We are proud to offer outpatient general anesthesia for our patients. This is also helpful for children who are scared. It can also be really helpful for young children and those with special needs. Sometimes conscious sedation does not work, but general anesthesia will.

When your child is put under general anesthesia, your child will be asleep, just like if he or she was having major surgery. Using general anesthesia has greater risks, but often the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks.

There are many benefits of using general anesthesia. Your child may be able to get multiple procedures done in one day instead of having to come back several times. You won’t have to worry about restraining your child.

Dental fear can be crippling. Using general anesthesia, we can make the procedure go much more smoothly. It may even be the difference between having the treatment that your child deserves and doing nothing. If your child’s dental condition is left untreated, your child may have to live with pain in the mouth, infection, and swelling. Your child may have trouble developing adult teeth. If an infection continues to grow, it can travel throughout the bloodstream, making your child very sick.

Before your appointment, it is important to let us know if your child has any changes to his or her health. If your child becomes ill with a fever, infection, or cold, we may need to postpone treatment. It is also important to let us know what medications your child is taking. If your child has reactions or allergies to drugs, we need to know about those too.

The night before the appointment, your child won’t be able to eat after midnight. Clear fluids can be given up to six hours prior to the procedure. We also recommend dressing him or her in comfortable clothes that are loose fitting. It is also important that parents stay at the office throughout the entire procedure.

After your child’s appointment, your child will be sleepy for several hours. He or she will need to be watched closely and kept away from anything that could cause harm. If your child wants to sleep, that is alright, but your child should sleep on his or her side and with his or her chin up. We recommend that you wake up your child every hour and make sure that he or she is drinking.

Be careful if your child becomes nauseous. If your child vomits, help him or her bend over. Be sure to turn your child’s head to the side so that he or she doesn’t inhale the vomit. You will receive a detailed list of instructions to follow after the appointment. We will also give you an emergency number in case there are any problems.

There are many forms of sedation to help your child through his or her appointment. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us today.