We get a lot of questions from patients before a procedure, but, without a doubt, one of the most common questions is, simply put: “Will it hurt?” This is a natural question. Surgery is something most of us only go through a small number of times in our lives, and it’s simply instinct to be worried about and strive to avoid pain. Thankfully, we don’t have a hard time answering that question.
We strive to do our absolute utmost to ensure that every patient has a painless oral surgery experience.
Given the scope of our procedures, this may seem like a lofty goal, but we have a variety of techniques and a boatload of experience to know that we can provide this ideal procedure to our patients every time. Curious about how we accomplish these painless procedures? Read on to learn a bit about or various sedation techniques.
Minor Procedures
For the most minor oral surgeries, such as any gum treatment and tooth extraction, we will use a simple and common local anesthetic injected directly into the surgical area. Most commonly, this anesthetic is lidocaine, which is popular because it is incredibly effective and causes very few adverse reactions. In fact, it’s such an effective painkiller that it is used in almost every single one of our procedures, in conjunction with other techniques. It wears off quickly after surgery, and you can drive yourself home if we only use a local anesthetic for a procedure.
Moderate Procedures
For some of our lengthier procedures, including extractions, wisdom teeth removals as well as dental implant placements, we will add the use of nitrous oxide to the painkilling regimen for a surgery. Also known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide will be given to patients via a small mask. When combined with lidocaine, laughing gas can greatly increase your pain tolerance as well as relieve any anxiety. The laughing gas also wears off very shortly after the procedure.
Major Procedures
Either in our office or in a hospital setting, the most major procedures can require IV sedation or general anesthesia. For IV sedation, patients technically got in and out of consciousness during the surgery but frequently have no recollection of the treatment. We are also licensed to administer full general anesthesia. In these situations, you will need a friend or relative to drive you after the procedure.
With the full array of pain management tools are our disposal, we can ensure you have a painless procedure. Contact us to learn more!