Dental anxiety is something that many patients suffer from. In children, the young age may contribute to the lack of cooperation as well. We believe in the importance of helping children develop a positive attitude towards dentistry that will accompany them for life. There are different levels of sedation, and different medications that can be used. Through sedation a child’s behavior can be guided, that will create a positive experience for the child. Sedation dentistry is a safe alternative to dental treatment under general anesthesia , and make future treatments easier for both the child and the parent. In certain cases, general anesthesia is appropriate, but it should not be the go-to alternative when laughing gas is not enough.
The Board of Health of MA licensed our practice to provide sedation and anesthesia services. When needed general anesthesia can be performed at Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Brighton.
Dr . Sapir accepts referrals from his colleagues (General and Dental Specialists) for the treatment of children and adults who may require advanced behavior guidance techniques (non-pharmacological or pharmacological) or are patients with special health care needs/ medically compromised.
Dr. Sapir is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and a former faculty at Hadassah's Pediatric Dentistry Department, and the Associate Program Director of the NYU- Lutheran Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program in Providence, RI. A former Associate Program Director of the Boston University Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program in Boston, MA . Assistant Clinical Professor and Director of Pediatric Dental Sedation as well as director of Special Health Care Need management course. He was the Associate Director of the Department of Dentistry at Franciscan Children's Hospital. Dr. Sapir's extensive experience in teaching, academic publications, and practicing sedation of children and adults (and patients with special needs) qualifies him as a leading authority in this field. He is licensed in all modalities of moderate sedation for children and adults: Inhalation, oral, intranasal, and intravenous. His exceptional bed-side manner is the mainstay of his practice and frequently sedation dentistry is just an adjuvant to behavior guidance and can be a whole life-changing experience for patients.
Sedation Options
Nitrous Oxide sedation - A nose mask is used to inhale Nitrous Oxide together with Oxygen. Nitrous oxide is a safe way to lower anxiety and increase the pain threshold while the patient is aware of his surroundings and engaged in the process. The effects of nitrous oxide are reversed after inhaling oxygen for a few minutes after treatment. There are no residual effects and patients are not limited in activities after treatment.
Oral minimal and moderate sedation - There are a number of medications that alone or in combination with others will sedate the patient and make the dental treatment more tolerable. These drugs do not put the patient to sleep, although a patient may feel relaxed enough and tired that he will doze off. The patient can be aroused by calling his name or with physical stimulus. Some of the medications cause amnesia, so the patient will not remember the dental treatment. The type of drugs used is tailored specifically to each patient's needs and considers the age of the patient, amount of dental treatment needed, the health of the patient, and level of anxiety. During sedation, the patient is monitored to ensure his safety at all times. The sedative medications are still in effect to a certain extent after dental treatment is concluded, all patients need to be escorted and activity limited that day.
I.V. sedation - For adults and teens IV sedation can be an alternative to oral sedation. IV sedation allows better titration to get the ideal sedative effect, and the effect is immediate. The patient does not have to be in the practice an hour or thirty minutes before the appointment time to take medications.
General Anesthesia - For selected cases, we offer a choice of in-office general anesthesia as well as at Franciscan's Children's hospital dental treatment under general anesthesia for children and adults. We collaborate with a board-certified dental anesthesiologist for all of these cases.
