‘Pedodontist bring cheer to children with dental problems’ – Dr. V. Chaugule
Mention the word dentist and it’s a brave man, or child, that doesn’t flinch visibly. As for a visit to one, that’s usually put–off for as long as possible till such a time when the pain is unbearable and the person is left with no choice.

For children, a visit to the dentist can assume nightmarish proportions, not just for the child but for the parents and the dentist too. But circumstances, even uncomfortable ones, are changing. Today a visit to the pedodontist clinic demonstrates that some of the patients actually look forward to their visits there.

Today pedodontists employ what is called “Conscious Sedation Therapy” also known as “Relative Analgesia” by which the patient is administered a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen gases which removes all sensation of pain. All tooth–drilling, cavity–scraping and painful injections become a relatively anxiety–free experience as the pain involved in all these procedures is almost non–existent.

This technique, which was originally started by the department of health in the United Kingdom and approved by the Posso Willo Commission, is now routinely used by pedodontists all over in the western world. The results have been successful and the patients have been entirely satisfied.

There are four main advantages to the procedure. Due to nitrous oxide therapy, the pain threshold of the patient increases to such an extent that the sensation of pain is reduced. Secondly, as the sedation is given through the nasal route and well controlled, a sense of euphoria is experienced by the patient which allows the doctor to give him uninterrupted treatment. Because of this the recovery is immediate and uneventful. Finally, and most importantly, the procedure is entirely safe and cost effective compared to any other analgesic treatment.

“Due to the prevailing fast food culture and bad eating habits, a lot more people suffer from cavities and other problems in larger numbers. Traditional treatment used to be horrifying because, as soon as children spotted the long needles and other dentistry equipment, they would refuse to even sit on the dental chair. It used to be such that even if a small filling had to be done, at least three people had to hold the child down, local anesthesia had to be administered and the treatment time would run into hours. But with nitrous–oxide oxygen inhalation sedation therapy, the children readily agree to treatment”.

Address:
Dr. V. B. Chaugule
‘Shivmangal’, 1st Floor, 1535, Sadashiv Peth,
Tilak Road, Pune 411 030, Maharashtra, India.
Telephone: +91 20 24476375