Behavior Management
The dentists are committed to providing dental care to your child in the most compassionate and comfortable way possible. Many children are nervous about going to the dentist for the first time and may have unique dental problems that exacerbate their worries. These fears can be easily relieved by using routine strategies, but more advanced techniques are sometimes needed to help the child relax and trust the dentist. Part of pediatric dental training includes early childhood development and childhood psychology. Our staff is well-versed in effective behavioral management techniques. Please feel free to discuss any concerns or behavioral problems with our staff. We encourage open communication between the doctor, the patient and the parent.
Nitrous Oxide
This type of sedation is given as an inhalational agent, where the child wears a mask on their nose, which delivers the nitrous oxide. The patient inhales the agent and exhales the agent without processing the agent. This means they breathe it out the same way they breathe it in. This type of sedation is good to use with children who may have slight anxiety, or have limited work that needs to be done.
Nitrous oxide acts to change the nitrogen levels in the body, and creates a slight “happy” feeling in children. It does not put your child to sleep. Once your child is on 100% oxygen, they will have no residual effects. Nitrous oxide is the safest drug that we have in anesthesia and dentistry.
This type of sedation is good to use with children who may have slight anxiety, or have limited work that needs to be done.
General Anesthesia
General anesthesia is sometimes necessary for children that are unable, by either age or maturity level, to cooperate during dental treatment. These services are provided with a team of our highly skilled doctors as well as a board certified anesthesiologist.
General Anesthesia is most helpful for:
- Children who require major treatment.
- An extremely anxious child, or
- Children who are medically compromised or have special needs.
Our team will discuss all treatment options with you and make recommendations as to what is the best modality to treat your child while keeping them safe and comfortable.
Dr. Landa has hospital privileges at Nicklaus (Miami) Children’s Hospital, Baptist Hospital, and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
I.V. Sedation
I.V. Sedation is recommended for apprehensive children, very young children, and children with special needs that would not work well under nitrous oxide. Dr. Landa performs the dental treatment in our office with the child under I.V. sedation, which is administered and monitored by our board certified Pediatric anesthesiologist, Dr. Kimmel. We carefully plan our sedation time to maximize the safety of your child’s treatment. Therefore, sedation takes place once a month when our office is dedicated solely to sedation.
Prior to your appointment:
- Please notify us of any change in your child’s health and/or medical condition. Do not bring your child for treatment with a fever, ear infection or cold. Should your child become ill, contact us to see if it is necessary to postpone the appointment.
- You must tell the doctor of any drugs that your child is currently taking and any drug reactions and/or change in medical history.
- Please dress your child in loose fitting, comfortable clothing.
- Please make sure that your child goes to the bathroom immediately prior to arriving at the office.
- Your child should not have milk or solid food after midnight prior to the scheduled procedure and clear liquids ONLY (water, apple juice, Gatorade) for up to 6 hours prior to the appointment.
- The child’s parent or legal guardian must remain at the office during the complete procedure.
After the sedation appointment:
- Your child will be drowsy and will need to be monitored very closely. Keep your child away from areas of potential harm.
- If your child wants to sleep, place them on their side with their chin up. Wake your child every hour and encourage them to have something to drink in order to prevent dehydration. At first it is best to give your child sips of clear liquids to prevent nausea. The first meal should be light and easily digestible.
- If your child vomits, help them bend over and turn their head to the side to insure that they do not inhale the vomit.
- Please call our office for any questions or concerns that you might have.
