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Kid’s Dentist in Newport Beach, CA

At Hersch Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, our mission is to help kids throughout Newport Beach, CA and the surrounding areas develop beautiful, healthy smiles that last a lifetime – and the best way to do it is to start treatment early and provide continued support to encourage healthy dental development. As a leading team of Newport Beach pediatric dentists, we strive to make pediatric dental and orthodontic treatment as comfortable as possible for our patients, working hard to create a welcoming office environment and care for the needs of our patients. Sometimes, though, visiting the dentist is simply too stressful of an experience. If that’s the case for your child, sedation dentistry may be able to help.

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What is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry refers to the practice of using a sedative to help patients feel more comfortable during orthodontic treatment. The most common use for sedation dentistry is for extensive procedures like oral surgeries, which normally require the use of general or local anesthesia to ensure patient comfort and successful treatment. However, we can also use more mild sedatives to manage anxiety around visiting the dentist, dental phobia, low pain tolerance, physical handicaps, or strong gag reflexes.

Sedation dentistry is endorsed by the American Dental Association as a safe, effective way to help manage anxiety and keep patients comfortable during treatment, and we use only the safest, most effective sedatives at our office. We most commonly use sedation for procedures like fillings, crowns, root canals, and extractions, but we can employ sedation dentistry for any treatment we offer. As with all forms of dental treatment, it’s important to tell us about any medications or medical treatments you’re receiving before we use a sedative or anesthetic. And as always, we’ll be sure to talk with you extensively about the process of sedation and provide any necessary pre- or post-sedation instructions.

Nitrous Oxide or “Laughing Gas” Dentistry

Nitrous oxide, also commonly called “laughing gas,” is a safe, mild anesthetic that we frequently use to manage anxiety in younger patients or patients with severe dental anxiety. Laughing gas has a mild calming and euphoric effect, with many patients feeling “giggly” while under the effects. Patients are still fully conscious during laughing gas sedation, and the effects wear off almost immediately after removing the mask. Nitrous oxide is non-addictive, mild, easy to administer, and 100% safe. In rare cases, children may experience mild nausea after using nitrous oxide sedation, but this usually isn’t a problem. If your child feels particularly fearful or anxious about the dentist, nitrous oxide is a simple and effective way to help keep them comfortable during the treatment process.

IV Sedation & General Anesthesia

While nitrous oxide is effective for minor procedures, more extensive dental procedures will often require general anesthesia.  We will normally recommend general anesthesia major dental procedures or for patients with special needs, children less than 4 years old, or children with severe anxiety. As an experienced Newport Beach pediatric dental practice, we do all of our general anesthesia procedures at a fully accredited surgery center – Mobisurg – and we use pediatric trained medical anesthesiologists for all procedures.

Dr. Hersch, Dr. Goodman, and Dr. Brophy will talk with you to help you understand the process, address any questions or concerns you have, and provide detailed pre-and post-care instructions.

Contact Your Newport Beach Sedation Dentist

Sedation dentistry is widely used for a variety of dental procedures, and we’re proud to offer it as an option to help our patients stay as comfortable as possible during treatment. If you’re interested in learning more about sedation dentistry or think it may be a good option for your child, we love to speak with you. Contact us today to learn more and find out if sedation dentistry is right for your child. We look forward to hearing from you!