Dr. Fehrman's office provides in office anesthesia to those children who are not able to comfortably tolerate routine care in an awake office setting. Dr. Fehrman's pediatric dental office is the only office in Santa Cruz that provides dental care under general anesthesia using a pediatric anesthesiologist from the Children's Anesthesia Medical Group. These pediatric anesthesiologists are highly skilled, extensively trained physicians who provide anesthesia services to infants and children everyday at Children's Hospital Oakland and the offices of twenty pediatric dentists.
Many children experience anxiety at the dentist's office.
The expectations of pain, the sound of the drill, or a brief separation from a parent can frighten a child. Some dentists will administer conscious sedation for brief procedures. However, if your child is unable to cooperate in the dental chair, or if an extensive or painful procedure is required, we can safely sedate or anesthetize your child so that the procedure can be completed and the experience is a more pleasant one. Your dentist will discuss the various options available. When conscious sedation fails or is considered inappropriate for the nature or amount of dental work, deep sedation or general anesthesia is recommended.