At World Pediatric Dental, our goal is to keep your children as comfortable as possible when undergoing treatment. If your child has extreme dental anxiety, difficulty keeping still, or special needs that make it difficult for them to receive dental treatment, we may recommend general anesthesia in some cases.
Dr. Dutta will carefully evaluate the situation, weigh the risks and benefits, and recommend the most conservative option possible for your child. He will recommend general anesthesia only when it is truly needed.
How Is General Anesthesia Performed on Children?
Our main concern when providing general anesthesia on children is the safety of your child. It is for this reason that we have a trained anesthesiologist who comes into our office regularly to administer the anesthesia.
What this means for our young patients is that not only do we have a trained physician there to monitor airways and vital signs—and otherwise keep your child safe—but our pediatric dentist can fully focus on the dental procedure at hand.
When Is General Anesthesia Recommended for Children?
Very young children, children with extreme anxiety about visiting the dentist, and some patients with developmental conditions may benefit from the use of general anesthesia. Dr. Dutta will discuss all options available with parents beforehand.
Sometimes children need to have treatment performed that can take a while, and it is tough for little ones to remain still and keep their mouths open for extended periods of time.
Rather than schedule multiple visits to complete necessary dental work, general anesthesia ensures that your child is completely asleep during treatment. Dr. Dutta can complete the procedures more efficiently this way, your child doesn’t have to go through multiple treatments, and you don’t have the anxiety that comes along with seeing your child in discomfort.
Are There Advantages to Using General Anesthesia on Children?
One of the biggest advantages is that your child’s developing psyche is protected from carrying anxiety about the dentist into adulthood. Rather than having your child be awake and frightened during a difficult or long dental procedure, he or she will be asleep and unaware of what is happening.
The oral medication administered before the general anesthesia will help relax your child—and he or she might not even recall what happens. Treatment can be done efficiently, without any lingering trauma to your child.
Are There Disadvantages to Using General Anesthesia on Children?
The good news about general anesthesia is that the risks are extremely low because of the well-trained anesthesiologists who comes to our office. Dr. Dutta talks with parents at length about the procedure, and he will weigh the risks and benefits of general anesthesia for each child on a case-by-case basis.
Is My Child a Good Candidate for General Anesthesia?
Most young children are good candidates for general anesthesia if they need lengthy or complex treatment. Children who have an extreme phobia of the dentist may also be good candidates. Some children with special needs, who might find it difficult to sit through an entire appointment, might also benefit from general anesthesia.
Call World Pediatric Dental and talk to pediatric dentist Dr. Oshmi Dutta to find out more about general anesthesia for children.
18707 Hardy Oak Blvd San Antonio, Texas, 78258 USA
info@worldpediatricdental.com • 210-888-0700