Dental Anesthesia

Anesthetics are treatments or medications that eliminate pain during treatment. Anesthesia blocks the nerves between your tooth and the brain. When the nerves are numbed, they no longer send pain signals to the brain until the medication wears off.

There are two common types of anesthetics.

• Local anesthesia: Local anesthesia numbs a specific, small area of the body. The patient remains fully awake and alert. The dentist uses local anesthesia in several treatments, including cavity fillings, root canals, and extractions. Local anesthesia can also be used in surgical procedures like implant placement. Our anesthetics are highly effective—you won’t feel any discomfort other than pressure or movements, depending on the treatment. The anesthesia remains effective throughout the treatment, although the dentist can increase the dosage based on your needs. Local anesthesia doesn’t alter your judgment, so you can return to your everyday activities after treatment. However, avoid chewing or consuming hot substances for about two hours to prevent hurting your soft tissues.
• General anesthesia: It affects the entire body and induces a state of unconsciousness. You’ll be completely asleep and unaware during the procedure. It’s used for complex surgeries like surgical extractions and implant surgery, where it’s crucial that the patient feels no pain and remains immobile. Recovery from general anesthesia takes longer, so you’ll need someone to help you get home.

Our office creates a comfortable dental environment to ensure everyone enjoys pleasant dental visits. If you need more than anesthesia to stay calm, you can talk to our dentist about sedation dentistry. We are trained to combine anesthetics and sedation dentistry to achieve safe and comfortable outcomes.