Kids Dental in Stafford VA

Why Does My Child Need General Anesthesia?

The following is to address some questions and concerns we often face in our world of Pediatric Dentistry and General Anesthesia. The biggest being “Why does my child need General Anesthesia?”

At Red Apple, we take in, and treat up to 120 new patients a month. I know, crazy right?! Out of that 120 patients, we may come across 2-3 children who have significant enough anxiety, behavioral issues, or treatment needed that we recommend General Anesthesia for it to be done. That’s roughly 2% of our patient population. So being as uncommon as it is, we still find the need and have seen the demand for it. General Anesthesia is a form of sedation, which is administered by an IV. This is in a controlled setting, with a team of highly skilled and trained individuals.

Our Anesthesia provider Dr. Sandhu is a dental anesthesiologist, meaning he specializes in anesthesia specifically for dental treatment. Before we do General Anesthesia in the office, we first get a significant medical history from the parents and also have them see their pediatrician as a precautionary visit to make sure they are in their peak health and can handle going under. After we have reviewed the child and family medical histories, we then get the OK from our Anesthesia provider, and the child can be scheduled for their appointment.

Why Do We Do It In The Office Instead Of The Hospital?

We offer General Anesthesia as a convenience to our patients, and nothing more. We previously had privileges at the local hospital, but they did not have the proper equipment for Dental, and we would have to mobilize ours and that leaves room for error.

We like to have every resource available to us, and what better way to ensure that than doing it in our own office where we have everything we need for dental? The anesthesiologist has already specially mobilized his equipment and has his own operating room on wheels. We set up everything the same day, run the functions tests, and begin getting ready for the cases.

Why doesn’t our office submit to insurances for anesthesia?

Our office is only contracted with dental insurances, and only for our provider. Our anesthesia provider is a private contractor and his own entity. For us to submit to anesthesia he would have to be an employee of our practice and contracted with our insurances. And he is simply not. We typically only find the need for his services every 6-8 weeks. We do however submit and handle all dental related claims and assist you in every way we can to make the reimbursement process as easy as possible. The anesthesiologist provides you with a detailed “superbill” at the end of the case which will contain his professional information including his Tax ID, GA license number, the CDT(dental) codes, ICD-9(medical) codes, diagnostic codes, the fee paid by you for services rendered. The form also specifically states you already paid for these services and should be reimbursed directly. We recommend submitting one to the Dental and Medical insurance companies as most of the time, these procedures are deemed medically necessary due to age, behavioral diagnosis, or amount of treatment needed.

We hope this will create an understanding and clear up any confusion regarding the General Anesthesia services offered at our practice. There is no monetary gain for us, it is only to make our patient’s experiences as comfortable as possible, and to make it as convenient as possible for the parents. In the event that any of our patient’s parents are not comfortable having anesthesia done in the office, we will always gladly provide a referral to another local dentist who will take them to Fredericksburg Mary Washington Health Campus. We only want what’s best for our patients and what they’ll feel most comfortable with! If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we would be more than happy to answer in as much detail as possible.

We are in business to make sure that children possess the happiest, and one of the healthiest smiles around!

For more than two decades now, we have been offering our clients with some of the best tricks, tips, and products recommendations for their children.

Are you worried that your children may not have the best smiles around? Don’t worry! Meet Jenny Silverstone, chief editor at Mom Loves Best. Jenny is a local mom, here in Stafford, VA letting you know why your child’s dental health is important, what you can expect to see as far as dental development at various ages, and tips to keep those chompers clean!

In Mom Loves Best’s recent blog post, she gives you the Ultimate Guide to Helping Children Have Healthy Teeth & effective ways that you can help your kids protect these important pearly whites. A few examples in her infographic include:

Wipe the Kid’s Gum

So, how do you go about ensuring that your child has healthy teeth?  First, it is important to begin oral hygiene way early by wiping the baby’s gums even before the appearance of the first teeth.

Avoid cases of liquid pooling in your kid’s mouth

There is an acid-producing type of bacteria work on breaking simple sugars that include lactose, table sugar, and fructose, and if liquids pool in the kid’s mouth for several hours, it can go ahead to coat your kid’s teeth, an aspect that will lead to tooth decay.

Flossing

As soon as teeth appear, you need to master your child’s teeth well. Soon as your child’s teeth touch, it is vital to begin flossing to prevent tooth decay. This is followed by ensuring that you use toothpaste the size of a grain of rice for kids below three years, and the size of a pea after there.

Again, avoid pacifiers as your children’s teeth continue growing so that the teeth stay in place. Keep sugary foods away, and make oral care fun for them and finally, make sure that you take your kids for regular dental checkups.

If your children have well-maintained teeth that are clean and attractive, then their confidence and self-esteem will be high!  Contact us if you need dental health checkups for your children.

Safety is always every parent’s top concern when it comes to their child receiving dental sedation.

 

This practice is becoming popular in the world of dentistry since it helps to take away the anxiety of the patient.

Dentists also say that sedation makes some of the routine procedures safer and easier to carry out. Sometimes, the kid is allowed to swallow a liquid sedative or inhale the laughing gas which keeps them calmer. However, in rare cases, children may fall into deeper than anticipated level of sedation, and if they aren’t saved swiftly, they start having difficulties breathing or even lose their lives.

Is Sedation Safe for Your Child

The overall answer to this question is “yes.” Sedating a child is typically a very safe procedure, and as a parent, you can play a critical role in reducing the stress level of your kid before, during and after the treatment.

It’s good to know that some children are particularly vulnerable during this process because of their anatomy and other factors. For instance, children who have enlarged tonsils have a higher risk of suffering airway obstruction. Kids who are also below the age of six years have a higher risk of the adverse effects of sedation since they have a smaller airway.

Know Your Alternatives

Sedation is always beyond routine dentistry, so the first thing that you should ask the dentist is whether it’s necessary. It’s not recommendable for sedation to be the first line of dental treatment. Ask the dentist whether its possible other invasive options such as placing a temporary filing to push time until the kid relaxes for the operation.

You should also inquire about the experience of the expert when it comes to sedation. The dentist should be able to choose the right drug and know how to rescue your child in case he/she is oversedated. Sometimes, you encounter a dentist who only undertook a weekend course on sedation. Contact us today for more information.

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM), a campaign sponsored by ADA.

This year’s, dental health month will take place courtesy of both Crest + Oral-B and ADA.

It’s a month-long dental campaign that will see thousands of healthcare providers, dental professionals, and qualified educators join hands to educate on the importance of children’s proper oral health to the kids, their caregivers, teachers among others.

In 2018, the campaign theme is different from the last year’s that sought to encourage the kids to drink tap water instead of the sugary and acidic beverages that cause tooth decay. Tap water is healthy and has been enhanced with community water fluoridation, which provides additional oral benefits.

The year 2018 NCDHM Campaign Slogan

The National Children’s Dental Health Month February 2018 slogan is straightforward. ‘Brush with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth for a healthy smile,’ goes the slogan.   It emphasizes the need to embrace the kinds of toothpaste with fluoride as an ingredient and how kids should brush their teeth.

Promotional efforts

The 2018 NCDHM program planning guide provides the program stakeholders such coordinators, teachers, parents and healthcare providers the resources for promoting the campaign.

Great ideas for the publicity of the message include newspapers, TV and radio stations. Scrape the local phone directories for news outlets. Take advantage of the ‘free’ papers and or the community news that report the upcoming local events.

Campaign Fun Activities for Kids

To keep the campaign enjoyable for the children, ADA recommends some fun activities you can get them to participate in. They have provided activities such as crossword activity, calendar activity, coloring sheet, and connect the dots activity, all in a downloadable pdf format.

Red Apple Pediatric Dentistry Team Supports the NCDHM Campaign

Good oral habits should start at an early age. At Red Apple Dentistry, we provide comprehensive healthcare from infancy through the teen years. Book an appointment for a dental check-up to ensure lifetime healthy teeth and gums.

Here is a guide addressing the most common questions we receive about the safety of fluoride.

As a caring parent, you would like to know all you can about what your child is eating and drinking. It’s only natural that you want to keep your child safe and protected. That’s why we’ve prepared this guide addressing the most common questions we receive about the safety of fluoride.

What is fluoride?

Fluoride is a mineral that is found in natural environments. It is part of phosphate rock. In many areas, fluoride naturally dissolves into groundwater. In other areas, however, it is added to the water supply to promote healthy teeth.

Why do we need fluoride?

Fluoride is essential for healthy teeth. It helps protect teeth from bacteria that can lead to decay, cavities, and infection. It can even reverse some tooth decay that has already started.

Is fluoride safe for babies?

The amount of fluoride in drinking water is highly regulated. Over 70 years of research have concluded that it is perfectly safe for everyone, including babies. Children who don’t have adult teeth yet are at a slight risk for fluorosis, but it is generally mild with no symptoms except white streaks on the teeth.  Once the adult teeth come in, the risk of fluorosis is over.

What if our drinking water doesn’t have fluoride?

You can ask your local water authority about the levels of fluoride in your drinking water. If your water doesn’t have fluoride added, then you can ask your dentist for alternatives such as fluoride tablets.

Find a Dentist

If you have more questions about the safety of fluoride or its benefits, please contact Red Apple Pediatric Dental Team to make an appointment. You can also find out more about our pediatric services, such as fluoride treatments, on our website.