Thanks to advances in technology, anesthesia used in oral surgeries and treatment is not only safe, but highly effective in controlling discomfort and anxiety. Before your procedure, you and your surgeon will discuss the best option for you based on your needs and health condition.
Rest assured that our office offers several anesthetic options.
IV Anesthesia
When you have IV anesthesia, you’ll be in a sleep-like state, and unable to feel what’s happening in your mouth. This is a commonly used anesthesia option during many oral surgery procedures. You’ll receive drugs via an IV line, go to sleep and have no memory of the procedure. During the surgery, your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing will be carefully monitored. When the procedure is complete, the anesthesia will be flushed from your body and you’ll wake up.
Local Anesthesia
If you’ve ever had a dental filling, you’ve probably had a local anesthetic. The medication is applied near the nerves in the area of your mouth where the dentist will be working. A few minutes after the medicine is applied, your mouth will become numb.
Prior to administering the injection, we’ll put a topical anesthetic in your mouth so the shot will be as painless as possible. The flavored gel temporarily numbs the gum in the area where the anesthetic injection is needed.
Local anesthetics have been used for years in patients. Novocaine was one of the first common local anesthetics used in dentistry, and many patients still assume any dental injection is Novocaine. However, it’s seldom used today. A wide variety of local anesthetics are available in modern dentistry, and we’ll select the one that’s right for your procedure and medical history.
Balanced Anesthesia
Balanced anesthesia is a combination of IV anesthesia and local anesthesia. This combination is the safest and most effective option for the majority of oral surgical procedures. The intravenous anesthesia allows you to sleep through the procedure while the local anesthetic provides comfort during and after the procedure.
