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.

Sedation dentistry is a way to maintain great oral health care without all the anxiety and pain. If you are afraid of something you are less likely to do it.

There are many reasons that it is good to choose sedation dentistry. Here is a list of some of the most common reasons.

    Very sensitive teeth, that causes severe concern to the patient
    Have a severe gag reflex, which would have problems with regular dentist work
    At some point a traumatic dental procedure or problem happened, deterring the patient's future dental work
    Straight out fear or anxiety of the dentist work. This is probably the most common area that most people fit into. There are not many people that would say, "I love going to the dentist"
    If there is a fear of needles and or shots
    If you have not had a dental visit and are concerned with going
    Are embarrassed about the condition of your teeth and how they look
    Have anxiety issues about cleanliness
    Hate the sounds of the drills, metal tools and suctions tools
    People with phobias
    Patients that are sedated will be able to have more dental work completed in a single setting due to their mouths being more relaxed and there is less pain to tolerate.
    No need for several shots if the first set of shots do not work

Most sedation offices have counselors that are sensitive to the questions, concerns and needs of their patients. These counselors are specifically trained to know how to clear up any concerns you might have.

There are three different ways that sedation for dental care can work. Here are the four different ways and their explanations.

First there is oral conscious sedation- with this type of sedation your dentist will give you a pill, which will make you very tired. You will need to be driven to your dentist appointment. This pill is taken the day of the work that needs to be done, about an hour before. With this form of sedation, you will not be unconscious, however you will be in a very relaxed and calm state.

Second is the I.V conscious sedation- with this type of sedation, your trained dentist will administer medication intravenously directly into your blood steam. The treatment will be done while you are conscious and the dental procedures are complete.

The third option is inhalation- this is often referred to as laughing gas. The mask is placed over your lower face and you breath in the sedative, nitrous oxide. In this case, there will also be a local anesthetic used for pain.

The last method is general anesthesia- this type of sedation requires that your dentist is board certified. With this dental sedation, you are completely unconscious, asleep until the medication wears off.

The dentists that use these procedures are required to get permits that allow them to complete these forms of sedation. They are safe in most circumstances. Dental sedation is a great way to maintain your oral health if you have any of the problems listed.

The best way to get started on a better smile and stronger teeth is to contact a dentist in your area that is permitted to conduct dental sedation. Then set up an appointment for a check-up and diagnosis. Then you and your dentist can work out the best plan for your treatment.

Fear or anxiety over dental work has kept many people from having certain dental procedures done. Now, thanks to advancements in the dental industry, sedation dentistry allows patients to get the dental work that they need while being comfortably and safely sedated.

Although the patient does not feel any pain or remember anything, the patient is not entirely unconscious. The patient is simply in a state of extreme relaxation.

A patient may choose to be sedated by taking a pill an hour before the procedure. Sedation by nitrous oxide or intravenous injection is also available. Sedation dentists monitor patient vital signs throughout the procedure, thereby maintaining a safe level of sedation. The sedation can last for varying amounts of time. The patient can be given a smaller dose for procedures that last up to an hour, or a larger dose for multiple procedures that will relax the patient for up to six hours.

Sedation dentistry can be helpful in a variety of situations. For instance, sedation dentistry is commonly used with individuals who have an extreme fear or anxiety associated with dentistry procedures, perhaps originating from traumatic experiences in the past, but even patients with a bad gag reflex may choose to be sedated. Patients who have difficulty getting numb from local anesthesia, or have especially sensitive teeth can also benefit from sedation dentistry.