Bubble Children’s Dentistry offers several types of sedation dentistry to ensure your child has a positive experience.
Nitrous Oxide
Commonly known as Laughing Gas, is great for simpler less invasive procedures like dental sealants, cavity filling, and teeth cleaning.
Our pediatric dentist will administer the laughing gas through a mask covering your child’s nose and the gas will start to take effect after your child takes a few deep breaths. Laughing gas helps your child remain calm and relaxed while awake and aware throughout the procedure. Plus, it wears off relatively soon after the mask is removed.
General Anesthesia
General anesthesia for children may be necessary if they require a major dental procedure or need multiple teeth treated at once. The greatest advantage of putting a child to sleep is that they will not be traumatized by their dental work. Some of the medications that are used actually help the child forget all about what happened during treatment. Also, once the child is asleep, all treatment, including x-rays, fillings, crowns, and cleanings can be done at once in a manner that is not as traumatic or scary.
Usually, the procedure is scheduled to take place at a local hospital, however we have all the permits and requirements from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to provide the general anesthesia here at Bubble. This takes your child’s fear away of having to go to the hospital for dentistry.
We have partnered with Northeast Dental Anesthesia Associates to provide general anesthesia for our patients here at Bubble Children’s Dentistry. They will give the child some oral medication that helps make them drowsy. Afterwards, the anesthesiologist will start an IV and give the right dosage of medications to completely put the child to sleep. Once the child is sleeping, the anesthesiologist monitors the child’s breathing and vital signs, while our dentist provides all necessary treatment.
Meet the Anesthesiologists
Dr. Nicole McKown
Board Eligible Anesthesiologist
Dr. Nicole McKown is a native of Tampa, FL and earned her B.A. in Art History and Pre Professional Studies from the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!) and her DDS from the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York. She completed her dental anesthesiology residency at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. Dr. McKown maintains an academic position at Boston University where she is an Assistant Clinical Professor and directs the anesthesia related curriculum for the post doctoral periodontal residents. She is a visiting clinical instructor at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and a staff anesthesiologist at Franciscan Children’s Hospital. Dr. McKown lives in Boston with her husband and two children.
Dr. Lily Hu earned her B.S. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Michigan, and her DMD degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. She completed her dental anesthesiology residency at Stony Brook University Hospital. Dr. Hu maintains an academic position at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine as the Director of Anesthesia and Pain Control, where she directs all anesthesia-related curriculum for pre-doctoral, postdoctoral, and continuing education level student. She serves as a board director on the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology, which examines and certifies practicing dental anesthesiologists. Dr. Hu is a visiting lecturer and clinical instructor at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, contributes regularly to anesthesia publications, and actively lectures on local and national level in sedation, general anesthesia, pediatric anesthesia, and emergency management topics. She is committed to increasing access to dental care with safe and effective modalities of sedation and anesthesia for all dental patients.
Dr. Lily Hu
Board Certified Anesthesiologist
Please contact our office at 617-655-9410 to schedule an appointment or click here to request an appointment.