I sleep and fix my teeth

Sedation

Purpose

The method of sedation is intended to keep the child completely calm without reacting at all, during the dental treatment. This method helps the child to receive a large amount of dental treatment in a short period of time with safety and lower cost than general anesthesia.

What is sedation?

It is a term of anesthesiology and means the type of anesthesia where the administration of drugs suppresses the central nervous system where the patient sleeps but retains the reflexes of breathing and swallowing, i.e. the child can swallow and breathe on his own. There are several levels of sedation: light (conscious) sedation where the patient simply relaxes a lot, may sleep lightly but can respond to verbal commands, and moderate sedation when the patient is asleep and does not respond to verbal instructions. Reflex retention applies to both categories of sedation, but what matters is the level of sleep and whether or not the child maintains consciousness. Deep sedation is not used in our office at the present.

Who performs the sedation?

An anesthesiologist registered in Cyprus registry of anesthesiologists, and a member of the Anesthesiology Society of Cyprus.

A trained anesthesiologist assistant assists the anesthetist throughout the sedation.

Another dental assistant assists the pediatric dentist in the dental treatment to get as much work done as possible in the short time.

Medicines:

The medicines we usually administer are:

-Midazolam

It is administered orally in the form of juice 20-30 minutes before the dental procedure and is intended to calm the child so that the intravenous line is placed without fear and reaction. At the same time Midazolam has amnesic effect, so that children remember little or not at all the intervention in the dental clinic.

-Ketamine

Ketamine is a sedative, analgesic and an amnesia anesthetic and it is a safe and effective choice for sedation in children. In the clinical features of the anesthesia offered by the drug, the child sleeps, is not in any pain, does not remember anything and his reflexes and breathing are maintained and does not react to any external stimuli.

These are the two main sedative medications we use in our office.

-Propofol

It is a hypnotic drug and is administered intravenously only and is intended to suppress the child. Propofol is a safe medicine that should only be administered by an anesthesiologist.

Of course, there are many more sedative and hypnotic medicines, which are given depending on the circumstances and after informing and discussing with the parents.

Safety

Throughout the sedation period, the patient is monitored by both the anesthesiologist and all the monitors provided by the International Safety System for sedation at the dental clinic. The anesthesiologist constantly checks the vital signs of the child. All of the above provide very high levels of safety for the patient.

Also, there is all the pharmaceutical and medical equipment for immediate treatment if any complications occur.

Conditions for sedation

The good medical and physical condition of the child is of utmost importance for the safety of the child during sedation.

Children suffering colds, respiratory infections or other infections, very large tonsils or adenoids or blocked nose cannot undergo the sedation process as this could be dangerous for them since all the above conditions can compromise breathing. Also, children with known allergies to the particular sedative medicines or to food or to environmental elements such as dust, pollen need caution when administering the medicines. For the above reasons, the child should be examined by his/her pediatrician the day before the procedure. A written consent from him /her is a prerequisite for us in order to do the sedation.

Diet

The patient should not eat any solid food or drink any milk for at least 6 hours before being sedated. Water is not allowed for at least 2 hours before the procedure. Depending on the age of the child you will be given detailed instructions on the subject.

Important notes:

1) Should you schedule an appointment for sedation and change your mind, please cancel at least 2 days in advance. The anesthesiologist is an external consultant and when he/she is appointed to come to our clinic he / she must be paid regardless of whether or not the appointment will be scheduled.

2) If your child has a cold or any infectious disease then you should notify us immediately, as in such cases the surgery should be postponed for up to 4 weeks.

3) Downpayment: A deposit of € 300 is required. Full payment at the end of each treatment.