Pediatric dental surgery and sleep dentistry
Some children need dental treatment that isn’t possible in a routine chair-side appointment. They may be very young, have significant treatment needs, have high dental anxiety, or have special healthcare needs that make a standard visit difficult. For these patients, Dentistry for Children offers pediatric dental surgery under general anesthesia (also called ‘sleep dentistry’ or ‘asleep dentistry’) at the Pediatric Dentistry Center of K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
When sleep dentistry is the right option
Your child’s dentist will recommend dental surgery only after considering every other option. Factors that may make sleep dentistry appropriate include:
- Very young children who need significant dental work and aren’t yet able to stay calm and still for long procedures
- Children with high dental anxiety, where proceeding with a standard visit would risk a long-term fear of dental care
- Children with physical, developmental, or sensory special needs that make extended chair-side treatment difficult
- Cases where the volume of treatment required makes multiple office visits impractical
- Traumatic dental injuries that require extensive restoration
Where and how our dental surgery is performed
Our sleep dentistry cases are performed at the Pediatric Dentistry Center of K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, NJ. This is a full pediatric hospital environment, staffed by a dedicated team that includes our pediatric dentists, pediatric-trained RNs and LPNs, and board-certified anesthesiologists. Your child’s safety is managed throughout the procedure by professionals who specialize in caring for children under general anesthesia.
Procedures we perform under sleep dentistry
- Dental fillings and restorative work across multiple teeth
- Extractions of decayed or problematic teeth
- Stainless steel crowns and pediatric crowns
- Pulpotomies (pediatric root canals)
- Frenectomies (correction of tongue-ties and lip-ties when clinically indicated)
- Comprehensive treatment where multiple procedures are combined in a single visit
What to expect on the day of surgery
Before the procedure
Your child’s dentist and anesthesia team will give you specific instructions at least 24 hours before surgery, including when to stop eating and drinking (usually the night before). You’ll also review your child’s medical history, any medications, and any allergies.
During the procedure
Your child is placed safely under general anesthesia by a board-certified pediatric anesthesiologist. The dental team then completes all planned treatment in a single visit, often an hour to a few hours depending on the case.
After the procedure
Your child recovers in a monitored recovery area until they are fully alert and stable. Most children go home the same day. Your care team will provide specific instructions for eating, drinking, pain management, and follow-up.
Frequently asked questions about pediatric dental surgery
When performed by board-certified pediatric anesthesiologists in a hospital setting, general anesthesia for dental procedures has an excellent safety record. Every case includes a full pre-procedure health review, continuous monitoring during the procedure, and post-procedure recovery monitoring.
No. Under general anesthesia, your child is fully asleep and will have no memory of the procedure itself.
It depends on how much treatment is needed. Most cases take between 1 and 3 hours of procedure time, plus time before and after for preparation and recovery.
Coverage varies by plan. Many plans cover the dental portion of the procedure, and some cover the anesthesia portion when it’s medically necessary. Our team will help you understand your benefits before scheduling.
For some children, nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or mild oral sedation is enough. For others, the amount of treatment needed, their age, anxiety level, or medical situation makes general anesthesia the safest and most appropriate choice. Your child’s dentist will recommend the least-invasive option that can safely complete the treatment.
No. Your child must have an empty stomach before general anesthesia. Our team will give you specific instructions on when to stop eating and drinking, usually the night before surgery.
Most children feel groggy for a few hours and eat soft foods that day. Soreness is typically mild and managed with children’s acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Most kids are back to normal the next day.