• Dental treatment can be transformed into a relaxing and comfortable experience, as sensation, awareness, and recall are minimized.
• It can diminish fear and anxiety for phobic patients.
• Children and others who are unable to cooperate for standard dental work are able to undergo treatment in a caring manner.
• It helps combat a hyperactive gag reflex and can permit patients with a low pain threshold or the inability to get numb to tolerate dental care.
• Extensive or intensive dental work can be completed comfortably and expeditiously.
• Patients save time and money compared to treatment in the hospital setting.
• It reduces the stress of dental work for patients suffering from chronic illnesses such as cardiac disease, hypertension, asthma, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and autism.
• It is safely performed in the comfort of the dentist’s office, and the patient goes home after treatment.

Moderate sedation is a term used to describe a level of anesthesia / sedation that causes a reduction but not full loss of consciousness. This distinction is important because while the patient is unlikely to remember anything from the procedure, certain reflexes and protective responses remain intact. This means the patient may respond to verbal or tactile (touch) commands, but largely be unaware of their surroundings. This level of sedation is often selected if certain medical conditions predispose the patient to higher risk for complications from general anesthesia or deep sedation. From a practical perspective, the medications used can reliably inhibit awareness and memory during the procedure, but movement (including coughing and purposeful withdrawal from discomfort) can be expected.

If there is food or liquid in the stomach, there is a risk of aspirating, or inhaling food or liquid into the lungs, during anesthesia which can cause serious problems including lung problems and even death. The risk of aspiration is minimized by allowing the stomach enough time to empty out its contents.

You may feel slightly groggy or tired for a few hours after your procedure. Although you may feel fine, your memory and judgement may be impaired for the remainder of the day. All effects of anesthesia should be gone within 24 hours. Depending on the type of surgery you have completed, you will have varying amounts of discomfort associated with the procedure.

Each patient and their medical history is unique and we will instruct you to either take or withhold all or some of your medications. Know that it is okay to take your medications with a small sip of water in the morning if instructed to do so by the anesthesiologist.

Side effects vary from person to person, the most common side effects include nausea and vomiting, sore throat, and physical and mental impairment. These effects are generally mild and short lived.

It is best to check with your dentist to determine how long they anticipate your/your child’s treatment to be. Generally, the anesthesiologist will require up to an additional 15 minutes before the dentist can start (to begin the anesthesia process) and up to an additional 15-20 minutes after the dentist completes treatment (to finish the anesthesia process). When estimating your anesthesia cost, be sure to account for this anesthesia time in conjunction with the dental time. Anesthesia rates will be reviewed during your pre-operative call, however you are welcome to contact us anytime to discuss them further or request a breakdown of the rates by email!

Some medical and dental insurances may cover total or partial reimbursement for anesthesia services. We will recommend you contact your carrier directly to determine your Out-of-Network benefit eligibility. Upon request, we can provide you with an itemized receipt and a copy of the anesthesia record, from the day of treatment, which you may submit directly to your insurance company for potential reimbursement. If you would like to inquire about seeking insurance reimbursement, feel free to contact our office directly for additional information.

There are several different ways to perform general anesthesia. Upon the discretion of the anesthesiologists, you may or may not have an endotracheal (inside the windpipe) tube, an LMA (laryngeal mask airway, which is a mask placed in the throat), a nasopharyngeal airway (placed in the nose) or a protective throat screen. This depends on individual patients, medical histories, and the type of procedure to be performed.

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