Less Hostile Environment for the Child
Children often have a negative perspective of a dental practice! Therefore, despite a dentist's plans to treat the child under IV sedation, frightened and anxious children will remain restless in the dental chair and won’t allow the dentist to provide the required treatment.
On the other hand, ambulatory surgical centers provide a calm and soothing environment where the child is treated under general anesthesia.
Safety – ambulatory surgical centers employ full-time anesthetists to monitor the vital signs and status of the children while they are being treated under general anesthesia. This means that the ambulatory surgical centers are better equipped in performing real-time monitoring of their patients and to provide medical treatment, in case a medical or dental emergency arises. Also, ambulatory surgical centers are certified by federal and state regulatory authorities to ensure patient safety and high-quality dental care.
Convenience – when children are treated under IV sedation, they tend to remain sleepy for a few hours after they have been discharged from the dentist’s office. This is not the case when treatment is done in ambulatory dental centers. The patient will be slightly groggy and may even want to just sleep. Please remember a guardian must remain with the patient for the remainder of the day.
Efficient – treating children at a dental office becomes very difficult, even impossible when many procedures have to be performed in a single sitting. In these cases, ambulatory surgical centers prove to be extremely useful. Why? Because dentists can plan multiple procedures to be performed on the same day when the child is under the effect of general anesthesia.
Best for Children with Disabilities – ambulatory surgical centers are an ideal option for the treatment of children who have physical or mental disabilities, especially those who have neuromuscular problems and are unable to sit still. In these children, sudden uncontrolled movements prevent the dentist from providing treatment, and they can accidentally injure the child or a member of the dental team. When these children are placed under general anesthesia, dentists can easily perform extensive and time-consuming procedures without any hindrance.
