At East Georgia Center for Oral and Facial Surgery, we offer several methods of anesthesia to help alleviate any apprehension you may have for your procedure. Our experienced doctors and skilled staff aim to keep you and your loved ones safe and comfortable during surgery. During their residency training, oral and maxillofacial surgeons typically complete 4-6 months of rigorous adult and pediatric anesthesia rotations to supplement their surgical training. In addition, many oral and maxillofacial surgeons enroll in medical school and obtain a medical degree (MD) in order to broaden their understanding of medical, surgical, and anesthetic principles. During your initial consultation, your oral surgeon will review your procedure and medical history to help you choose the most suitable method of anesthesia for your surgery.

Methods of Anesthesia:

Local Anesthesia: The patient is completely conscious throughout the procedure and involves the administration of a local anesthetic (ie. Lidocaine) to numb the area where the surgery will be performed. Local anesthesia is typically chosen for simple procedures in minimally apprehensive patients.

Nitrous Oxide Sedation with Local Anesthesia: Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) is administered through a small nasal breathing mask. The patient remains conscious but is in a relaxed condition. A local anesthetic is still given to further keep the patient comfortable during the surgery. Nitrous Oxide has a mild sedative and pain-controlling effect during the procedure. The sedation is completely reversed after the procedure by breathing oxygen for 5 minutes. This allows the patient to drive home and resume their daily activities rather quickly. Nitrous Oxide benefits patients who are moderately apprehensive and are undergoing simple or more involved surgical procedures.

Intravenous Anesthesia
Intravenous (I.V.) medications are administered to help the patient fall asleep and be completely unaware of the procedure being performed. Prior to surgery, the oral surgeon will perform a thorough evaluation of the heart, lungs, and airway. Vital signs are monitored in compliance with the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and our office utilizes the most updated and state of the art monitoring to keep our patients safe during their procedure. Our excellent staff have specialized anesthesia certification and regularly participate in anesthesia training in our office and courses throughout the country. Intravenous anesthesia is given for advanced and longer surgeries or in very apprehensive patients. Wisdom teeth are commonly removed with this method of anesthesia.

Please visit our website, www.eastgeorgiaoralsurgery.com, or call our office to schedule a consultation at 912.764.5435 (Statesboro, GA) and 478.419.2100 (Swainsboro, GA).

Suketu J. Patel DMD, MD