Help please?!

Help please?

son is 2...needs fillings and a cap...dentist suggests iv sedation using 7 diff meds 4 included are ketamine, versed,atropine, and propofol...i want advice from a dentist or someone who had it done to their kid? im scared but know it has to be done..is it safest for a 2 yr old

2 months ago
pearly whites: the dentist said he does iv sed. for all toddlers because they wont usually sit still, and i do believe my son would be squirmy..hes been in the practice 15 yrs and has no actions against him..i wanna know, since your in the dental prof...if its safe and whats the odds of something bad happening

Most people become traumatized from going to the dentist at a young age, several patients who have fears of the dentist had "bad experiences" while they were younger. So making your 2 year olds visit to the dentist a "good experience" is very important.

Your dentist is recommending IV sedation which in itself uses a combination of the medications you listed to help your child have no memory of the procedure but will still be able to respond throughout the procedure.

During the procedure, devices will be monitoring your child’s breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate. Iv Sedation is very safe when administered by a specially-trained dentist or anesthesiologist.

I can still understand your concern. Another option you may want to try is an oral sedation, which is when your child will take a liquid prescription the night prior to your appointment and another dosage 1 hour prior to the appointment. This prescription would be valium or halcion, which would relax your child, make them sleepy, and less aware of what is going on.

Why did your doctor recommend IV sedation? Is your child scared and not cooperating? Most parents know whether or not their child is likely to cooperate with the dentist.

I took my niece to the dentist and she would not cooperate (3 yrs old) usually she is easy going and will do what she is told. So I took her to another dentist and felt that maybe it was the environment causing her behavior. With the new dentist she was easy going and we have done several appointments there. (we did decide to give her 1 dosage of valium 1 hour prior to her appointment) In her situation changing doctors made a world of difference.

I have seen other younger patients who respond well to treatment with oral sedation and others who need IV sedation.

I would talk to your doctor about your different options. And if you do not trust your current doctor a second opinion is a good idea. (You can get copies of your xrays and treatment plan to take to another office to get a 2nd opinion.)

I hope this information is helpful. Good luck!

THANKS FOR THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION!
Iv sedation is proven to be very safe, statistically there are more complications from local anesthetic (the shot the dentist gives you) than Iv sedation. In my years of experience I have not seen any complications from either.

I would want to know that whoever is performing the IV Sedation is board certified.

(FYI: I believe statistics are only 1 in 250,000 (.000004%) have major complications from General Anesthetic, the odds are even less in conscious sedation through IV)

I hope that helps. :)