Home   /   Oral Surgery Services   /   Anesthesia

Anesthesia for Oral Surgery

Your comfort and safety are always our priority. We offer several anesthesia and sedation options in our state-of-the art, accredited facilities to provide a relaxing oral surgery experience. Whether it’s local anesthesia or IV sedation, our team of oral surgeons and anesthesia professionals will create a customized plan to fit your surgical needs, personal requirements, and preferences.

Schedule a Consultation

Your Comfort Matters

Anesthesia is one of the significant advancements of modern medicine, allowing surgeons to work uninterrupted while patients have a relaxing, pain-free experience. Anesthesia services are tailored to the complexity of the surgical procedure and your individual needs to ensure the highest level of safety, comfort, and treatment effectiveness.

For less invasive procedures like tooth extractions, local anesthesia or mild sedation may be most effective, whereas complex jaw surgeries require deeper sedation or general anesthesia to manage pain, reduce stress, and maintain patient safety throughout the surgery.  

Oral Surgery Anesthesia Options

The type of anesthesia used during oral surgery depends on a variety of factors, including the complexity of the procedure, your medical requirements, and personal preferences related to dental anxiety and pain tolerance. For most treatments, your oral surgeon will prescribe and administer anesthesia during procedures. For complex procedures, our in-house anesthesia team, including an anesthesiologist and CRNAs, can help ensure the best anesthesia options are administered during your care.

The three main types of anesthesia commonly prescribed for oral surgeries are:

Local Anesthesia

Local anesthesia provides numbness directly where it is administered. It does not affect consciousness, so the patient remains awake while the feelings of discomfort are eliminated. Local anesthesia is commonly used for minor procedures on soft tissue and simple tooth extractions.

Nitrous Oxide

Also known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is a mild sedative that the patient inhales to alleviate feelings of anxiety. It does not cause the patient to lose consciousness and is often used together with local anesthesia.

IV Sedation

IV sedation, or general anesthesia, is commonly used for moderate to extensive oral or facial surgery procedures. This type of sedation is administered directly into the patient’s vein. Since amnesia (forgetfulness) is a common side effect of the medication, most patients who use IV sedation do not remember their procedure.

OMS vs. Anesthesiologist

As part of their extensive training in dentistry, internal medicine, and surgery, oral-maxillofacial surgeons are also rigorously trained in anesthesia. This includes observing anesthetic procedures, administering different kinds of sedatives, and monitoring patients before and after procedures. All this training makes your oral surgeons well-equipped in the use of anesthesia. In fact, according to the Delaware Journal of Public Health, a whopping 78% of anesthetic procedures between 2018 and 2021 were performed by an OMS.  

There are cases in which general anesthesia will be administered by an anesthesiologist in the OR, based on the needs and safety of the patient – and the judgment of the oral surgeon. This is often the case for more serious procedures such as reconstructive jaw surgery and TMJ surgery. It is also common when a patient has a serious health condition like heart or lung disease.

What Our Patients are Saying

  • Wonderful Communicators

    It was my daughter’s first time experiencing any type of surgery requiring IV anesthesia. Dr. Kisella and team were wonderful communicators, kind, and very intuitive during the entire process. I would recommend them to friends and family.
    - Megan S.

  • The Best That Any Could Expect

    I have had teeth pulled and implants added with the least amount of discomfort while under local anesthesia. The entire support staff from the front office to the consultation rooms, the financial advisor, and the operating rooms are all just the best that any could expect. I recommend to all I know.
    - William K.

  • Nothing But Exceptional Care

    This entire team is amazing and gives the BEST care. Just got my wisdom teeth out and from my first visit to my last visit has been nothing but exceptional care. In and out in 30 minutes and any questions I had were answered easily and confidently. First time being put under general anesthesia and it was a great experience.
    - Haley L.

We're Here for You

At Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery, we understand that oral surgery procedures can be intimidating to patients; in fact, it’s common for patients to be nervous about procedures and anesthesia. Our caring team of experts is here for you every step of the way to ensure your experience is as comfortable and stress-free as possible. You can trust that you’ll receive the highest level of patient care from our specialized team at our our AAAHC-accredited facilities.

Caring & Compassionate Surgeons

Meet Our Providers   

Find an Office Near You

View Our Locations   

Our Specialties & Procedures

Browse Our Services