SERVICES

Anesthesia

The ability to provide patients with safe, effective outpatient anesthesia has distinguished the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery since its earliest days. As the surgical specialists of the dental profession, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are trained in all aspects of anesthesia administration.

Did You Know…

Oliver Wendell Holmes was an American doctor and poet. He applied the term “anesthesia” to the condition specifically caused by ether.
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We are trained in and offer the full spectrum of anesthesia care at both our facilities. The choice of anesthetic will be thoroughly discussed and explained at the patient’s initial visit.

Regardless of the technique used, all of our patients are appropriately monitored to ensure a safe experience. All members of our surgical staff are BLS certified and our doctors are certified in both ACLS and PALS. Our office actively participates in our state society’s Office Anesthesia Evaluation program, which includes periodic inspection and evaluation by a team of independent surgeons.

Written pre-operative instructions regarding food and drink, as well as escorts if needed, are provided depending upon the type of anesthetic planned.

Local Anesthesia

Many surgical procedures can be painlessly accomplished under local anesthesia – injection of numbing medication. We utilize effective topical anesthetics to make the local anesthetic injections virtually painless.

Inhalation Analgesia

For the mildly anxious patient, especially for children, breathing a mix of nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) and oxygen, prior to the administration of the local anesthetic, can make the experience more pleasant. The inhalation analgesia can in fact be continued during the entire procedure to allay anxiety.

Enteral Sedation

For the more anxious pediatric patient, a mixture of sedative medications can be given by mouth prior to the procedure. The amount of medication is based upon the patient’s weight and degree of anxiety, and is mixed in the patient’s favorite fruit juice or drink. The sedatives work within 15 to 20 minutes for most children. Once the medication has taken effect, inhalation analgesia and local anesthesia are added. Most children react very favorably to this technique and have no recollection of any events.

Intravenous Sedation

For the very anxious patient, pediatric or adult, IV sedation, also called conscious sedation, is an ideal solution. After the appropriate level of sedation is achieved, local anesthesia is administered. The patient remains pleasantly sedated, continues to breathe on his/her own, but has no recollection of the procedure or even of the injection of the local anesthesia.

General Anesthesia

Depending upon the procedure to be performed, we can completely anesthetize our patients, either in our surgical centers or in the hospital operating room.

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