Conscious sedation is a management technique that uses medications to assist the child to cope with fear and anxiety and cooperate with dental treatment. Medications and dosages should be selected that are unlikely to cause loss of consciousness in the patient. Children who have a level of anxiety that prevents good coping skills or are very young and do not understand how to cope in a cooperative fashion for the delivery of dental care should be sedated.
Conscious sedation is often helpful for some children who have special needs.
Conscious sedation aids in allowing a child to cope better with dental treatment. Many different medications can be used for conscious sedation. Your pediatric dentist will discuss different options for your child. Sedation is safe when administered by a trained pediatric dentist who follows the sedation guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Your pediatric dentist will discuss sedation options and patient monitoring for the protection of your child.