Dental Anesthesia

Overview

The use of anesthetics by appropriately trained dentists in the dental office and other settings has a remarkable record of safety. Anesthesia-trained dentists work with their patients to determine the appropriate steps to make dental visits as safe, comfortable, and pain-free as possible.

Dentists have a variety of anesthetics available to meet the unique circumstances of each patient.

Local anesthetics are used to control pain in and around the mouth during treatment.
Oral sedatives or nitrous oxide/oxygen (laughing gas) are frequently used by cooperative but anxious patients to help reduce fear and allow for a more pleasant dental appointment.
Intravenous sedative drugs, producing a state of "conscious sedation", can also be used successfully for a great number of patients to control fear and anxiety. These forms of anxiety relief and sedation are generally used in conjunction with local anesthetics.
General anesthesia can be employed where anxiety is profound or adequate local anesthesia difficult to obtain. Young children or mentally challenged adults may require general anesthesia to complete even minor dental treatment due to their inability to cooperate or cope with dental care.

Dentist anesthesiologists are the most extensively trained dental practitioners in the field of pain and anxiety control. They can provide the full range of anesthesia options for most dental or maxillofacial (jaw and face) surgical procedures. Your dentist or dental specialist may also be trained in the use of intravenous conscious sedation. A special permit and advanced education is required to administer these sedative agents in a dental office. If only dental extractions or standard oral surgery is required, an oral surgeon can typically provide conscious sedation or even "deep sedation", a hybrid state between conscious sedation and general anesthesia, for tooth removal or other common oral surgical procedures.

Having Anesthesia/Sedation for Dental Procedures

For more information:

Go to the Dental Anesthesia health topic, where you can:

Read articles on this topic
Browse the previously asked questions

This article is a NetWellness exclusive.

Last Reviewed: Nov 07, 2008

Steven I Ganzberg, SB, DMD, MS
Former Clinical Professor of Dentistry
College of Dentistry
The Ohio State University