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At Dr. Malan’s Dental we offer the added benefit of children’s sedation. Dr. Malan completed additional education in pediatric sedation dentistry for the safety and comfort of our little patients. If your child is apprehensive, timid, or just afraid, sedation dentistry might be the answer that you are looking for. We can make your child comfortable and relaxed while we take care of their dental needs. We use a combination of two medications that are taken orally in our office one hour before the treatment time. During the treatment we use nitrous oxide (laughing gas) in combination with the oral medication, and your child will be sleepy through the entire procedure. Although this method of sedation is very safe, we monitor our patients during treatment for added precaution. You can rest assured that your child is safe and happy during his dental appointment. Call or e-mail us for additional information. We are anxious to answer any questions you might have concerning the treatment of your children.
Why would a child need sedation or general anesthesia just to have teeth fixed?
Unfortunately, many children suffer from serious, potentially painful dental diseases. Unlike such health conditions as colds or flu, dental diseases won't go away on their own. When treatment is required for a serious dental condition, sedation or general anesthesia may be recommended to make delivery of that required treatment possible in a safe and comfortable manner. Without treatment dental diseases can adversely affect, learning, communication, nutrition and other activities necessary for normal growth and development.
Is there a safer, less risky way to treat a child's teeth?
When a child (or a person of any age with a disability) needs extensive dental treatment, general anesthesia is an accepted standard of care. This standard is supported by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, the American Medical Association, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. General anesthesia is also an accepted standard of care for situations involving children who have limited comprehension or children who are extremely uncooperative and require dental care that is technically difficult or sensitive to deliver.
How are pediatric dentists making sure sedation and anesthesia are safe?
Pediatric dentists are carefully trained in the safe administration of sedation as part of their specialty education which lasts two to three years beyond dental school. This advanced education includes practice experience in a hospital environment.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry encourages all dentists to follow the Guidelines for the Elective Use of Conscious Sedation, Deep Sedation and General Anesthesia in Pediatric Dental Patients. The Guidelines which were passed 13 years ago and revised several times since, recommend such procedures as patient evaluation, informed consent, monitoring, and back-up emergency services. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, along with a number of dental universities, offers continuing education courses on sedation every year to keep the dental profession well informed of developments in safe sedation techniques.
Have any children been injured from complications of sedation or anesthesia while under a pediatric dentist's care?
Pediatric dentists have an extensive safety record in sedation procedures. At this time, we are not aware of a single case of morbidity or mortality in a pediatric dental office when the AAPD Guidelines have been followed conscientiously.
Is it likely that a child under sedation or anesthesia will suffer serious complications or die while under a pediatric dentist's care?
Dental treatment requiring general anesthesia in a hospital environment poses similar risks to those inherent in any surgical procedure for children. The mortality rate for children undergoing general surgery procedures is one in 250,000.
If sedation or anesthesia is recommended to treat my child's teeth, how can I be sure this is the best option?
Ask your pediatric dentist to explain all treatment options and their benefits and risks. Parents should have the right to be carefully informed about the benefits and risks of any dental treatment for their children. In fact parents have the opportunity to sign informed consent papers before sedation is administered to their child.
How can parents be sure their child is safe in a dental office?
- Parents should ask the dentist about his/her training, medications to be used, and monitoring and emergency procedures. If questions are not answered to a parents' satisfaction, parents should seek a second opinion.
- To avoid risks of dental surgery for your child, make sure your child won't need it. The earlier your child sees a pediatric dentist, the better your chances of preventing dental problems. Pediatric dentists recommend first dental visits no later than the child's first birthday in order to prevent serious oral conditions that may require complicated treatment later on.
- Source: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry 1999
Children's Oral Health: The Silent Crisis
Facts about tooth decay
Tooth decay (dental caries) is the most common chronic disease of childhood; it is five times more frequent than asthma, for example.
- 25 million children and adolescents account for 80 percent of tooth decay.
- 5-10 percent of pre-school age children have early childhood caries. This percentage is higher in certain populations. Survey results show that 20 percent of children from low income families and 43 percent of children in some American Indian populations have early childhood caries.
- Early childhood caries increases the risk for future tooth decay even if increased preventive measures are implemented. (Almeida et al., Pediatric Dentistry , July/August 2000)
- Early childhood caries is associated with poor growth and poor nutrition in children. (Acs et. al. Pediatric Dentistry Volume 14.) Adult caries is associated with poor cardiac and obstetrical outcomes. (NIDR)
Children as young as one year old experience untreated dental caries. Among children ages 6-8, 72 percent of American Indian/Alaskan Native children, 50 percent of Hispanic children, 34 percent of black children, and 31 percent of all children experience untreated dental decay. (U.S. Department for Health and Human Services) - More than 50 percent of all children ages 6-8 and more than 75 percent of all 15 year old adolescents experience dental decay (U.S. Department for Health and Human Services)
Almost 53 million school hours are missed annually by children because of oral problems (Gift et al., American Journal of Public Health 82(12))
- In a national study 66 percent of children age 2-4 and 47 percent of adolescents ages 12-17 had not had a dental visit the preceding year. (U.S. Department for Health and Human Services)
- Parents know it is a problem - Among parents who feel that their children have unmet health care needs, 57% report that the need is for dental care.( The 1997 National Health Interview Survey)
In 1995, fewer than one in five children eligible for dental services under Medicaid/EPSDT received a preventive denta service, and the trend is worsening. (U.S Department for Health and Human Services) - In the U.S., 30 percent of all children's health expenditures are devoted to children's dental care (Center for the Future of Children) - a spending rate more than 10 times that of the 2.3 percent expended by Medicaid for children's dental care (Yudkowsky)
- A 1996 study estimated that 4.7 million children nationwide were uninsured, but eligible to enroll in Medicaid.
Dr André Malan,
Create the smile you've always wanted... or preserve the one have.
(801) 394-3767 E-mail: info@drandremalan.com
3860 Jackson Avenue Ogden, Utah 84403
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