When Should Anesthesia Be Considered?
Do you ever get nervous or anxious about sitting in the dental surgical chair? If you fear going to the dentist, you are not alone. Don’t worry, it’s completely normal. Dental fear/anxiety is a widely recognized problem affecting a large proportion of the population, resulting in avoidance and/or difficulty in accepting dental care.
Why Anesthesia is Used
Many patients suffer from dental or medical phobias while visiting a dental office. Sedation and general anesthesia are used to combat pain, anxiety, and those with the inability to sit still. When going over procedures, your doctor will determine if the patient qualifies for anesthesia and the form in which it is administered. This is determined based on the patients’ previous experience and profile or based on other determining factors.
When you visit your dentist and you are requesting for sedation, you should ask them about the mode or level of sedation and their level of training.
Did you know that oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs), like Dr. Aidelbaum and Dr. Chen, are trained in all aspects of sedation and anesthesia administration? After completing dental school, oral and maxillofacial surgeons must complete at least four more years of training in a hospital-based surgical residency program alongside medical residents in general surgery, anesthesia and other specialties.
They train with anesthesiologists during their residency. No other dental specialty requires this level of training nor obtain this kind of experience from the department of anesthesiology. This intensive training and experience give the oral and maxillofacial surgeon the ability to provide patients with safe, effective outpatient anesthesia that has distinguished the specialty of oral surgery since its earliest days.
Did you know that here at Pacific Coast Oral and Maxillofacial Solutions, we are one of the few facilities in British Columbia to receive full accreditation to administer all levels of sedation and anesthesia. It is recognized as a full surgical facility that can provide general anesthesia in the outpatient setting.
As discussed previously, there may be many reasons why you may need sedation and anesthesia.
Anxiety
Many people suffer from anxiety and phobias when it comes to visiting a dental office. Many avoid visits to dentists due to these fears and therefore neglect their overall dental hygiene. Routine visits to the dentist are imperative to your oral health, so it is important to consider all available sedation options.
Pain
In most cases, anesthesia is used to help reduce pain from invasive or severe dental procedures. Depending on what is needed to be accomplished and the severity of the dental work, the doctor will decide on the strength of the anesthesia – moderate to deep sedation. Considering the patient’s pain tolerance and prior experiences can also be a determining factor for the type of anesthesia, so it is important to be open and clear about your past experiences with your doctor.
Patients with special needs
Adults and children with special needs tend to experience severe oral health concerns. It is common for individuals with special needs to receive concentrated treatment which requires them to sit still and keep their mouths open wide for extended periods of time. General anesthesia will reduce anxieties common in patients with special needs and will relax their bodies allowing a dentist to perform efficient dental work to improve their oral health.
Restless patients
For patients who get restless or antsy, anesthesia may be the perfect solution. As mentioned before, it is commonly used by patients with special needs or those who have a hard time sitting still during dental procedures. Whether you’re restless due to anxiety, fear, or pain tolerance, your doctors will be able to determine condition and provide you with anesthesia to help get you through your visit.
Sedation and anesthesia have made thousands of patients able to receive oral surgical care they require. During the initial visit, you and Dr. Aidelbaum or Dr. Chen will discuss the type of procedure involved, your medical health and your level of anxiety. Based on your concerns and their recommendations we will determine the best type of anesthesia for you. Their priority is the safety and comfort of their patients. Please contact Pacific Coast Oral & Maxillofacial Solutions for more information!
