We’re committed to helping kids enjoy their time at the dentist. We want them to feel empowered, have positive associations with their visits to the dentist, and yes, have fun! We also highly prioritize quality care and hold ourselves to high standards when it comes to treatment quality and outcome. A child’s cooperation during treatment helps us achieve the treatment quality we strive for, and patient cooperation stems from trust. For all these reasons, we work hard at earning a young patient’s trust, we see it as part of our investment in your child’s long-term oral health.

Behavioral Needs And Special Accommodations

Smile Out Loud can take great care of nearly all children across a broad spectrum of needs and requirements. Please let us know if your child has any special behavioral (or other) needs. We’ll be happy to make accommodations regarding physical space, treatment modalities, time allotment, or anything else. See our About page for more on accessibility.

Pain and Anxiety Relief

In the spirit of nurturing your child’s relationship with dentistry, keeping their visits positive and safe, and delivering excellent treatment outcomes, we strive to make even unpleasant procedures pain-free and trauma-free. To that end, we offer:

• Local anesthesia 
• Nitrous oxide
• Sleep Dentistry, including sedation and general anesthesia 

Local Anesthesia

Local anesthesia is excellent for relieving pain in the area being worked on. It works by temporarily blocking the nerves from transmitting pain signals to the brain. We can anesthetize the gum tissues by rubbing a gel onto them but would have to inject anesthetic with a needle to anesthetize a tooth. Are you thinking, “My child will never let you stick them with a needle in their mouth!”? Fret not, Dr. Jacqueline Dikansky has several tips and tricks up her sleeve, as well as a wealth of experience, in giving children pain-free local anesthesia. 

The primary danger with local anesthesia is an accidental post-procedure tongue or cheek bite while the teeth are still numb. We advise waiting until the sensation returns before eating!

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide is also known as laughing gas. It helps ease anxiety, or “take the edge off,” so to speak. Children remain aware of surrounding happenings but are more agreeable and less anxious about them. Nitrous oxide affects everyone differently, so it is impossible to predict how much relaxation it will offer your child. Some of its benefits include:

• It’s safe. 
• It effectively reduces fear and anxiety
• It is mildly analgesic, helping to reduce pain 
• It works quickly
• It’s out of a child’s system within minutes, so it stops working quickly too (your kiddo will leave the office back to their normal self)

If your child is receiving dental work and you’re concerned that they won’t be able to sit through it, please talk with us about nitrous oxide. 

Sleep Dentistry Including General Anesthesia and Sedation

Sleep Dentistry renders patients completely unconscious and is administered by an anesthesiologist. We do offer it in-office for most patients, with the primary exception being children whose medical conditions require them to be in a hospital setting for general anesthesia. 

Sleep Dentistry isn’t indicated very often in pediatric dentistry, but it’s an essential tool for us under certain special circumstances, including:

• Lengthy or complex procedures
• Extreme dental fear or anxiety
• Other emotional or behavioral needs that may prevent a child from being able to sit for dental work

Sedation and Special Needs Dentistry in NYC

At Smile Out Loud Pediatric Dentistry in Gramercy Park, we care about your child’s experience with us as much as we care about the health of their teeth. We believe kids shouldn’t have to have bad dental experiences. Call us today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Dikansky and start your child on the path to great, lifelong oral health.