About Anesthesia
Anesthesia Services in Your Doctor’s Own Office
Several methods of anesthesia are available. The method of anesthesia that is chosen for or by a patient depends upon the nature of the surgical procedure and the patient’s level of apprehension.
Intravenous Anesthesia
Our office offers our patients the spectrum of Intravenous Anesthesia from “Twilight Sedation” to “Deep Sedation /General Anesthesia” for their dental treatment.
Intravenous Anesthesia helps you to be comfortable and calm when undergoing dental procedures. Intravenous Anesthesia is designed to better enable you to undergo your dental procedures while you are very relaxed; it will enable you to tolerate as well as not remember those procedures that may be very uncomfortable for you. IV Anesthesia will essentially help alleviate the anxiety associated with your treatment. You may not always be asleep but you will be comfortable, calm and relaxed, drifting in and out of sleep – a “twilight sleep”.
Intravenous or Inhalational Deep Sedation / General Anesthesia makes you mostly or completely unconscious and unable to sense anxiety or pain; and is appropriate based upon many factors including your health.
How is the Intravenous Anesthesia administered?
A thin needle will be introduced into a vein in your arm or hand. The needle will be removed leaving a thin tube, or catheter. the catheter is attached to an intravenous tube through which medication will be given to help you relax and feel comfortable, and then the appropriate level of sedation will be achieved with additional medications.
The goal of intravenous anesthesia is to use as little medication as possible to get the treatment completed. It is very safe, much safer than oral sedation. With intravenous anesthesia a constant “drip” is maintained via the intravenous tube. At any time an antidote can be administered to reverse the effects of the medications if necessary. Along with intravenous anesthesia there also may be more moderate “levels” of sedation available in your dentist’s office. These could include oral or nitrous oxide sedation.
