Preparing for Oral Sedation

• NO EATING OR DRINKING FROM MIDNIGHT PRIOR TO PROCEDURE UNLESS DISCUSSED OTHERWISE WITH THE TREATING DOCTOR.
• Please notify our team of any medical conditions that make it more difficult for your child to breathe.
• Please be sure to inform our team of any change in your child’s health/medical condition.

If your child is taking medications (and it has not been listed–or is not in our records) please let the Doctor know prior to scheduling.

PLEASE, INFORM US IF YOUR CHILD WAS SICK IN THE LAST 4 WEEKS. DEPENDING ON DETAILS OF PREVIOUS ILLNESS, WE MAY HAVE TO RESCHEDULE SEDATION APPOINTMENT.

This is a liquid drink (oral) that is administered in our office through a cup or oral dropper/syringe.

*Versed is a conscious sedation, your child will NOT be asleep; they will be responsive but drowsy.*

Your child must be healthy and have no fever, congestion or prolonged coughing leading up to the appointment or on the day of the appointment. If this occurs, call our office immediately to reschedule.

BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT:

The child MUST be on an empty stomach from 12:00 am (Midnight) the night before the appointment.

• NO FOOD or any type of snack.
• NO WATER or any type of drink.

The child’s vitals are monitored with the toe, so the child cannot have any stockings/tights or nail polish on.

Please note your appointment is time specific, and includes 15-30 minutes of waiting between the time you arrive and the time your child is seated for treatment.

DURING THE APPOINTMENT:

Upon arrival, we will have you complete all necessary paperwork for the appointment, treatment and sedation. Once it has been completed we will call the child in to be weighed. Using the child's weight and age the doctor measures how much of the sedation the child will be drinking.

Once the medication is ready, we will call the child back to drink the “juice.”

Your child will receive a coin for a prize and then is to be seated with a guardian or parent, quietly in the waiting room. At this time your child can begin to feel drowsy, silly or somewhat lacking in coordination as soon as 5 minutes, or it can take up to 30 minutes.

The medication takes 15-30 minutes to peak, so at the end of this time frame your child will be called in and seated for treatment. You will bring your child into the treatment room, and will then be asked to step out to the waiting room while your child is being treated.

PLEASE NOTE: Just as in a hospital or surgical center, the parent or guardian WILL NOT be in the room during the time of the treatment.

AFTER THE APPOINTMENT:

Your child needs to be taken straight home, do not allow the child to return to school, day care or any extracurricular activities. A school note can be provided upon request. Your child must have a nice relaxing day that involved staying home with an adult present to be sure the child is not walking around or can hurt themselves. The child WILL be leaving the office coming out of the sedation and will require an adult to be present with them at ALL times until later in the evening.

Encourage your child to drink a lot of fluids, as the fluids clear the medication from your child’s body and will enable them to become fully alert in a shorter amount of time.

It is also recommended to avoid dairy products for the remainder of the day: no milk, cheese, or yogurt.

If you need to change or cancel the appointment for any reason, we ask for the courtesy of a call 24-48 hours in advance.

You can click on the button below to download and print these instructions.