Richard H. Bruckner D.D.S. Oral Surgeon, Anesthesia Service

Anesthesia as an outpatient in our office can vary from local anesthesia to true general anesthesia.

1. Local Anesthesia (Freezing)

2.Oral Sedation: Taking a pill prior to arriving at the office

3. Intravenous Sedation (Twilight sleep): Partially Conscious

4. General Anesthesia (Fully Asleep)

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are unique among the surgical specialties with regards to anesthesia training. Every Oral and maxillofacial surgeon during their residency receives formal anesthesia training with the department of anesthesia in the hospital. They are taught the skills to safely administer anesthesia to patients and receive a license in the practice of anesthesia. This includes IV sedation, general anesthesia, airway management and intubation techniques. This also includes complete training in Advanced Cardiac Life Support as well as CPR. Most states have very strict guidelines regarding the administration of anesthesia in the office to ensure patient safety. We, as most oral and maxillofacial surgeons, follow the guidelines and protocols set forth by The state of California and The Southern California Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. The office staff at Dr. Buckner's office are trained in all aspects of general anesthesia and are CPR certified.

Many patients can have their procedures completed using a local anesthetic to "numb" the area. For those people wishing to be sedated so that they are unaware of the surgery, IV sedation and general anesthesia is offered. Ambulatory anesthesia is the administration of medications in the office that induce either general anesthesia where the patient is totally asleep or sedation where the patient is in a semi-conscious state. All forms of IV sedation and General anesthesia are administered by Dr. Bruckner and his staff members

During the initial consultation you and your oral surgeon will discuss the type of procedure involved, your medical history and your level of anxiety. Some procedures do to their nature require the use of general anesthesia or IV sedation, whereas others are best accomplished under local anesthesia. The choice of anesthesia is always a personal decision and should be made only after an informative consultation with the oral and maxillofacial surgeon. In addition, during the initial consultation, you will also be given instructions to prepare for surgery such as : wearing loose warm and comfortable clothing, a short sleeve shirt, and not having anything to eat or drink after midnight. Take all of your regular medications (unless instructed otherwise) and bring an escort with you, and make arrangements for you recovery at home (Pre-operative Instructions).

Possible Side Effects

Although most of the more modern anesthetic medications are kind to the stomach and do not produce nausea, occasionally just the anxiety that one has about having surgery can generate a queasy feeling in one’s stomach. A patient who becomes sick with a full stomach could present a potentially dangerous scenario of choking. Therefore, it is important to follow all pre-operative instructions. The medications used for sedation do persist in the blood stream for up to 24 hours. Therefore we recommend that you do not operate a vehicle or machinery for 24 hours after being sedation or having a general anesthetic.

Dr. Bruckner is also available to answer any specific questions you may have in regards to the anesthetic. The benefits of general anesthesia and/ or intravenous sedation include a decrease in anxiety and awareness during the surgery. This translates into near or total amnesia of the procedure, lack of noise perception and no pain. During the procedure it is important to note that patients are still given local anesthetic to "numb" the area.

Coming to our Oral Surgery office for the day of surgery and anesthesia is no different than having surgery in your own hospital and it is often much more user friendly. The equipment in our surgical suites and recovery room are the same as those used in the hospitals. When you arrive in the surgical suite the nurse or dental assistant will connect you to a number of monitors and Dr. Bruckner will start an intravenous line. Safe anesthesia demands the use of several non-invasive monitors that we attach to you. These devices are typically a blood pressure cuff, an EKG (electrocardiogram) and a pulse oximeter (a device that measures the amount of oxygen in your blood). Therefore, it is suggested that you wear loose clothing and a short sleeve shirt to facilitate the application of these important devices. Routinely, drugs will be injected into the intravenous line to cause you to relax or sleep. Once you are awake and alert, the intravenous line will be removed and you are almost ready to leave. At this time the recovery room nurse will review with you and your ride all the Post operative instructions and answer any questions either of you may have in regards to care of your mouth. There is always a surgeon on-call and he can also answer any emergency questions you may have in regards to your care following your surgery.

Telephone
805-522-0332

FAX
805-522-8350

Street Address
2796 Sycamore Dr., Suite 202, Simi Valley, CA 93065
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