IV Sedation: Will my child feel groggy after treatment?

When you have a child requiring dental care, but special circumstances prevent standard delivery of treatment, IV sedation may be the perfect option for you. You know your child better than anyone so a thorough explanation of what is involved with IV sedation will be explained by your kid’s dentist well in advance of the needed procedure so you may make an educated decision of what is best for your child.

With IV sedation, your child is closely monitored from start to finish. Sedatives are delivered with respect to your child’s size and weight allowing them to drift off to sleep comfortably. You may ask why there is need to place your child in this level of sedation for procedures less than surgical. 

With IV sedation, your child is closely monitored from start to finish.

Like many adults, there may be extreme anxiety in the face of dental treatment. The sounds and smells of a dental office can be intimidating for anyone, but if your child is the nervous type, this form of care is in the best interest of your child and allows your kid’s dentist to perform needed treatment efficiently and thoroughly.

Perhaps your child has special needs physically or emotionally. The inability to sit still for an extended period of time makes treatment difficult. With IV sedation, all needed dental care can be delivered in one visit versus having to break procedures up into multiple appointments.

At the conclusion of treatment, your child has no recollection of the dental procedure. If surgery was performed, the normal post-operative care will be explained so your child will deal with that aspect.

However, most procedures such as the hygiene visit, dental x-rays, treating dental decay with composite fillings … all non-surgical care seems like it was completed in a minute to your child. The only side effect is your child will likely feel a little groggy for a few hours following treatment. Having reliable transportation home is recommended.

Rest for the remainder of the day will be recommended for your child … they may be hungry as all food needs to be withheld from about midnight the night before until dental treatment is completed. But it is not uncommon for your child to sleep periodically the rest of treatment day.

To learn more, contact our skilled pediatric dentistry team today.