Dental Treatment Options

Our practice can provide a wide range of dental services for your children. Our flexibility in our services saves you time and keeps your total dental care within one practice. Our emphasis is on total preventive care for our patients. Total care begins with regular hygiene visits, regular checkups and continued home oral health routines.

We provide many preventative measures to keep your child’s teeth clean and healthy, including sealants and fluoride treatments. We also educate the parents in early detection of some common problems children may face, including thumb sucking, bruxism and baby bottle tooth decay.

Modes of Treatment Available:

• Behavior management and modification
• Nitrous oxide
• Oral Sedation
• General Anesthisia

Behavior Management and Modification

Sometimes children are uncooperative when trying to examine, clean, or fix their teeth. When a child is uncooperative, the pediatric dentist has many different tools and techniques to help manage this challenging behavior. Here is a list and description of some for the most common techniques that the pediatric dentist will use:

Tell, Show, Do: This is technique is used to explain every procedure to the child and

Click here for an article on behavior management from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

Nitrous Oxide

Often children are given nitrous oxide, or what some know as laughing gas, to relax a child for their dental treatment. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, recognizes this technique as a very safe, effective technique to use for treating children’s dental needs. The gas is mild, easily taken, and quickly eliminated from the body prior to departure. While inhaling nitrous oxide/oxygen, your child remains fully conscious and keeps all natural reflexes.

Prior To Your Appointment:

• Please inform us of any change to your child’s health and/or medical condition.
• Tell us about any respiratory condition that makes breathing through the nose difficult for your child. It may limit the effectiveness of the nitrous oxide.
• Let us know if your child is taking any medication on the day of the appointment.

Conscious Sedation

Conscious Sedation is recommended for very young or apprehensive children. It is used to reduce the anxiety or discomfort associated with dental treatments. Your child may be quite drowsy, and may even begin to drift to sleep, but they will not lose consciousness.

There are a variety of effective medications that can be used for conscious sedation. The doctor will prescribe the medication best suited for your child’s overall health and dental treatment recommendations. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have concerning this procedure.

Prior To Your Appointment:

• DIET: Do not feed your child ANYTHING (including water or other liquids) after midnight prior to the procedure. This is for your child's safety.
• ILLNESS: If your child develops a fever, cold, or other illness within (7) days prior to the day of treatment, please call us. It may be necessary to reschedule the appointment.
• You must tell the doctor of any drugs that your child is currently taking, any previous drug reactions, and any change in medical history.
• Please dress your child in loose fitting, comfortable clothing.
• Please make sure that your child goes to the bathroom immediately prior to arriving at the office.
• The child’s parent or legal guardian must remain at the office during the complete procedure. No other siblings should accompany you at this appointment.
• Please watch your child closely while the medication is taking effect. Hold them in your lap or keep them close to you.

After the Sedation Appointment:

• Your child will be drowsy and will need to be monitored very closely. It is best to have a second adult present to assist transporting patient home.
• ACTIVITY: Your child should be kept indoors and activity restricted for the rest of the day. Allow your child to rest and closely supervise any activity for the remainder of the day.
• PAIN: Some discomfort may occur. This can usually be managed with Tylenol every 3-4 hours or Motrin every 4-6 hours as needed.
• DIET: Encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids in order to prevent dehydration. The first meal should be light and easily digestible.
• NUMBNESS: If your child's lips, cheeks and tongue are numb they should be watched closely for the next two (2) hours. DO NOT allow your child to chew foods until all the effects of the numbness have gone away.
• TEMPERATURE ELEVATION: Your child's temperature may be elevated to 101°/38°C for the first 24 hours after treatment. Tylenol every 3-4 hours OR Motrin every 4-6 hours and fluids will help alleviate this condition.
• Please call our office for any questions or concerns that you might have.

Outpatient General Anesthesia

Outpatient General Anesthesia is recommended for apprehensive children, very young children, and children with special needs that would not work well under conscious sedation. General anesthesia renders your child completely asleep. This would be the same as if he/she was having their tonsils removed, ear tubes, or hernia repaired.

This is performed in a hospital or outpatient setting only. While there are assumed risks, the benefits of treatment in this manner have been deemed to outweigh the risks. Most pediatric medical literature places the risk of a serious reaction in the range of 1 in 25,000 to 1 in 200,000, far better than the assumed risk of even driving a car daily. The inherent risks if this is not chosen are chronic dental pain or swelling, multiple appointments, or potential for physical restraint to complete treatment. The risks of NO treatment include tooth pain, infection, swelling, the spread of new decay, damage to their developing adult teeth and possible life threatening hospitalization from a dental infection.

Prior To Your Appointment:

• DIET: Do not feed your child ANYTHING (including water or other liquids) after midnight prior to the procedure. This is for your child's safety.
• PHYSCIAL EXAMINATION: Is required prior to a general anesthesia appointment. This physical examination provides information to ensures the health of your child and the safety of the general anesthesia procedure.
• ILLNESS: If your child develops a fever, cold, or other illness within (7) days prior to the day of treatment, please call us. It may be necessary to reschedule the appointment.
• You must tell the doctor of any drugs that your child is currently taking, any previous drug reactions, and any change in medical history.
• Please dress your child in loose fitting, comfortable clothing.
• The child’s parent or legal guardian must remain at the hospital or surgical site waiting room during the complete procedure. No other siblings should accompany you at this appointment.
• PRIOR TO SURGERY: Minimal discussion to your child about the appointment will reduce the anxiety. Explain they are “going to go to fall asleep and when they wake up their teeth will be fixed.”

After the General Anesthesia Appointment:

• Your child will be drowsy and will need to be monitored very closely. It is best to have a second adult present to assist transporting patient home.
• ACTIVITY: Your child should be kept indoors and activity restricted for the rest of the day. Allow your child to rest and closely supervise any activity for the remainder of the day.
• PAIN: Some discomfort may occur. This can usually be managed with Tylenol every 3-4 hours OR Motrin every 4-6 hours as needed.
• DIET: Encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids in order to prevent dehydration. The first meal should be light and easily digestible.
• NUMBNESS: If your child's lips, cheeks and tongue are numb they should be watched closely for the next two (2) hours. DO NOT allow your child to chew foods until all the effects of the numbness have gone away.
• TEMPERATURE ELEVATION: Your child's temperature may be elevated to 101°/38°C for the first 24 hours after treatment. Tylenol every 3-4 hours OR Motrin every 4-6 hours and fluids will help alleviate this condition.
• Prior to leaving the hospital or outpatient center, you will be given a detailed list of "Post-Op Instructions" and an emergency contact number if needed.