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Anesthesia Options
Your surgeon will examine you, review your medical history, including medications and allergies, and help you decide the right anesthesia option for you. Your options include:
Local Anesthesia
Local Anesthesia is administered directly into the mouth to anesthetize or numb the tooth and surrounding areas so that the patient can tolerate the procedure without pain. The patient may feel pressure and hear noise, but not experience pain. This is administered for all surgery regardless of choice of anesthesia. If you decide to only use local anesthesia you need not fast.
Local Anesthesia with Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas)
This option is for those people who are nervous, but do not want the side effects of anesthesia. A mask is placed over the nose to administer the gas. You are awake and able to communicate to the staff, however, the gas relaxes you and does provide some additional analgesia. Then local anesthesia is administered into the mouth.
Sedation
Sedation is provided in the form of medication administered through an intravenous catheter placed in the arm. Monitors are used throughout the procedure to keep you safe while under anesthesia. A blood pressure cuff is placed on the arm, EKG electrodes are placed on the chest, a pulse oximeter is placed on the finger, and oxygen is provided through a mask on the nose.
Sedation is a lighter form of anesthesia, allowing complete relaxation, with fewer side effects than general anesthesia. In addition, sedation usually has a shorter recovery time. With this lighter form of anesthesia, some people may be aware of background noise and activity. However, this remains an excellent choice for anxious individuals who would like "something more than the numbing medications, but are afraid of going all the way to sleep."
This option requires that the patient have nothing to eat or drink 6 hours prior to surgery, an adult must come with them, this adult must stay in the office during the procedure, and be able to drive the patient home after recovery from the procedure.
General
General Anesthesia, like sedation, is administered by way of an intravenous catheter. Monitoring is used throughout the entire procedure (blood pressure, EKG, and pulse oximetry). Oxygen is administered via a nasal mask. The depth of general anesthesia is deeper than that of sedation and the patency of the airway is vigilantly monitored. This option is for those people who want to be "completely asleep" for the procedure.
This option requires that the patient have nothing to eat or drink 6 hours prior to surgery, an adult must come with them, this adult must stay in the office during the procedure, and be able to drive the patient home after recovery from the procedure.