Many patients are scared when they hear oral surgery will be necessary to restore their smiles. To ensure complete comfort and safety during these advanced surgical procedures, most oral surgeons offer a wide range of dental sedative options from the mildest nitrous oxide to general anesthesia. Before beginning your surgical treatment plan, your oral surgeon will discuss your options, explain the benefits and potential drawbacks, and help you find the best sedative option. If you need to be put completely to sleep during your procedure, oral surgeons can typically accommodate you.
What is General Anesthesia?
General anesthesia is the only true sleep dentistry option. Under general anesthesia, patients remain completely unconscious throughout the treatment process. This ensures total comfort and relaxation, during even the most advanced oral surgery. For your safety, your vitals will be closely monitored throughout treatment, and if you are at increased risk for complications, we may recommend having the procedure performed in a hospital setting.
Should I Consider General Anesthesia?
Patients who may benefit from general anesthesia for during oral surgery include:
- Those who need advanced treatment or numerous procedures in visit
- Those who are in severe pain
- Those who struggle to understand treatments and may react poorly during their procedures
Are there Other Options?
For those patients who want to improve their comfort during oral surgery but don’t necessarily need complete anesthesia, there are other, milder forms of sedation. The mildest form is nitrous oxide. Inhaled through the nose during treatment, nitrous oxide can be easily adjusted throughout treatment to ensure complete comfort. You can also use oral conscious or IV sedatives to achieve a deeper level of relaxation without being completely unconscious during treatments. These sedatives are longer lasting than nitrous oxide, so you’ll need to have a friend or family member drive you to and from the office and monitor your recovery.
Meet Dr. Lee
With offices in Marietta and Cambridge, skilled oral surgeon, Jeff Lee, MS, MD, DMD, is here to help you with all of your oral and maxillofacial surgery needs. For those patients who need to have advanced procedures and those who are struggling with dental phobia or anxiety, we are happy to offer complete general anesthesia. This allows you to rest comfortably throughout treatment. We also offer a wide range of milder sedation options, including nitrous oxide and IV sedatives. If you have questions about procedures offered by Muskingum Valley Oral Surgery or any of our dental sedation solutions, please don’t hesitate to give our team a call. We look forward to seeing you soon.