At Kona Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Matt Griffith has extensive training in performing comprehensive dental treatment with his patients under general anesthesia. Thanks to our partnership with Kona Community Hospital, we’re able to offer general anesthesia for children who have complex dental issues and special needs.
General anesthesia medications safely put your child to sleep and render them unresponsive to painful stimuli during a surgical procedure and are typically administered in a hospital setting under the care of a licensed anesthesia provider (not a dentist). At Kona Pediatric Dentistry, we partner with Kona Community Hospital to provide hospital dentistry in Kailua-Kona.
At our office, we offer general anesthesia as an alternative to immobilization with papoose boards and restraints. While some pediatric dentists prefer this method, Dr. Matt strongly believes that restraints should only be used in true dental emergencies. General anesthesia makes their treatment simpler, safer, and less traumatic, especially for very young children and patients with special needs.
In most cases, children can get their dental treatment in our dental office without undergoing general anesthesia at the hospital. At Kona Pediatric Dentistry, we offer child-friendly care and nitrous oxide, which is enough for most children to get the care they need.
However, there are some situations where Dr. Matt may recommend exploring general anesthesia and hospital dentistry. This option is best suited for:
If you and Dr. Matt determine that general anesthesia is right for your child, you may be wondering what to expect from their treatment. Here’s a step-by-step overview of the process.
First, you'll need to meet with Dr. Matt in his office for a consultation for him to determine if your child's treatment needs would best be met under general anesthesia at the hospital. Should Dr. Matt recommend your child receive their dental care under general anesthesia at the hospital, he will put you in touch with his personal assistant and hospital scheduler, Miranda Simpson, and she will hold your hand through the entire process. Every patient that is treated under general anesthesia at the hospital with Dr. Matt must undergo two separate physical examinations by a licensed medical professional before stepping foot into the operating room. Safety is always Dr. Matt's highest priority when working on any patient regardless of the setting. These pre-operative physical evaluations will help to ensure the safest possible outcome for your child and are the standard of care when providing dental care for a patient under general anesthesia. The first physical examination will be performed by your child's previously established primary care provider and Miranda will help you schedule this exam. The second physical examination will be performed by a member of the anesthesia team at Kona Community Hospital the day of the procedure upon checking in with the front desk.
On your child’s treatment day, you will bring them into Kona Community Hospital. Your child’s vitals will be checked one more time to make sure they're ready for surgery. Then, they will get some medicine to help them relax, and they will change into a surgical gown.
Your child's anesthesia provider will take them back the operating room where they will be joined with the other 2-4 members of the anesthesia team. Then they will help your child breath into a mask with general anesthesia gases that will quickly and safely put them to sleep within 15-30 seconds. There will be no "shots" or "pokes" while your child is awake at any time in this surgical process. Once your child is asleep, the anesthesia team will establish and secure the IV and then gently place a breathing tube in their nose (because they'll be working in your child's mouth) to secure their airway for the duration of the surgery.
Once your child is fully asleep and the breathing tube is secured, Dr. Matt will begin their treatment. Depending on how many teeth need to be restored or treated, your child's dental surgery may take anywhere from 1-3 hours. Because your child is safely asleep, Dr. Matt can work quickly and efficiently and treat their whole mouth at once.
Once your child’s treatment is over, they will be woken up by their anesthesia provider. Dr. Matt will meet with you to discuss the details of your child’s treatment and give you any necessary post-operative instructions. Then, you and your little one will be sent home to rest and recover for the rest of the day.
If you think your child could benefit from dental care under general anesthesia in Kailua-Kona, Dr. Matt would love to meet you! At Kona Pediatric Dentistry, we’d love to help you explore all of your little one’s options for safe, comfortable, and effective pediatric dental care. You can give us a call or book your child’s first visit with Dr. Matt online. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Call (808) 698-0380 or request an appointment online to set up your first visit. We’ll be in touch soon.