IV Sedation

We would love nothing more than to have every kiddo come to our office, sit in the dental chair like a champ, and have healthy teeth. We strive for that with many educational initiatives and campaigns. However, kids come in all shapes and sizes and so do their teeth. Our doctors see kids with special needs and with high anxiety that make it impossible to bear sitting in a dental chair. We also see very young children with severe dental decay making in-office treatment intolerable for them. Knowing that we have an obligation to help all children, we utilize many tools in our office. One of the options we have for treatment is in-office IV general anesthesia where kids are asleep for the necessary treatment. 

Our pediatric dentists have the highest level of training in multiple levels of sedation, but for IV sedations we utilize a board-certified dental anesthesiologist. Dr. Chris Ballard comes to our office with all the medications he uses, a fully stocked emergency cart, and decades of experience in dental anesthesia. He has worked in our office since Dr. Lindhorst purchased it over ten years ago. This allows our doctors to concentrate on dentistry and our anesthesiologist to concentrate on anesthesia. Our preparation for this procedure is detailed and our case selection is precise. 

Before the procedure, we consult with all necessary doctors to make sure that our patient is a good candidate. Dr. Ballard discusses each case with parents the night before the sedation and checks all health markers the morning of the procedure. He then gently sedates the patient and allows them to sleep comfortably through the procedure while our doctors perform all necessary dental procedures quickly and efficiently. The kids wake up after about an hour with healthy teeth, but without the stressful experience of multi cavity treatment. Within about another hour or two, after careful observation and clearance by both our dentists and Dr. Ballard, families are able to go home to rest. We follow up on our patients that afternoon and parents are given all phone numbers for both our office and our anesthesiologist in case of questions or concerns. 

Being able to provide this service allows us to take care of fearful patients, young patients with multiple cavities, patients with developmental disorders such as ASD spectrum, patients with physical barriers such as CP, and many other kids who otherwise would be suffering through excruciating dental pain or a traumatizing treatment experience. We are extremely respectful of IV sedation decisions and make them as a collaboration with parents, medical providers, financial support options, and our dental team. We understand that with our excellent providers, many times this is the best and the safest option for our patients and we love being able to offer it to our sweet kids! 

Dr. Lindhorst, Dr. Theriot and the Smiles For Kids Pediatric Dental Team