Are you put to sleep for tooth implant

It doesn’t take much effort for the imagination to conjure the worst when trying to envision a procedure that entails drills, titanium bolts and your jawbone. But as painful as it may seem, you probably won’t feel any pain when you have your dental implants placed.

Local Anesthesia

For most dental implant patients, local anesthesia will be all that’s needed to get through the implant placement part of the procedure.

A simple needle prick to the implant site and you won’t feel any discomfort until well after the procedure has been wrapped up. And by then, you should have some over-the-counter pain pills handy to help you get through the next day or so.

If the sticking point for you is needles, and not the procedure itself, talk to your dentist about oral options for pain relief and sedation. An oral option may require that you spend a little more time at your appointment, but it can help you avoid needles.

General Anesthesia

If you need more than one implant, your dentist may offer you the option to have general anesthesia. General anesthesia typically won’t be required, even when placing eight dental implants for implant-supported dentures. You can get through the entire placement with just local anesthesia and you won’t feel much, if any discomfort.

The bar is a bit higher for qualifying for general anesthesia, as your current health and medical history will play a larger role in helping your dentist, and possibly your primary care physician, decide if general anesthesia is safe for you.

If it’s just a fear of not being able to comfortably sit through the procedure, talk to your dentist about your sedation options. Along with local anesthesia, an additional sedative can help you relax and sit still without putting you to sleep.

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In that case, Dr. Ray Becker of Howard County Smiles in Columbia, MD can offer you the good news that, since the procedure of getting dental implants is considered surgery, you will be given some kind of anesthesia to help you remain comfortable during the procedure. While you definitely will not feel the procedure at all regardless of what type is used, some dental offices offer different forms of anesthesia, some of which can render you unconscious for the entire procedure. However, this is not normally necessary for the installation of dental implants.

The type of anesthesia you will receive depends upon how many implants you are receiving, the preference of your dentist or oral surgeon, and your own personal comfort level.

Determining the Type of Anesthetic

If you are only having one or two implants installed, general anesthesia should not be necessary. A local anesthetic should be sufficient to keep you comfortable while your implants are placed. However, if a bone graft surgery is necessary, in which bone tissue is harvested from elsewhere in your body and placed on your jaw to support your implant, your dentist or oral surgeon might prefer to work with you under a general anesthetic.

Yet another option during the dental implant procedure is conscious sedation which can help you relax during your procedure. Conscious sedation is often combined with the use of a local anesthetic and is frequently administered in pill form or using nitrous oxide gas. In this scenario, you are still conscious, aware of your surroundings and able to respond to your doctor’s questions and instructions, but you will feel completely relaxed. Conscious sedation can be very helpful for those patients who experience anxiety about dental procedures.

Though it might seem ideal to have your surgery under general anesthesia, it is normally unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Local anesthesia is always safer and not as likely to produce unpleasant side effects. Be sure to discuss your options for sedation and anesthesia with your dentist or oral surgeon to help you make the best choice for your oral health.

Dental Implants in Columbia, MD

If you have missing teeth, dental implants can be an excellent option for replacing those missing teeth, preserving the health of your smile as well as restoring its appearance and full functionality. You can be confident that your dentist will do their best to make sure you are as comfortable as possible during and after the procedure.

To discuss if implants are the tooth replacement solution for you, call Dr. Ray Becker’s office, Howard County Smiles in Columbia at 410.415.9013 or schedule a consultation online today! We look forward to helping your smile shine!