Anxiety, nervousness, and fear are just a few things a parent and child may feel about going to the dentist. But they probably never think their life may be at risk. Unfortunately, the parents of Daleyza Hernandez Avila, age 3, didn’t think there would be a complication that would lead to her death. Daleyza’s dentist sedated her to keep her calm during the procedure, he pulled a tooth and put a crown on another. Unfortunately, she never woke up from the sedation.
In the United States alone, a child dies every other day from some type of dental procedure, according to the Dallas Morning New Investigation in 2015.
Of course, this number is just an estimate. Tragedies are rare with the millions of dental treatments done every year. But just one death is too many!
“Parents whose sedated children died during dental procedures often say they were unaware that death was a possibility. And while there may have been a consent form including that danger, many don’t absorb the information in the dentist’s office,” Dr. Jay Friedman, a California-based dental consultant and author, told the Today show.
Experts agree, parents should be aware of the risks and consider the setting.
“Children have small airways and they choke more easily than adults,” said Dr. Karen Sibert, an associate clinical professor of anesthesiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. “It doesn’t take much to obstruct a small child’s airway. Their vocal cords can close. They can choke on a little bit of blood.”
This is why it is so important to have a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
“Many medical experts say it’s unsafe for dentists to administer anesthesia in kids while also doing dental work.” NBC. These experts are recommending dentists no longer perform dental work while administering anesthesia for children. Requiring a separate nurse anesthetist.
As a highly regarded nurse anesthetist, Dwayne Thibeault DNP, CRNA, ARNP from Blue Sky Solutions, partners with dentist across New Hampshire to offer safe IV sedation to minimize and even eliminate stress and pain associated with going to the dentist. At Blue Sky Solutions, we work with each patient individually to create a sedation plan specifically tailored to their needs, to ensure they achieve a state of peace and tranquilly in a safe environment.
