At River City Pediatric Dentistry in Jacksonville, FL, our philosophy is to go above and beyond the expectations of parents and children alike by advocating for the unique needs and preferences established by our young patients. In order to accomplish this, we first place our priority on promoting a secure, inviting environment conducive to your child’s well-being, imagination, and excitement. From there, we turn our attention to ensuring every child feels comfortable, relaxed, and in control during their dental visit!
As we strive to ensure that every child enjoys their dental experience, it’s not uncommon that we encounter children who are nervous or anxious about their appointment. This is fairly normal for not only children but adults as well; patients of any age can experience dental anxiety, but our providers take great strides in alleviating these fears. This begins by establishing a healthy flow of communication between providers and patients to ensure children feel comfortable sharing their concerns or worries.
River City Pediatric Dentistry offers a variety of methods for patients who are experiencing significant dental anxiety, have special healthcare needs, or extensive restorative treatment needs.
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide is used in dentistry to help relieve anxiety during your child’s dental procedure. It is a gas that they breathe in through a mask over their nose, and it works by causing them to quickly feel relaxed. Once the procedure is over, the nitrous oxide is quickly flushed from their system with pure oxygen, and they will return to feeling normal immediately. It is considered a very safe form of mild sedation and it can be used on children of all ages.
IV Sedation
IV (intravenous) sedation is provided right in our pediatric dental office and is administered by a board-certified anesthesiologist. This option is best for healthy children that just need some help with cooperation. We can use nitrous oxide or pre-medication to get the child calm and comfortably asleep. Then an IV will be placed and monitored for continuous anesthesia administration during the dental procedure. The children maintain their own reflexes and breathing, and the anesthesiologist has the ability to custom-titrate the medications to safely produce the best effects. Children can return to normal school or play activity the very next day.
General Anesthesia In The Surgery Center
Later in 2022, River City Pediatric Dentistry will offer sedation dentistry to our patients at Lakeside Dental Surgery Center. This ASC (ambulatory surgery center) will be completely dedicated to the treatment of pediatric dentistry, with an abundance of surgical days available per month to the River City dental team. It’s our sincere hope to deliver the safest care, in the timeliest manner to our patients needing this service. Just like in the hospital, the anesthesia services will be provided by board-certified pediatric anesthesiologists, and the dental care provided by your River City Pediatric Dentistry team!
