Birmingham Mom Collective always loves hearing from local mom and pediatric dentist extraordinaire Quyen Ying of Liberty Park Children’s Dentistry. Today she is telling us about ways her practice keeps patients comfortable and safe when sedation dentistry for kids is necessary.
Sometimes going to the dentist can feel scary, and Dr. Ying knows this. She and her team offer what’s known as “Happy Visits” where new patients can come tour her dentist office during a quiet time, play with instruments, and know what to expect during an office cleaning or procedure.
Even after Happy Visits, some young patients can find cleanings and procedures daunting. Dr. Ying offers calming items such as weighted blankets, noise-cancelling head phones, and sensory kits to keep little hands busy and minds occupied while her team works.
Liberty Park Children’s Dentistry is proud to partner with Kulture City to provide Sensory Bags for patients who need them. In addition, all of the staff members undergo annual training to ensure that they are sensory inclusive.
Does your child have a special stuffed animal or blanket from home that makes an office visit more pleasant? No problem! Dr. Ying welcomes whatever is needed to make the entire experience pleasant for your child.
Dr. Ying’s goal is to reduce the need and frequency of dental sedation and general anesthesia. However, sometimes that simply cannot be avoided due to considerations like a patient’s age, extreme dental anxiety, special needs factors, or disability. Sedation is a continuum. That’s why Dr. Ying offers minimal, moderate, and deep sedation options to her patients.
Minimal Sedation
Minimal sedation is performed safely in the office with nitrous oxide. The patient inhales a mixture of gas (nitrous and oxygen) to help him or her relax. The patient exhales the gas out at the same time, so there is a continuous flow of nitrous oxide going in and the gas is removed when the patient exhales. It does not stay in the body once it is turned off, and the patient is still awake and responsive.
Moderate Sedation
Liberty Park Children’s Dentistry works with a board-certified pediatric anesthesiologist to perform IV sedation in the office for treatment. This is for very young children or children who are extremely anxious and need a lot of work completed. They have monitoring equipment and emergency medication on site. For sedation, Dr. Ying says we should always be prepared for the patient to go “deeper.”
General Anesthesia
Full mouth dental rehabilitation is performed under general anesthesia at Children’s of Alabama where patients are put completely to sleep. This type of sedation is reserved for longer cases and more medically complex patients. Usually a CRNA works closely with an Anesthesiologist to administer the medication. A full nursing team takes care of the patient pre-operatively, peri-operatively, and post-operatively.
