Children’s dental treatment with anaesthesia
Dental care is important at any age, but even more so for children. Improper dental care at childhood can lead to lifelong consequences so it is important to provide proper care from the onset. Children’s poor dental care can also lead to dental anxiety which will only get worse as they get older. Starting dental care early, before any problems arise, is essential to both maintain proper oral hygiene and build a level of trust between the child and their dentist.
When should be the child’s first dental check-up?
Many parents make the mistake of waiting until their child is having a dental problem before taking them to their first appointment. This can cause two things to happen:
- Firstly, the child will have had no experience with dentistry and will likely be both scared and stressed. This can be a traumatising event for a child and it could be the foundation of a lifetime of dental anxiety.
- Secondly by visiting the dentist early, in addition to reducing dental anxiety, you will be able to get professional brushing tips and advice as well as having their teeth professionally cleaned. This removes hidden pockets of plaque or tartar in the hard-to-reach areas of the mouth.
Our advice is to come for regular check-ups as soon as their first milk-tooth erupts. However, if they haven’t erupted by the age of two we recommend you start coming anyway, just to start building your child’s trust with their dentist – ideally before any dental emergencies appear.
Most common dental diseases in children
Here are some of the most common dental diseases in children:
- Tooth Decay (cavities)
According to the various statistics, nearly a quarter of five-year-olds have teeth affected by tooth decay, with the majority of cases believed to be untreated. This is the most common reason for hospital admissions between ages five and nine. Tooth decay is caused by bacteria that build up to form plaque by feeding on leftover sugars and starches in the mouth. As they feed, they release acids which eat away at the enamel of the teeth, leading to cavities forming. Tooth decay symptoms include sensitive teeth, pain around the tooth, small white or brown dots upon the teeth. Dental filling is performed to treat tooth decay.
- Sensitive Teeth
Sensitive teeth are often the sign of a new dental pathology, especially if the sensitivity has only recently presented. Cavities, bruxism, eruption of new teeth, and enamel wear are among the most common causes of sensitive teeth.
- Dental Emergencies
This covers things such as cracks, chips, breakages, or the loss of one or many teeth. This is often due to accidents such as a sporting injury or hitting their mouth while playing. In cases of dental trauma, it is recommended to seek emergency dental care.
- Paediatric Gingivitis and Gum Disease
Caused by similar conditions as cavities, gingivitis is a common form of minor gum disease which presents as irritation, swelling, and redness of the gums. Gingivitis can become a precursor to other more serious gum diseases. Professional oral hygiene and proper personal oral hygiene care are usually sufficient to treat minor children’s gum disease cases.
- Orthodontic Problems
Things such as crooked teeth, jaw and bite problems, and crowding are all examples of common orthodontic problems. These can cause speech, psychological, and sociological issues as your child grows. These problems can become worse with time and, as your child’s body goes through rapid growth spurts, can lead to deformation of the face and jaw structure. Orthodontic problems can cause small hard-to-reach pockets of bacteria, which can lead to cavities and other dental pathologies. An orthodontist can diagnose the condition of the jaw in time and prescribe effective treatment.
- Excessive thumb/pacifier sucking
Often used by a child to soothe stress and anxiety. Fine in toddlers but should be discouraged from around 1 years old. Excessive pacifier sucking can cause an open bite which is where the upper teeth don’t come together with the bottom. This leaves a gap at the front of the mouth causing bite, chew, and speech difficulties
- Dental Anxiety and Phobias
If many adults are nervous about dental check-ups, imagine how scared children could be? This can stem from one or many bad experiences in the past. Can also come from parents projecting their anxiety onto the child or from popular media showing dentists and injections as scary. To reduce the stress of anxious children, dental treatment can be carried out under sedation or general anaesthesia.
- Teeth grinding (Bruxism)
An involuntary habit of clenching or grinding their teeth and jaws. Teeth grinding is often caused due to discomfort from emerging teeth and usually stops after teeth develop. However, it can continue and develop into further dental problems such as worn teeth and TMJ disorders, so we highly advise taking your child for a dental check-up regularly.
Dental treatment for children with anaesthesia
Our clinic offers 3 different tiers of anaesthetic to both adults and children, which help to ensure the patient’s comfort during their visit. However, the use of anaesthetics is not just to aid with pain relief during operations but also to ensure the psycho-emotional comfort of our patients. Both sedation and general anaesthesia are used to help patients who are afraid of dentistry, who cannot sit still, or those who find the procedure stressful and uncomfortable.
Local anaesthesia
Local anaesthesia is the most commonly used method due to how simple and effective it is.
Local anaesthesia works by blocking the nerves around the site of injection, thus preventing the pain ‘signals’ from reaching the brain. However, this only works in a small radius around the injection site
When receiving local anaesthesia, a small, thin, needle is used to almost painlessly deliver the anaesthetic to a precise targeted location. It is normal to feel a small discomfort or pressure during the injection, but this is usually extremely minor.
However, care should be taken to ensure the patient will not have any anxiety responses to the needle. This is especially important if it is your child’s first dental injection as this can be scary and overwhelming, which if not handled properly can develop into further dental anxiety. This is why children’s dental treatment is done by professionally trained paediatric dentists, who are able to distress the child during the procedure.
Sedation
Unlike local anaesthesia, sedation does not block or prevent pain but instead coaxes the patient into a light sleep state. This means that local anaesthesia will often be used in addition, to prevent the patient from feeling pain during surgery.
When under sedation, the patient will stay conscious but it will be lessened, they will not pay attention to their surrounding environment and will not feel any fear. Often the patient will not even retain any memories of the procedure. It is beneficial that the patient remains conscious as they are still able to perform basic commands, such as opening their mouth, and answer any questions that may be required.
This method is frequently used to help calm and relax patients who have severe dental anxiety and an urgent need for treatment. If the treatment is not required immediately and the patient responds well, other methods can be used instead to reduce anxiety naturally in the time before the procedure. Sedation also offers the opportunity to treat children with hyperactivity and those with uncontrollable movements or reflexes.
General anaesthesia
General anaesthesia is considered to be the stronger of the anaesthesia varieties. This is due to how it works:
General anaesthesia puts the patient into a deep unconscious state, similar to deep sleep. While under general anaesthesia, the patient will not feel any pain nor any other sensation and will be completely unaware of anything that is happening. General anaesthesia can be performed either through injection or via inhalation from a mask. This allows patients with needle phobia or anxiety to receive their treatment without any major stressors.
However, general anaesthesia is only used in specific cases:
- Complex dental treatment, which will last a long time with many complex steps.
- The procedure requires more precise actions that could be affected by the patient’s movement.
- If sedation is not enough to relieve the patient’s anxiety or reflexes.
Children’s dental treatment with anaesthesia in our clinic
Children’s dental treatment in our clinic is performed by highly qualified paediatric dentists with many years of experience. We ensure to pay special attention to the children’s psychological comfort and make the treatment process fun and interactive, while at the same time providing the most effective treatment possible.
We offer all types of anaesthesia for dental procedures, focus on maximising the comfort and reducing the stress, so children are not afraid to return to our clinic in the future.