Westfield Oral Surgery
320 Lenox Avenue, Westfield, NJ 07090
Phone: (908) 233-8088
Fax: (908) 232-4662

ANESTHESIA

BASIC FACTS

Anesthetic choices are based upon personal preferences, surgical indication, and presence of various medical conditions. Consultation is always recommended to help determine the correct anesthetic choice for your procedure.

There are various anesthetic choices you can make with regard to your oral surgical care. The following list is what is currently available:

1. Local anesthesia -This is still the most common form of anesthesia used in our office. Generally a topical anesthetic gel is applied to the gum, and Novacaine like medication can then be placed into the gum tissue, allowing for pain-free minor oral surgical procedures.
2. Nitrous oxide (Sweet air) - Nitrous oxide and oxygen mixture is a gaseous analgesia which also causes relaxation during oral surgical procedures. However, it is used in conjunction with local anesthesia to insure a pain-free experience.
3. General anesthesia or intravenous sedation - These procedures cause various degrees of sedation, amnesia, or sleep for the procedure. For these procedures, there are special requirements, listed below: 

• No eating or drinking anything for eight hours before the procedure and/or nothing to eat or drink after midnight if procedure is to be performed in the following morning.
• You must be accompanied by a responsible adult to drive you home safely after the procedure, it is also recommended that a responsible adult stay with you for the remainder of the day.
• Comfortable loose clothing and low flat shoes are recommended for the actual procedure, and no nail polish should be worn, as this may affect monitoring devices.

The following are instructions which must be followed prior to having any oral surgical procedures performed under sedation or general anesthesia:

1. Do not eat or drink anything, including water, eight hours prior to appointment. If your appointment is the first thing in the morning, do not eat or drink anything past midnight. Any medication which must be taken (blood pressure, antibiotic, pre-med, etc.) can be done so with a small sip of water.
2. An adult driver must accompany you and drive you home after the procedure.
3. Notify the doctor if you have a cold, sore throat, or other illness prior to the procedure.
4. Prior to the procedure, remove dentures, contact lenses, and nail polish.
5. Wear comfortable clothes, loose arm sleeves or short sleeves with flat shoes.
6. After the procedure, you should not drive or operate machinery until the following day.
7. The day of surgery, someone should be with you at home to assist and to help prevent falls.
8. All cell phones are to be turned off in the operatory as they can affect monitoring equipment.

Copyright © 2001 Systect, Inc.