Hospital Dentistry

Parents that are looking to put their children to sleep during their dental treatment often choose to visit RGV Pediatric Dentistry because of our experience.

Why Use General Anesthesia? 

If your child is very young, extremely apprehensive, and/or has extensive treatment needs, we have the ability for hospital-based general anesthesia at Rio Grande Regional Hospital. The sounds they hear from the dental drill and the feeling of pressure that they feel, can make them go hysteric, even if they do not actually feel pain. Moreover, some children need to have a lot of dental work completed on multiple teeth. Thus, it is often best to put the child completely to sleep in order to finish all of the treatment in one, stress-free visit. 

How Do We Put A Child Under General Anesthesia? 

To provide the safest and most comfortable way to treat young children with a lot of decay, we offer general anesthesia in the safest environment of a hospital. General anesthesia for dental treatment is comparable to having your tonsils removed or the placement of ear tubes. A medical anesthesiologist may give the child some oral medication that helps make them drowsy. Afterwards, the anesthesiologist will start an IV and give the right dosage of drugs to completely put the child to sleep and to make sure that your child wakes up without any pain. Once the child is completely sleeping, the anesthesiologist monitors the child’s breathing and vital signs, while the pediatric dentist provides all necessary treatment. 

What Are The Benefits Of General Anesthesia? 

The greatest advantage of putting a child to sleep while getting their dental work done is that they will not be traumatized by their dental work. Some of the medications that are used actually help the child forget all about what happened during the treatment. Also, once the child is completely asleep, all treatment, including x-rays, fillings, crowns, and cleanings can be done at once in a manner that is not traumatic or scary for the child. 

Who Is A Good Candidate For Pediatric General Anesthesia? 

The younger the child, the more suitable of a candidate they are to be put to sleep through treatment. This will prevent them from being scared of the dentist, both during the present treatment and in the future. Some older children also have an inexplicable fear of the dentist. These children too would benefit greatly from being put to sleep. Also, children that need a lot of dental work, which may normally require multiple appointments, may benefit from dental anesthesia because the child can have everything done at once. Finally, some parents with special needs children would rather have their child put to sleep before having dental treatment done.