Dental Anesthesia
What Is A Dental Anesthesiologist?
A dentist anesthesiologist is a dentist who has completed a minimum of one year of fellowship training in a hospital anesthesiology residency program. He has been trained to "put patients to sleep" (i.e. sedate) in the operating room of the hospital and he has experience in doing so. He is qualified to use this skill in the dental office also; thereby, making your dental treatment as relaxed and comfortable as possible. He is a highly skilled professional in both the field of dentistry and anesthesiology.
General Anesthesia And Sedation
No food or liquids (including water) may be taken by mouth for six hours prior to sedation. You are not permitted to drive for at least 12 hours after your sedation. You must have a responsible adult driver to drop you off and pick you up from our office. Sedation fees are not always covered by your insurance.
What Is The Sedation Like?
Intravenous sedation has the advantage of being a much safer procedure than a full hospital general anesthetic. You will still have your protective cough and gag reflexes intact and yet a four hour dental procedure may seem like only 2 or 3 minutes long. With sedation we can give you exactly the amount you need to keep you comfortable throughout the whole procedure. While you are sedated, we will numb up the areas we will be working on (unless you are allergic to the local anesthetic) to make sure that you do not have any discomfort.
Do I Have To Be Sedated To Be Treated By Dr. Martin Sanders?
In addition not all of our patients need or require intravenous sedation. Some patients may only require the use of Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) Analgesia with the use of a local anesthetic. Other patients may do very well just with the use of a local anesthetic. We prefer to let you choose the pain control modality that you believe you need. There is no additional charge for the use of a local anesthetic.
