What Do Most People Choose for Anesthesia When Getting Dental Implants?

What Do Most People Choose for Anesthesia When Getting Dental Implants?

Dental implant placement, like any oral surgery, is done with the use of anesthesia to ensure a comfortable and relatively pain-free experience for patients. Patients are typically offered several options for their anesthesia. Dental implants can be placed with the use of local anesthesia alone, local anesthesia and nitrous oxide, or local anesthesia and intravenous (IV) sedation. In rare cases, general anesthesia is used, most commonly in procedures performed in hospitals or surgery centers. When it comes to anesthesia and dental implants, the choice is a very personal one, but most people choose IV sedation for these procedures.

ANESTHESIA AND DENTAL IMPLANTS: YOUR OPTIONS IN DETAIL

Knowing exactly what is involved in each anesthesia option you are offered and the level to which it is capable of controlling pain and discomfort is important. After all, more information is better in terms of making solid decisions as you plan your procedure with your oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Here are the basic facts you need to know about anesthesia and dental implants:

• Local Anesthesia – In this form of anesthesia, medication is injected directly into the soft tissues, numbing the area that will be the surgical site. Use of local anesthesia alone will block pain, but patients typically do feel a sensation of pressure as dental implants are placed and are fully awake and aware throughout the procedure. While those sensations do not bother most patients, others may find them uncomfortable and a bit stressful. For that reason, other anesthesia options are available. However, most single tooth implants are placed using local anesthesia alone as it is a relatively easy procedure and most patients immediately resume normal activities like work.
• Nitrous Oxide/Local Anesthesia – Nitrous oxide, commonly called laughing gas, has a euphoric effect as well as aiding in pain control. It is an inhaled anesthetic, mixed with oxygen and administered via a nasal breathing apparatus. Nitrous oxide, used in combination with local anesthesia, can be a good option for some dental implant procedures, especially simpler ones that involve placement of just one or two dental implants.
• IV Sedation/Local Anesthesia – A more potent form of anesthesia, dental implants patients often find IV sedation the most attractive option for controlling pain and discomfort during more involved procedures like the All-on-4™. Using sedative drugs, administered via an IV line, in conjunction with local anesthesia injected at the surgical site, your oral surgeon can ensure that you feel no pain or uncomfortable sensations during your procedure. As a rule, patients sleep through the procedure, waking after surgery with no memory of the proceedings. Patients are typically given supplemental oxygen while under sedation, and breathing and vital signs are carefully monitored. However, it is important to know that if you choose IV sedation, its effects can take a while to wear off completely, so you’ll need to make arrangements for someone else to drive you home after your procedure.
• General Anesthesia – Chances are, you won’t be offered this option unless your surgery is particularly complex or you have health issues that require your procedure to be performed in hospital setting. General anesthesia is typically administered by an anesthesiologist in these settings, and renders a patient totally unconscious, unable to feel any pain or discomfort.

With all this discussion about anesthesia and dental implants, patients may be wondering just how painful these procedures may be. While everyone has a different level of pain tolerance, most patients find them no more painful or uncomfortable than a typical tooth extraction. With effective anesthesia, dental implants patients are typically quite comfortable throughout their procedures, and pain after surgery is usually quite easy to control with pain medications.