Anesthesia Options Mason City, IA

North Iowa Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center offers several options for anesthesia to ensure you are as comfortable as possible during your procedure. Drs. Hogg and Dr. Kotecki have undergone years of specialized training to perform the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery, including the safe administration of anesthesia. The type of anesthesia you are given for your procedure will be determined in advance during your consultation.

Types of Anesthesia

We want every patient at North Iowa Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center to feel safe and comfortable. Anesthesia options include

Local anesthesia is administered directly to the site and numbs only the surgical site. The patient remains conscious and unable to feel any pain. Local anesthetic is commonly used with nitrous oxide to help the patient feel more at ease.
Nitrous oxide allows the patient to relax during their procedure while remaining conscious. It is also known as laughing gas. It is inhaled through a mask that fits over the nose. Nitrous oxide is commonly used with local anesthetic.
Intravenous (IV) sedation is a common anesthetic option for wisdom teeth removal and dental implant patients. Like the name implies, the anesthetic is administered directly into a vein. Soon after the sedative is administered, the patient will become relaxed and enter a sleep-like state. One of the side effects of IV sedation is amnesia — most patients who receive IV sedation are unable to remember their procedure.
Hospital or Surgery Center-Based General Anesthesia is required for procedures that are very complicated or extensive. An anesthesiologist administers general anesthesia. When given general anesthesia, the patient is completely unconscious during their procedure.

Exparel^® for Long-Lasting Post-Surgical Pain Management

The doctors at North Iowa Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center are very serious about their patients’ overall health and well-being before, during, and after oral surgery. That’s why we have an option for post-operative pain control at our practice that does not carry the risks associated with prescribed opioid medications. Exparel is a proven pain management medication that is administered by your oral surgeon during surgery in one very long-lasting dose. This medication is designed to control your post-operative pain for several days — and it is not an opioid, so it does not have a risk of dependence or any of the negative side effects of opioid medications, such drowsiness, nausea, and withdrawal symptoms. Because Exparel is safe and proven to be highly effective for pain relief, it is quickly becoming the go-to pain management solution for patients undergoing oral surgery.

Why are opioid-based pain medications risky?

Opioid prescription pain medications are also known as narcotics, and they have the same active ingredient as the illegal drug heroin and carry the same risks if not used exactly as prescribed — and yet narcotics are frequently prescribed for pain control post-surgery. Some of the opioid medications you may be familiar with include codeine, fentanyl, oxycodone, and hydrocodone (Vicodin^® and Norco^®). Unfortunately, the mass-prescribing of opioid medications has led to an opioid addiction crisis in the United States, with 1 out of 15 surgical patients turning to long-term opioid use after receiving opioid prescriptions following their surgery — and this startling fact: more than 115 Americans die each day from opioid overdose.

How does Exparel work?

Exparel couldn’t be simpler for patients. During surgery, your surgeon will administer the medication directly to your surgical site, and it will begin to control pain while you are still in surgery. This single dose contains bupivacaine, an opioid-free local anesthetic, which is slowly released over time to provide strong pain relief that can last several days into your recovery. Exparel often eliminates the need for any post-operative prescription pain medications whatsoever!

One dose that lasts. In clinical trials, Exparel provided strong and effective pain relief for several days post-surgery.
Non-addictive/Non-opioid. Exparel offers highly effective pain management for surgical patients without the risk of dependence. It is opioid-free and non-addictive.
No prescriptions to fill. Since Exparel is administered during your surgical procedure and extends its pain-relieving effects for several days into recovery, prescription pain medications, in many cases, can be completely avoided.
Less risk of side effects. Exparel is administered by your oral surgeon in one dose during your procedure. Less medication equals less risk for side effects.

Dr. Hogg and Dr. Kotecki are dedicated to helping change the staggering statistics around opioid abuse, starting right here at North Iowa Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center. By adding Exparel to your treatment plan as an effective pain control alternative to narcotics, you can have long-lasting pain control while safeguarding yourself against the risks and side effects of opioid medications. What’s more, you can reduce or even eliminate the need for prescription pain medication after your oral surgery.

Exparel in Mason City, IA

Drs. Hogg and Kotecki will be happy to speak with you about adding Exparel to your surgical treatment plan when you come in for your consultation. North Iowa Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center is proud to offer a pain management solution to our patients that is safe and effective. Please contact our knowledgeable staff with any questions you may have or to schedule your consultation with our oral surgeons.