Children as well as adults have fears of dentists and dental work. If there is an extreme amount of fear, or a great deal of work that must be completed on a child, it may be possible to use sedation dentistry to resolve some of the problem.

Children with any of these conditions or problems may be candidates for sedative dentistry.

Infants with dental care needs
Children who needs extensive dental work
Children with a very sensitive gag reflex
Children that have suffered a traumatic experience with a dentist
A traumatic experience that happened to their mouth or jaw
Mentally handicapped children
Medically compromised children

The best situation for children's oral health care is to start them off in a positive manner, with building a secure and consistent patter for good oral hygiene.

Doing the following steps does this:

Start with teaching your child about brushing their teeth very early, even before their teeth come through their gums.
You can have your child suck on and play with their toothbrush as long as they are old enough not to choke on the brush.
Next, you can set up your child's first dental appointment with a pediatric dentist at one year old. This will help their comfort level before they ever become afraid.
Create a consistent patter of flossing and brushing early. If their teeth are healthy the chances that a child would need extensive dental work is unlikely.
Give them a healthy diet of food with vitamins and minerals and that are high in fiber.

However, if this does not work, and your child is still afraid, or does need extensive work done due to decay, a fall or some other problem. It is a good idea to talk to the dentists in your area that conduct sedation dentistry for children and get an evaluation of what steps they feel should be taken.

Sedation dentistry is for people with severe phobias, fears, anxieties or health issues that would prevent them from sitting in a normal dental setting for the treatments necessary for healthy teeth and gums. It is better to look into the sedation dentistry than to neglect teeth and gums until the problem becomes more permanent.

When choosing a sedation dentist for your child, it is important to take special care in your selection. Make sure that the dentist you choose is permitted to conduct sedation dentistry.

Usually a local anesthetic is used for dental work. However this is not really sedation. This only numbs the area that the repair is being completed. Sedation is affecting the brain and body in a much different way.

Here are some good questions to ask before you let your child be sedated for their dental work.

1.    What experience has the dentist had?
2.    What affiliations does the dentist have?
3.    What is the plan if something were to go wrong?
4.    Is the dentist a pediatric dentist?
5.    Does your dental insurance cover dental sedation?
6.    What types of sedation are available?
7.    Does the dentist often-sedate children?

With all the answers you need in mind, you can evaluate the choice of sedation. It is scary to take your child in for treatment. You are the one who has to evaluate the anxiety and fear level of your child. Also, you will need to decide if it is not a fear that you can subside with some love and comfort.