If you've spotted some decay on your toddler's tooth and have taken him or her to the dental office, the dentist may have recommended crowns. You may not have known that toddlers can even get crowns. The purpose of these crowns is to protect the tooth and is a procedure performed on patients with severe decay. If a dental filling won't solve the problem, the next best solution is a crown. However, instead of having the crown placed in a regular dental office, your child may need to have this procedure performed at a child surgical center where he or she will be sedated prior to the procedure.
What Method of Sedation Is Used?
Because toddlers are too young to want to stay in the dental chair while having certain work done on their teeth, there is a step-by-step process followed at the surgical center. You'll likely need to arrive early in the morning with your little one, who should not have anything to eat or drink prior to undergoing treatment.
Your child may be given a liquid sedative to help calm him or her down. It's a general practice, but different children have different reactions to the liquid sedative. Some fall asleep as soon as it kicks in, while others are still awake yet feeling a lot calmer than they were beforehand. After the liquid sedative has kicked in, your child will likely be placed in the surgical room where an anesthesiologist will provide the right dosage of general anesthesia.
How Long Does the Procedure Take?
As soon as your child is sedated, the dental work may begin. The length of the procedure will depend on the number of teeth being treated by the dentist. If the dentist notices your child needs crowns for some teeth and fillings for others, he or she will likely perform the work all at once to protect your child's teeth. The procedure itself should only take an hour or two at most, but you can expect to be at the surgical center for a longer period of time. After your child has been treated, you'll be able to sit with him or her while waiting for the effects of the sedation to start wearing off.
What Are Some Ways to Provide Comfort and Relief?
When your child wakes up, he or she should be excited to see you but might still feel groggy. It helps to have an item of comfort available for your little one to hold onto, such as a stuffed animal or a special blanket. Your child may feel a bit of discomfort from having work done on the teeth. The dentist will tell you what types of medication would be safe to give to your toddler, as well as what types of foods he or she should avoid for the next day or two.
If your child needs to have dental surgery, you may feel anxious and afraid. However, it's more common than most people realize. Those baby teeth are sensitive and decay can happen fairly quickly. However, the right treatment will save those teeth and protect them from further damage.
Share16 October 2017
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