Pediatric
Sedation Dentistry
in Columbus, OH

Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas)*

You may have had laughing gas at your own dental appointment. The same gas is used for children, at a dosage appropriate for your child’s age and level of anxiety. The child breathes in the sweet-smelling gas, mixed with oxygen, through a nasal hood (rubber nose). The patient soon begins to feel calm and silly! Sometimes a feeling of floating or being weightless is experienced. Nitrous oxide reduces the patient’s ability to sense mental or physical discomfort- time seems to pass quickly and the effects subside when we stop administering the gas (at that time, the patient then breathes in only oxygen through the nasal hood).

Nitrous oxide is best suited for children who need a little help to feel comfortable, be compliant and sit still long enough to safely complete a dental procedure. The child stays awake and can easily respond to questions and directions.

*Please note there may be an additional fee charged for nitrous oxide if your insurance does not offer it as a covered benefit.

General Anesthesia

Typically, your dentist will recommend general anesthesia for your child, due to the young age of a patient, high anxiety, special needs, certain medical conditions and/or the amount of treatment required. Treatment performed under general anesthesia renders your child asleep, which allows for a pain-free and atraumatic dental visit. All needed dental treatment will be performed at this one visit.

If your child needs to be completely asleep under general anesthesia, it is either performed at an outpatient surgery center/hospital or in-office using highly trained pediatric anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists who administer the general anesthetics. We follow the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, American Academy of Pediatricians and the American Academy of Anesthesiologists to ensure the utmost safety and care of your child.