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Sedation Specialist

Millennium Park Oral Surgery Our Services Sedation

Millennium Park Oral Surgery

Oral Surgeon located in Chicago, IL

As part of his training as an oral facial surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Zager of Millennium Park Oral Surgery in Chicago, Illinois has spent many years administering different forms of anesthetics to make the patient’s experience a more comfortable, pleasant experience. This is especially helpful for patients who have mental, physical and emotional challenges for an oral surgical procedure.

Sedation Q & A

Why Consider Sedation?

There are a number of situations when a patient might consider some form of sedation during a visit. In some situations, anesthesia is part of the protocol for a surgery. Dental phobia is common for both adults and children. Patients who’ve had a bad experience, or are in severe pain and may not be able to open their jaw (either due to a dental abscess or temporomandibular joint problems) are all good candidates for some form of sedation.

Patients with Parkinson's, who may have involuntary movement in the chair that would interfere with a procedure, may consider sedation to relax and allow the dental procedure to be completed.

What is General Anesthesia?

General anesthesia is what most people associate with surgery. With general anesthesia, Dr. Zager uses drug therapy to induce unconsciousness. This is especially helpful when the patient has:

  • A fear of needles
  • Limited opening
  • Moderate to severe pain
  • High fever
  • Autism
  • Stroke
  • Involuntary movement in the dental chair
  • May not understand English

As part of his training, Dr. Zager participated in hospital-based surgical and anesthesia procedures. He is ACLS certified and his staff have received advanced training and office emergency testing as required by the Illinois Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons which helps to ensure your safety. His office staff have gone through training and recertification, and treat many challenging patients throughout the years as people are living longer, present with complex medical histories and surgical cases. Everyone or our patients is unique. This is especially true when it comes to allergies, past surgeries, multiple drug therapies and the anxiety and fear of some dental procedures. Our surgical assistants are aware and we try to stay informed of the potential complications and drug interactions during each dental procedures.

What Other Types of Sedation are Available?

Most dental surgeries don’t require you to go under general anesthesia. For those who might just need a little sedative, Dr. Zager may use IV sedation to calm the patient. With an IV sedative, you will be able to relax during your surgery, but stay awake and be allowed to stay at a level that is most comfortable for you. In some situations, the intravenous drug and the patient’s own music is all that is necessary to loosen up and complete the procedure. Just remember, with a general anesthetic or intravenous sedation, the person can’t have any food, drink or even water six hours prior to the scheduled event. And, an adult needs to accompany the person home. The patient is unable to drive for 24 hours following the treatment. These are very important instructions to follow and not to be ignored that will help to achieve a great result!

Nitrous-oxide, sometimes called laughing gas, is given with a local anesthetic while the patient listens to his or her own music. This may be all that is needed to undergo a less complex dental procedure. Nitrous-oxide requires a small mask to fit on the nose while the patient breathes in a gas that is quickly reversible within five minutes after completion of the surgery. The advantage of using Nitrous-oxide is that the patient can eat and drink before the surgery. It does not require anyone to accompany the patient home afterwards.  

You will decide with Dr. Zager during the consultation and examination, which anesthetic choice will be right for you!