Dental Topics

Why Do I Need Anesthesia At The Dental Office?

To make your dental visit as comfortable as possible, Dr. Barry may suggest anesthesia to reduce or eliminate any pain or anxiety that may be related to your dental treatment. The type of anesthesia required for any dental procedure depends on the needs or preferences of the patient.

How do I know if I'm a candidate for dental anesthesia?

You and Dr. Barry will decide what level of anesthesia is right for you. Some patients prefer a higher level of anesthesia than others. Children, people with special needs, such as mental retardation, and those with a condition, such as a dental phobia may require a higher level of anesthesia. The type of anesthesia administered by Dr. Barry is more dependent on individual patient preferences than specific dental procedures.

What are the levels of dental anesthesia?

Local anesthesia is produced by the application or injection of a drug to eliminate pain in a specific area in the mouth. Topical anesthetics are frequently used by Dr. Barry to numb an area in preparation for administering an injectable local anesthetic. Injectable local anesthetics, such as Lidocaine, numb mouth tissues in a specific area of your mouth for a short period of time. Dr. Barry will probably inject a local anesthetic before filling cavities, preparing your teeth for crowns, or for any surgical procedure. Local anesthesia is the most commonly used form of anesthesia in the dental office.

Conscious sedation can be used to help you relax during a dental procedure. Dr. Barry may administer an anti-anxiety agent, such as nitrous oxide, or a sedative, in combination with a local anesthetic for pain. During conscious sedation, you will remain calm during treatment, yet rational and responsive to speech and touch. Anti-anxiety agents and sedatives can be administered by mouth, inhalation or injection.

Deep sedation and general anesthesia is used for complex procedures and for patients who have trouble controlling their movements or need a deeper level of anesthesia during treatment. During deep sedation you will be unable to respond appropriately to verbal commands. During general anesthesia you will be unconscious.

What should I tell my dentist before receiving anesthesia?

Dr. Barry needs to know about all the medications that you are taking, any allergic reactions you've had to medicines in the past, and your past and present health conditions. It's important that you answer Dr. Barry's questions completely and ask about your concerns. This way he will be sure to tell you everything you need to know before receiving treatment. For example, in some cases, your anesthesia treatment may require that you suspend certain medications or abstain from eating or drinking for a period of time before the treatment.

Is anesthesia in the dental office safe?

Although taking any medication involves a certain amount of risk, the drugs that produce anesthesia are entirely safe when administered by a trained anesthesia provider. The best thing to do is ask questions about any procedure that you are not familiar with. Ask about alternatives, training, the doctor's commitment to continuing education and the credentials of other personnel in the dental office who might be assisting with your treatment. Good communication between the dentist and the patient is the best way of insuring safety.

Members of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) are required to take 75 hours of continuing dental education every three years to remain in good standing. The AGD Fellowship and Mastership awards reflect additional hours of experience and study.

Types of Anesthesia

We use two type of anesthesia in our office - local anesthesia or nitrous oxide (laughing gas) sedation

Local Anesthesia: We use several kinds of local anestheic drugs. Most patients refer to these as novacaine. Most often, Dr. Barry will administrer 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephreine. The epinepherine is a vasoconstrictor which causes the blood vessels in the administered area to constrict allowing the lidocaine to be more effective, and stay where we place it.

Dr. Barry also at times uses 3% carbocaine which has no ephinepherine vasoconstrictor for patients with high blood pressure or cardiac concerns, or if they are sensitive to epinephreine.

Occasionaly Dr. Barry will use marcaine for long-acting local anesthesia which will last approximately twice as long as lidocaine. This is good in surgery cases, such as wisdom teeth removal. This allows more time for post-operative pain medications to take effect after the surgery, before the numbness of the local anesthetic dissipates.

Nitrous Oxide Sedation (laughing gas): This is administred by inhalation, meaning that you breathe it through your nose with a nose piece. This can be used in combination with local anesthetic. This drug acts by increasing a patient's pain threshold and lowering their anxiety leve. While administering Nitrous Oxide, a patient's "protective reflexes" are still intact, meaning that they can breathe on their own, swallow, and respond to commands. This sedation basically reduces the nervousness in a patient and helps get rid of the "butterflies in the stomach" feeling. When a patient is removed from the nitrous oxide, they return to normal within a few minutes. They can even drive home themselves if they have a license. This type of sedation is used for children and adults alike.