GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!
I happen to thing Pediatric Dentist's are God's Gift to children. I had such horrible experiences having dental work when I was a child that I am unable to go to a dentist as an adult. I have been held down with the dentists knee while he drilled on a tooth that was half numb, had abscesses from incorrectly done dental work that made my face look like I was from "The Planet of the Apes", rubber dams in my mouth for hours at a time, I was even fondled by the Oral Surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth.
K had 4 fillings and 1 cap put in when she was 4. It was the best experience. Children's Hospital in OKC opened it's new wing the day we went in for the surgery. The only negative thing about the experience was she had to wait too long to go in, she had been NPO since midnight and she was the tiniest bit hungry (K's appt. was around 1:30 pm I think). She isn't a big breakfast eater so that was normal for her. There was a baby about 12-13 months old waiting to go in before us and that baby was very hungry...so if your little one is a big breakfast eater see if the dentist can arrange it so your child can go first.
We watched tv in the pre-surgery area and when it was time for her to go in she got to breathe in a gas of some sort then they put the IV in to administer the general anesthesia. She was gone from the room about an hour, she woke up fully in another half hour or so and we went and ate soft food and came home. She had no pain, no side effects, no sensitivity, no problems whatsoever.
To be able to sleep through a dental procedure and not have to experience the shots, the pulling on the lips and face, the bad flavors from the drilling and other stuff, being held in place to finish the work, to not experience all those negative things is wonderful in my book.
Pediatric Dentist's are a different breed of Dentist. K loves going to see Dr. Lee in OKC, both kids went today, as a matter of fact and K talked about the visit all the way down. J turned 2 in December and Dr. Lee put him totally at ease. J just laid there on the reclining chair and let him do whatever he wanted. He even let the ladies clean his teeth and put fluoride on them. He never fussed, never even looked worried. They understand children. He can make any child happy to be there I think.
I am so glad to hear you are taking this step. Good luck!!!!
PS...I think they call it dental surgery because they use an operating room in the hospital for the procedure and general anesthesia is used. They could do it in an office setting but they use the hospital in case of an emergency.