Sedation in pediatric dentistry helps maximize your child's experience with the planned procedure in order to also achieve the best outcomes. At Sweet Carolina Pediatric Dentistry, we know that children aren't just small adults, so anesthesia considerations are taken with extreme care. We will only recommend sedation if it's medically necessary and consistent with best practice guidelines.
Is Sedation Really Necessary?
According to the best practice guidelines issued jointly by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the largest national professional organization of pediatricians, the goals of sedation in any pediatric patient are five-fold.
- Guard the child's safety and welfare
- Minimize physical discomfort and pain
- Control anxiety, minimize psychological trauma, and maximize the potential for amnesia
- Modify behavior and/or movement so as to allow the safe completion of the procedure
- Return the child to a state in which discharge from medical/dental supervision is safe