Gentle Dentistry, Happy Smiles
At Storybook Dental, we are committed to happy children and want to give them happy smiles! We use a variety of methods to help your child remain comfortable during dental procedures, and we want you to know that we take the utmost care in ensuring that your child's teeth are clean and healthy.
Sometimes, children have a difficult time with dental procedures. No one likes it when their child has a cavity, but when your little ones needs dental work, you know that the sooner you get to the dentist, the easier the procedure will be. We see a lot of children who just don't like going to the dentist, have a hard time tolerating procedures, and have general dental anxiety. That's why at Storybook Dental, we provide several methods of helping your child remain comfortable during dental procedures.
Coaching
For most children, our friendly staff is able to use calming techniques such as talking and coaxing to help alleviate stress. Sometimes just a pat on the back and a soothing voice is all that's needed for some children to remain calm and relax so that dental work can begin. Our staff is very kind and gentle, and children usually realize very quickly that they are in a friendly place surrounded by people who care about them and want them to be healthy. Once they realize that being at the dentist's office is a safe place, most dental anxiety they may have had quickly disappears.
Happy Air
Some children still have dental anxiety and are afraid of procedures because they think they are going to be painful. In certain cases, we offer nitrous oxide that can help reduce dental anxiety and supplement anesthesia. Nitrous oxide is often referred to as laughing gas. At Storybook Dental, we like to call it "Happy Gas." As the name implies, it helps relax and calm your child, alleviating anxiety. Nitrous oxide is very safe. It is an odorless and colorless gas that is administered through the nose. It works very quickly, and its effects are completely reversible. According to the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, nitrous oxide is the preferred method of sedation for children who are mild or moderately anxious when they go to the dentist. Side effects are few and rare. It is recommended children eat only a light meal or only liquids a few hours before the gas is to be administered.
Oral Sedation
When children are more anxious about their visit to the dentist, we offer oral sedation that can help them calm down so they can receive their necessary procedure. With oral sedation, children are still partially conscious and can respond to simple commands. There are different types of oral sedation, and our dentists will confer with you prior to make sure oral sedation is best suited for your child. Oral sedation can come with certain side-effects, but for children with high dental anxiety, it may be the best method to ensure healthy teeth. Be sure to talk with one of our dentists if you'd like to know more about this option.
IV Sedation
If your child needs a procedure such as dental surgery and requires sedation, we also offer intravenous deep IV sedation or general anesthesia. Anesthesia is administered by Board Certified medical anesthesiologists. Be sure to discuss anesthesia with one of our dentists if you would like to know more about this option.
