extremely fearful patients and especially long treatments. The sedative will take effect quickly once it enters the bloodstream; we’ll continuously monitor your child’s blood pressure and vitals so that we can adjust the levels as necessary and make sure they aren’t having a negative reaction. It usually takes at least a full day of rest for the effects of IV sedation to completely wear off.
General Anesthesia
In order to ensure your child remains comfortable throughout more extensive dental treatments, we offer general anesthesia from a specially trained and certified team of experts. Before we place any child under anesthesia, we collect a thorough medical history and make sure that they’re a good candidate for it. We may also recommend this service for children with special needs, like physical or developmental disabilities, as well as those with severe fear of the dentist.
Sedation Dentistry FAQs
Is sedation dentistry safe for kids?
Sedation dentistry can be a safe way to make it easier for a child who is afraid of the dentist to receive necessary dental care. This can reduce their risk of oral infections and may prevent worse anxiety that can make it harder to get needed care later in life. Nitrous oxide has been used to make dental care more comfortable for patients of all ages for almost two hundred years because it has no long-term side effects, but IV sedation may be better for those with severe anxiety or health conditions that make treatment difficult. During your child’s consultation, be sure to discuss your child’s medical history and list of medications so we can plan their treatment accordingly. While some young patients may develop nausea after sedation, this will resolve itself and can usually be prevented by having your child not eat or drink anything for several hours before their procedure.
Is sedation dentistry covered by insurance?
Most dental insurance plans consider sedation dentistry to be a luxury service, so these treatments are rarely covered. However, there may be exceptions in some plans for children with disabilities like autism or cerebral palsy since it may make the treatment process safer and more effective. Your child’s sedation may also be covered if the procedure is particularly complex such multiple extractions, but this does not usually apply to routine restorative procedures like fillings. We’ll be happy to help you navigate your insurance plan during your consultation.
Will my child feel any pain with dental sedation?
Your child should never feel any pain while under general anesthesia since they will be unconscious. Nitrous oxide and IV sedation, on the other hand, will leave the patient awake enough to answer questions and respond to instructions, but your child should not feel any pain during these treatments. Depending on the procedure being performed, your child’s sedation treatment may be accompanied by local anesthesia to help ensure their comfort.
How long does it take to recover after sedation dentistry?
The effects of nitrous oxide sedation will fade away on their own within about fifteen minutes after the treatment ends, and patients with licenses can expect to be able to drive home afterward. The effects of IV sedation and general anesthesia, on the other hand, will take up to twenty-four hours to wear off, so patients will need a trusted individual to monitor them while they recover. It’s usually okay for the patient to resume their normal activities twenty-four hours after IV sedation or general anesthesia.
