We love our children and do everything we can to keep them safe. We don’t think twice about taking them to the dentist, having a check-up, cleaning, x-rays, or even a filling. While they may not want to go, good oral health is important.
What if they need a procedure, have anxiety, special needs, such as downs syndrome or autism? They still need to go to the dentist, but it can be extremely difficult. Which is why so many parents are choosing to use dental sedation. It allows the patient to get the oral health care they need without all the stress and anxiety.
The big question, how safe is dental sedation?
Take for instance Jocelyn Ann Hampel, 7 years old. She suffered from a rare congenital disorder, Cohen syndrome. She went to the dentist to have a tooth removed. Unfortunately, halfway through the procedure, her heart stopped. The office performed CPR and was transported to the hospital.
After being placed in a medically induced coma, she was taken off life support.
An article in the Daily Mail writes:
According to a study in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, ‘death was the most important side effect of anesthesia in dentistry.’
The study recommended that only pediatric anesthetists should administer general anesthesia to young children.
‘Mentally compromised patients are unlikely to allow safe completion of treatment under local anesthesia because of problems related to physical/mental disability; therefore they might need general anesthesia,’ the study reads.
Another study, published in the journal Pediatric Anesthesia, evaluated 44 deaths among children aged 2 to 5 during dental anesthesia and found only three patients were reported to have pre-existing medical conditions that placed them at increased risk for anesthesia-related complications
For optimal safety, parents are asking their dentist’s for the services of a Registered Certified Nurse Anesthetist. This is an extra person who is specifically trained in providing IV sedation, allowing the dentist to concentrate on the procedure.
You are in great hands at Blue Sky Solutions, we bring hospital level sedation to your dental office. Contact Blue Sky Solutions for more information. We are proud to partner with dentist throughout New Hampshire.
