Mother and daughter

Highlands Dental Care – Clarksburg, Maryland
Children’s Sedation

Dr. James Tong invites you to relax with your next dental visit

Mother and daughter

Highlands Dental Care – Clarksburg, Maryland
Children’s Sedation

Dr. James Tong invites you to relax during your next dental visit

Book An Appointment

Call Today

(301) 515-5100

Dr. Tong

What is Children’s Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry with Dr. Tong allows his youngest patients to relax while undergoing dental procedures. Dental sedation enables young patients to overcome anxiety from discomfort to a phobia. Plus, sedation allows you to group various procedures into a single office visit, making it a better use of your time. And in the end, your child will have little or no recollection of their visit.

If you have an unpleasant memory of visiting the dentist from your childhood, you know how uncomfortable it can be to feel afraid of the dentist. Let us help your child avoid that same feeling! We want our young patients to love their visits.

As an experienced and compassionate dentist in Clarksburg, MD, Dr. Tong understands your concerns and can make your child’s dental visit completely relaxing and fear-free with the use of sedation dentistry options like nitrous oxide and conscious sedation. Request a free sedation consultation today!

Who’s a Good Candidate?

You might confuse sedation with pain relief. Our young patients don’t feel a thing during any procedures due to our anesthetics. Dr. Tong offers sedation, not for pain, but to help children deal with strong feelings of fear and anxiety that arise when they visit the dentist. After receiving sedation and completing their treatments, our child patients often experience a change in the entire way they view dental appointments going forward.

Have difficulty overcoming anxiety about the dentist
Have a low pain threshold
Have very sensitive teeth
Have a very strong gag reflex
Need a large amount of work done

kiddo sleeping

Sedation Services

Dr. James Tong would like to invite you to visit our office for a full complement of services in one location. We offer nitrous oxide for nervous guests, as well as things like tooth extractions, dental cleanings, and more.

child being sedated

Available To All Patients

Nitrous Oxide

Complimentary to all of our youngest patients, nitrous oxide is ideal for those who experience common dental jitters or minor anxiety. Nitrous oxide is a clear, odorless gas inhaled before and during the procedure. The effects leave patients feeling calm and even euphoric. Once the gas is stopped, the effects dissipate quickly and leave kids ready to resume normal daily activity.

children taking a pill

Relax During Treatment

Oral Sedation

Ideal for moderate dental anxiety, general aversion to the dental office, or a sensitive gag reflex, oral sedation is a prescriptive sedative pill taken before your child’s appointment time. This method of sedation leaves patients feeling very relaxed, calm, and even sleepy, but fully alert and able to respond to our instructions.

Book An Appointment

Call Today

(301) 515-5100

child on my back

We’re 100%
Committed To Your Child’s Safety

Each member of our team is 100 percent committed to making your child feel comfortable, providing gentle and stress-free care, and creating the relaxed environment necessary for positive dental visits. Dr. Tong is trained and certified to administer sedation and monitors patient safety throughout the entire procedure. He can help your family choose the right level of sedation to vanquish any fears, however minor or severe. To ensure complete comfort during dental treatment in our Clarksburg, MD, practice, we are pleased to offer complimentary nitrous oxide to our patients!

Frequently Asked Questions
About Dental Sedation

Dr. James Tong is Clarksburg, MD’s children's sedation dentistry expert and will happily guide you to choose the best option for your family at a Free Sedation Consultation. We offer effective sedation, which are good options depending on your anxiety level and the treatment being done.

Oral Sedation: With oral sedation, your child will be given a small pill to take 1 hour before arriving at their appointment. They will be feeling very drowsy by the time you arrive, so it’s important to arrange a transportation and rest before and after their appointment.

Nitrous: With Nitrous Oxide, or laughing gas, a mask is placed over your child's face which allows them to breathe a mixture of oxygen and gas. This relaxes your child for the procedure. Since the effects quickly wear off, your child will be able to go back to their regular activities immediately after.

Dr. James Tong and Highlands Dental Care of Clarksburg take your family's comfort and safety very seriously and closely monitor the dosages and sedation of our patients, before, during, and after our treatment. Your child's safety is paramount and sedation dentistry is completely safe, especially in the skilled hands of Dr. Tong and his team.
Dr. James Tong offers oral sedation and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) sedation. Depending on your child's anxiety level or the type of treatment performed, a different type of sedation might be recommended by Dr. Tong. We offer nitrous oxide (laughing has) complimentary to all patients. Oral sedation delivers a twilight sleep experience where your child is awake but relaxed. It is very common for patients to experiences an amnesia effect afterward where they don’t remember much about their appointment, which is ideal for children receiving extensive dental work.
Oral sedation is a perfect option for young patients who are going to have extensive work done. Before the start of the procedure, Dr. Tong will prescribe a relaxation pill to help put your child at ease. Patients will become very drowsy, but will still be awake and will be able to respond to directions from Dr. Tong. It is possible to increase the dosage for patients who require more sedation.
For most patients, the effects of oral sedation when getting treatment from Dr. Tong will last 2-4 hours after the appointment. Thus, they’ll need care at home after their appointment. Children should receive lots of rest and no activities for at least 12 hours after their sedation.
Dr. Tong is a certified sedation expert and will make sure your child is safe and comfortable the whole time. Oral sedation has similar effects to amnesia. While technically this is a side effect most parents of our patients see this as a benefit because your child won’t remember the dental appointment. Oral medications can cause headaches, dizziness, dry mouth, and occasionally nausea but these typically pass quickly.
Sleep dentistry means that a patient is asleep, but with sedation, we can help your child relax so deeply that they simply forget their procedure. They will be awake and able to follow instructions while we work, but they will have no member of the procedure itself.
In short, YES! This is one of the greatest benefits of children's sedation dentistry. Your child will be able to relax and "zone out" while we get ALL of their work done. This lowers their stress and fear and helps them maintain a healthy relationship with dentistry.
Dr. Tong can provide sedation for any patient during any procedure. If your child is especially fearful of the dentist, we can help them relax while we work! This will help recalibrate their relationship with dentistry so that they can prioritize their oral health for years to come.
While sedation provides benefits for many children, it’s not right for every child. Depending on your child's medical history, Dr. Tong may not recommend sedation. Some chronic conditions and medications may make sedation risky. Request your Free Sedation Consultation with Dr. Tong to find out if this is the best solution for your child.

Dental Emergency

There’s little that’s as painful as a tooth or jaw ache, so call us any time to schedule an emergency appointment. Our doctors and team love our patients and want what’s best for you, so call us today for an emergency appointment!

Book An Appointment

Call Today

(301) 515-5100

highlands dental care color logo

Phone number: (301) 515-5100

23206 Brewers Tavern Way
Clarksburg, MD 20871

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Hours

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun

Closed
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed
8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Closed

Services

Oral Hygiene
Sedation Dentistry
Restorative Dentistry
Implants
Cosmetic Dentistry
Orthodontics
Sleep Apnea
TMJ Treatment
Night Guard
Pediatric Dentistry
Accessibility Statement
COVID-19