With Smiles While You Sleep, anesthesia is administered by certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) who are extensively trained and board certified.   The anesthetic medications, hospital-grade monitoring equipment, and anesthesia techniques that we use today are extremely safe. We are extremely vigilant while monitoring you throughout your procedure with the emergency medications and equipment you would find in a hospital operating room.

The safety and comfort of our patients is our utmost concern. Our CRNAs are diligent in monitoring and recording blood pressure, heart rate, heart rhythms, the amount of oxygen in the blood, and breathing patterns and rates from the beginning to the end of every procedure. We use blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, electrocardiograms, end-tidal CO2 gas analyses, and wireless pre-cordial stethoscopes as we remain vigilant, guarding your unique needs during the surgery.

Typically, the effects of sedation and/or general anesthesia wear off within a few hours of your procedure, but we recommend against driving, operating heavy machinery, and making any life-changing decisions for 24 hours.  Since every patient and case is different, there is no set time of when you will feel normal again, but it often depends on the dental procedure and whether you are taking any other pain medications. 

Anesthetic drugs can cause mild nausea, dizziness, sleepiness, and even sore throats and minor aches as they wear off. Fortunately, it is usually the case that side effects disappear within 24 hours of leaving the office. Staying hydrated is key to a quick recovery, and Smiles While You Sleep would be happy to discuss any necessary pain medications with you before you leave our office.

No! The only reason you would wake up during your procedure is if we gave you minimal sedation rather than a general anesthetic and intended for you to come back to consciousness. We are able to calculate the exact depth of anesthetic needed to keep you properly sedated by considering your needs, the procedure requirements, and the effects of the anesthesia. 

Not necessarily. The staff of Smiles While You Sleep carefully considers all aspects of your medical history when creating a safe and effective anesthetic plan. We always begin by making sure that you’re in the best possible health before administering anesthesia which ensures optimal experiences and outcomes.

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