At Children’s Dental Services, we specialize in providing gentle and effective sedation options for our young patients, guided by the expertise of Jason Zimmerman, DDS, MS, a trusted pediatric dentist affiliated with Cook Children’s Medical Center and HCA Medical City North Hills Hospital.
Laughing gas is the common term for Nitrous Oxide, a safe and mild method used during dental procedures. Your child will be awake and responsive throughout the procedure, in a more relaxed state.
Because this type of dentistry is short-lived with a gentle effect, it is often used for children. Nitrous oxide puts patients at ease to remain relaxed during dental procedures allowing the anxious child a more pleasant dental experience! We customize each case individually and will discuss sedation only if necessary.
Deep sedation may be required due to apprehension, anxiety, age, or medical condition. Sedation may be used if your child needs extensive or complicated procedures that will take a long time to complete, or needs several procedures done all at the same time.
General anesthesia makes your child’s whole body “go to sleep”. It is needed for certain dental procedures and treatments so that his or her reflexes will be completely relaxed. Your child will feel no pain during the procedure, nor have any memory of it.
Our office provides care for children by one of two sedation methods–either under IV sedation in our office with a dental anesthesiologist, or in the operating room under general anesthetic with an anesthesiologist
After receiving a referral, we work closely with your child’s current dentist to confirm the dental treatment required. The initial visit to our office will focus on determining the best path forward. We will answer any questions that you may have and work to help your child feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible.
We only see one patient in the office at a time, so you and your child will be the center of our attention. We dedicate an hour of our dentist’s time to performing your child’s exam, obtaining and/or reviewing any radiographs (x-rays), and explaining your little one’s treatment needs in detail. During this consult, we will go over your child’s medical history in extensive detail. We will discuss treatment with you in detail, to make certain that everyone is on the same page prior to scheduling the surgery date.
After the initial consult, we will schedule the surgery date. If in-office IV Sedation has been chosen, then we will see you at the same office for the next visit. At that time, a dental anesthesiologist will provide the anesthesia in our office. On that day we will also provide additional support for added personnel and increased safety during the surgery. All your child’s dental needs will be completed in one easy visit, while he/she sleeps. You will then stay together in a recovery room for a brief period, and then you will go home that same day. All instructions will be given to the parents both before and after surgery.
If your choice is to have your child’s surgery at an outpatient surgical center, we are affiliated with Cook Children’s Medical Center and HCA Medical City North Hills Hospital. The surgical center will provide all necessary nursing care and anesthesia – many of whom we work with regularly and are exceptional in their care. Just like with in-office procedures, all of your child’s dental needs will be addressed in one visit while they are under sedation. Post-surgery, you will spend a brief period in the recovery room before going home the same day. We ensure that all vital details and instructions are clearly communicated to parents before and after the surgery.
After the appointment:
