Sedation instructions

www.kidsandteensdentistry.com
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN BEING TREATED WITH
CONSCIOUS SEDATION
Conscious sedation is used to help children who are unable to accept dental treatment in the usual manner due to their young age, fear, or large amount of treatment that is required. Conscious sedation is NOT the same as general anesthesia and your child will not be asleep as for an operation in the hospital. There are risks associated with any type of sedation, the most common being nausea and vomiting. We have decided to treat your child utilizing conscious sedation here in the dental office. Following are some important steps to follow for the successful completion of this
1. You will need to bring your child on your scheduled appointment time. When you
arrive, your child will be given the oral sedation. It is important that you arrive on time
so that the medication has adequate time to work.

2. It is essential that your child has no food (including milk) or drink for at least six
(6) hours before receiving his/her medication. Clear liquids (water, diluted apple
juice) are permissible up to three (3) hours prior to the appointment, but your child
should be given as little as possible. Violating this rule can endanger your child’s health and thus your appointment will have to be rescheduled if your child has eaten prior to the sedation. 3. Do not give your child any medicine that day without first discussing it with us. Certain medicines including over the counter medications (Cough syrup, benadryl, etc) could increase the sedation level of your child and could be potentially dangerous. 4. Please ensure that your child is not wearing any nail polish as this interferes with equipment that we use to monitor your child’s heart rate. 5. During the waiting period for the sedation to take effect, your child may become unsteady on his/her feet, excitable, drowsy or quite cranky. These are common but temporary side effects of the drugs. With toddlers or small children, be careful that 6. After the oral medication has taken effect your child will be brought into the treatment room where he/she may be given Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen (laughing gas) to achieve the necessary level of sedation. 7. Your child may still be sleepy when the appointment is over; therefore, on departure have your child properly restrained in a car seat. It is essential that you take your child home in a private car or taxi, NOT by public transport. We suggest also that a second adult accompany you to assist you in safely returning home. After sedation, your child’s activities must be supervised for the remainder of the day. Do not leave your 8. Follow post-operative instructions closely. Please call the office if any problems or
9. Please inform the office if within seven (7) days prior to the appointment, your child
becomes ill or develops a fever. This may necessitate rescheduling the appointment for 10. It is impossible to predict whether the sedation will be sufficient to allow the dental treatment to be carried out on your child. In some cases it may be necessary to lessen the amount of treatment or reschedule the appointment depending on the situation. If the sedation is not efficient then the alternatives are as follows: 1) Delay the treatment until your child is able to cooperate 2) Have your child seen in the hospital under general anesthesia.

Source: http://www.kidsandteensdentistry.ca/DrN-010_0501.pdf