Sedation and anesthesia
Every child deserves a positive dental experience. For children who feel anxious, are very young, have special healthcare needs, or require extensive dental treatment, traditional dental care may not always be the best option.
Peaceful sleep, comfortable careYour child sleeps through treatment under general anesthesia, with pain and anxiety carefully managed
Every child deserves a comfortable smileSpecialized care for young, anxious, or special needs children who may struggle with awake treatment
One visit, one healthy smileComplete extensive dental treatment in a single planned visit, whenever appropriate
At Children’s Dental Health Centre, our pediatric dental specialists offer individualized sedation and general anesthesia options to help children receive the dental care they need safely and comfortably.
With our own accredited pediatric dental surgical centre, dedicated pediatric anesthesiologists, registered nurses, and respiratory therapists, we bring specialized care together under one roof for eligible children.
Less anxiety. More comfort. Specialized care you can trust.
The question everyone asks
It is a big decision, and you deserve to know who will be caring for your child. At Children’s Dental Health Centre, general anesthesia is given by a pediatric anesthesiologist, supported by respiratory therapists and registered nurses, a team experienced in caring for children. It takes place in our accredited day surgery centre at the South location, with dedicated monitoring throughout anesthesia and recovery.
We also offer nitrous oxide and oral sedation, where children stay awake rather than asleep. Together we will go through your child’s health, explain the benefits and the risks, and work out which option actually fits them.
It is the right question, and it deserves a straight answer instead of reassurance. We will go through what is involved, what the risks actually are, and what the alternative looks like. Then you decide.
What we will not do is push a child toward sedation because it is quicker. Plenty of children arrive here having been told they need a general anesthetic, and then manage perfectly well with time, a slower pace and somebody explaining things properly.
The options
Your child gets the least we can get away with. Moving up a level is a decision we make with you, not one we announce.
Laughing gas
A sweet-smelling gas breathed through a small nose mask. Your child stays awake, aware and able to talk to us the whole time. It takes the edge off anxiety and makes the appointment feel shorter than it is.
Medicine by mouth
A measured dose of medication given before the appointment. Your child stays awake but drowsy and much less aware of what is happening. Useful when nitrous is not quite enough but a full general anesthetic is more than the situation needs.
Asleep for treatment
Your child is fully asleep and feels nothing. It is the right answer for extensive treatment, for very young children who cannot cooperate for long procedures, and for children whose needs make awake treatment genuinely unsafe or impossible.
General anesthesia
We go through the whole plan with you, including fasting instructions and what to expect on the day. No solid food for eight hours before the anesthetic and clear fluids up to two hours before, and you are given specific written instructions we review with you. You will know exactly what is being done and why before you agree to anything.
You stay with your child until they are asleep. Nobody takes your child away from you in a waiting room.
Treatment is completed in one session. Because your child is asleep, we can do work that would have taken several difficult appointments awake.
Children wake up groggy and often unsettled for a little while. That is normal and expected. You are there when they come round.
Recovery varies with the procedure, the anesthetic and the child, so there is no one number. Plan for about two hours at the centre. Your child goes home once the clinical team confirms the discharge criteria have been met, and you leave with written aftercare instructions and a number to call.
Why it matters where
Being sent elsewhere for general anesthesia means a new building, a new team, and a child who has to start trusting people all over again on the one day that is already hard enough.
Our day surgery centre is at the South location, so your child stays with the people they know. Dr. Kevin Amaniampong’s research was specifically on planning pediatric treatment under general anesthesia, including for families living farther from hospital.
Nitrous, oral sedation and general anesthetic are all available here, and we will talk you through which one your child needs and why.
Good to know
It is a serious decision and it deserves a serious answer. The anesthetic is given and monitored by a pediatric anesthesiologist, a physician who specialises in anesthesia for children, supported by respiratory therapists and registered nurses. It is carried out in our own day surgery centre, which is accredited as a non-hospital surgical facility by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and as a dental surgical facility by the College of Dental Surgeons of Alberta. The risk is not zero, and we will talk you through it honestly. Nobody here waves it away. For many children the alternative, repeated distressing appointments or untreated infection, carries its own real cost.
No. It usually means they are young, or frightened, or that the amount of treatment needed is more than anyone could sit through awake. A three year old who cannot stay still for an hour is behaving exactly like a three year old.
In an accredited surgical facility. Children who are suitable for treatment in an accredited non-hospital facility have it at our own day surgery centre at the South location. Our dentists review each child’s medical history and treatment needs to recommend the right setting, and some children with complex medical conditions, including certain cardiac conditions, need care coordinated with the Alberta Children’s Hospital instead. Depending on the pathway, treatment there may be provided by a member of our team or by the hospital’s own pediatric dental team.
Often, yes, and we would usually prefer to. Plenty of children arrive here having been told they need sedation, then manage fine with time and a slower pace. You will get an honest answer about which situation your child is in.
For general anesthesia, yes. That team is led by a pediatric anesthesiologist and supported by respiratory therapists and registered nurses. Nitrous oxide and oral sedation do not require a nurse and are not staffed with one: your child is cared for by the dentist and the dental team, and stays awake throughout.
Our goal is to complete all necessary dental treatment in one planned visit, minimizing the likelihood of your child needing general anesthesia again.
Unlike traditional dental appointments, where treatment can be divided into several shorter visits, general anesthesia allows us to provide comprehensive dental care while your child is fully asleep.
Whenever clinically appropriate, we aim to complete all necessary treatment during the same session. We also take a more definitive, long-term approach to restorative care, carefully selecting treatments that offer greater durability and reduce the risk of future dental problems. This may include recommending stainless steel crowns rather than large fillings for certain primary teeth, or removing teeth with a poor long-term prognosis.
Our priority is to reduce the likelihood of treatment failure, recurring dental infections, or the need for a second general anesthesia procedure.
Absolutely, when your child can comfortably and safely tolerate treatment while awake. In these situations, we may divide treatment into shorter appointments, sometimes with the support of nitrous oxide and oxygen or mild to moderate sedation using an oral medication.
However, when general anesthesia is required, our treatment philosophy is to provide the most comprehensive and predictable care possible in one session, rather than intentionally planning multiple anesthetics.
Every treatment recommendation is carefully discussed with parents, considering your child’s dental needs, long-term oral health, comfort, and safety.
Our goal is simple: one carefully planned procedure, lasting dental results, and the lowest practical likelihood of needing another general anesthetic.
Not necessarily. If your child is already a patient here, or you are joining our prevention program as a new patient, no referral is needed to book the assessment. If your child has a general or family dentist and this is a specialist consultation about one concern, we ask that dentist for a referral.