Anesthesia is the umbrella word for every comfort option we use.

In kid words

Anesthesia is medicine that makes a spot sleepy, so nothing bothers it while the dentist works. It can feel a little tingly or numb, sort of like when your foot falls asleep. That feeling fades away again after your visit.

The parent version

Anesthesia is the umbrella term for medicines used to reduce or block sensation during a procedure. It is not one product but a range, from a numbing cream or gel on the gums, to an injected local anesthetic that numbs a single tooth, up to sedation that helps a child stay calm or sleep through more involved treatment.

Which point on that range, if any, fits a particular visit depends on the child's age, temperament, health history and the treatment planned. That is always a conversation, not a default, so ask your pediatric dentist what a specific appointment calls for.

Where you might hear it at our office

You might hear this word at a routine cleaning, where the mildest end of the range, like a dab of numbing gel before a filling, is all that ever comes up. You might also hear it in a bigger conversation about our full sedation and comfort menu, which lays out every option from that first dab of cream to sedation for bigger treatment plans.

Wherever a visit lands on that range, the same rule applies every time: you will always discuss the options with your pediatric dentist first. Nothing happens without you. Browse more entries in the dictionary whenever another word comes up.

Related words

A few related words you might come across: local anesthetic, nitrous oxide and sedation.