About Anesthesia

Anesthesia for an outpatient procedure can vary from local anesthesia to intravenous sedation (partially conscious) to full general anesthesia (fully asleep). For General anesthesia we use the modern total intra-venous technique that affords a rapid induction and pleasant emergence that is essential nausea free

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are unique among the surgical specialties with regards to anesthesia training. Every oral and maxillofacial surgeon during their residency receives formal anesthesia training with the Department of Anesthesia during the course of their residencies. They are taught the skills to safely administer anesthesia to patients. This includes IV sedation, general anesthesia, airway management and intubation techniques. This also includes training and certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Most states have very strict guidelines and licensing requirements regarding the administration of anesthesia in the office to ensure patient safety. Our Doctors follow the guidelines and protocols set forth by our state medical and dental regulatory bodies. Additionally, our entire office staff is certified in CPR.

Your doctor has advanced training in all aspects of anesthesia and emergency care. For more complicated cases, we offer the services of Edward H. Dench M.D.,(www.edench.yourmd.com) a medical doctor who is board-certified in Anesthesiology — including regional blocks, sedation, and general anesthesia. Dr. Dench’s services allow our patients to have the highest standards of care and the availability of the latest techniques and drugs. We do our best to make your surgical experience as pleasant and stress-free as possible while maintaining the highest levels of safety. Dr. Dench is a contributing author of the American Society of Anesthologists office based anesthesia guidelines.

During the initial consultation, your physician will discuss with you the type of procedure involved, your medical history and your level of anxiety. Some especially difficult procedures require the use of general anesthesia or IV sedation, whereas others are best accomplished under local anesthesia. The choice of anesthesia is always a personal decision and should be made only after an informative consultation with the oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

Although most anesthetic medications are kind to the stomach and do not produce nausea, occasionally just the anxiety that one has about having surgery can generate a queasy feeling in one’s stomach. A patient who becomes sick with a full stomach could present a potentially dangerous scenario of choking. Therefore, it is important to follow all pre-operative instructions. The medications used for sedation do persist in the blood stream for up to 24 hours. Therefore it is understood that you will not operate a vehicle or operate machinery for 24 hours after being subjected to sedation or general anesthesia. Increased fluid intake is recommended to flush the medications from your system.

The benefits of general anesthesia and / or intravenous sedation include a decrease in anxiety and awareness during the surgery. This translates into near or total amnesia of the procedure, lack of noise perception and no pain. During the procedure it is important to note that patients are given local anesthetic to "numb" the area and those who are only partially sedated may also feel occasional pressure.