Pediatric Dentistry
Although in following current pediatric dental practice guidelines, we enjoy seeing new patients around the first birthday we accept children of all ages as new patients in the practice. We are preferred providers for several insurance plans and if you have any questions in this regard you can call the office and speak with our insurance specialist. We accept new patients with State of Washington Insurance (Molina, DSHS Medical Coupon) who are age seven or younger.
Once the doctor has completed your child’s examination we will discuss our recommendations for treatment. Our doctors and staff are very skilled in supporting your child through treatment and most children can comfortably manage most dental treatment in a routine fashion. For some children with anxiety or developmental delays or if the treatment is complicated it may be necessary to provide some sedative support to help in easing the treatment experience for your child. Should this be necessary our practice has several options which the doctor and staff will discuss with you.
Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)
This is a very safe mild sedative agent which your child breathes through a small mask on the nose during the procedure. Although is a very mild sedative, in many cases it is adequate to help ease your child through the procedure. It is not effective in situations where the child’s anxiety or developmental level prevents following simple instructions such as the need to breathe through the nose. It is also not indicated if your child does not have a clear airway.
Oral Sedation
If your child’s level of apprehension is more significant, or if your child has developmental delay which makes dental treatment difficult, the treatment can often be done with an oral sedative. We use a combination of three medications together in a sedative “cocktail”. When the appointment is scheduled the doctor and staff will review all the important points to assure a safe sedation experience. The most important thing is that your child can not have anything to eat or drink from midnight the night before the appointment. Your child will come to the office one hour before the start of treatment and at that time will take the medication. He or she will be kept under close observation until the treatment starts and during the treatment monitors will be used to track basic vital signs. At the completion of treatment our staff will review important post operative instructions.
General Anesthesia
In children with severe apprehension, significant developmental delay or those who need extensive treatment at a young age we offer dental treatment under general anesthesia. The dental treatment is done by one of our skilled pediatric dentists. The anesthesia is managed by Dr Donald Lee a fully qualified and experienced dental anesthesiologist who specializes in anesthesia for pediatric dental patients. Using modern techniques general anesthesia can be administered safely, efficiently and cost effectively in pediatric dental office settings.