SEDATION DENTISTRY

In our 25 years serving as a Nashville Pediatric Dentist we’ve encountered the bravest of children, and the most terrified. It’s easy to understand why children aren’t fans of going to the dentist, but at Snodgrass-King our dental professionals have cultivated an environment that kid’s love! Sometimes, though, a giant arcade and play-room aren’t enough to ease the anxiety or discomfort some of our pediatric patients and parents feel when they come to see us.

It is our desire to make every experience at Snodgrass-King as non-stressful for our patients as possible. This is why we recommend light sedation. After much experience with young children we have found it makes their visit a much more enjoyable one – same goes for the parent! With that said, light sedation is something we recommend for all of our young patients (not just the anxious ones) during restorative procedures.

In pediatric dentistry patients, mild sedatives are used to calm children with anxiety or special needs. Sedation dentistry may also be used if your child undergoes several procedures at a time in order to avoid a gag reflex, or protect fidgeting children from harming themselves during the procedure. While the sedation medication does not alleviate pain or discomfort, it does provide a calming affect. After sedation has been applied, your dentist will administer an injection to numb the area in question allowing for a comfortable, pain-free experience.

• There are many types of sedation, so be sure to discuss the safest option with your pediatric dentist
• As our patients get older, we replace light sedation for Nitrous (laughing gas)
• Sedation will not put a child to sleep, but allow them to remain calm throughout the visit
• Your pediatric dentist will be the person to administer sedation in our dental offices
• There may be some rules and guidelines for post procedure care. Ensure that you and your pediatric dentist discuss everything to be expected after receiving sedation

Help your child understand sedation dentistry, what that means for their experience at Snodgrass-King, and see how much easier it is to get them excited for the dentist! If your lucky, you may even have a winner for our