Q:
What is the difference between being awake and asleep.
A: If a patient chooses to have their work done awake, it means
that they are fully aware of their surroundings and know that the work is being
done in their mouths. Usually when treatment is being done on a patient who
is awake local anesthetic is used in the specific area being worked on. Local
anesthetic can also be used in conjunction with nitrous oxide/oxygen to help
the patient relax decreasing their anxiety. The patient who has work done asleep
is under general anesthesia.
Q: What is local anesthetic?
A: It is a fluid (lidocaine, articaine) given through use of
a syringe and needle injected into the specific area. It temporarily numbs the
tooth and surrounding tissues (tongue, lip, cheek etc). This local anesthetic
(freezing) lasts from approximately 3-4 hours.
There are many options available to you today in dentistry that was not, many years ago. Our focus is on pain free dentistry so that patients become comfortable coming to the office regularly. Patients can choose the option of having their treatment done awake or asleep.