Anesthesia at the dentist | Häfliger & Zaugg

Pain-free syringe

"Local anesthesia" is the technique in which an anesthetic fluid, usually articaine or mepivacaine, is injected into the vicinity of a tooth. The effect of local anesthesia is to numb the teeth and gums to allow for a painless procedure.

Depending on the type of procedure, different amounts and types of local anesthetics are used. For a simple filling on an upper tooth, for example, only about 2.0 ml of anesthetic are injected into the gums about 2 cm above the gum line.

The injection technique is very important. To achieve a painless injection, an anesthetic gel is applied in front of the needle. A steady hand and slow insertion of local anesthesia into the injection site can lead our patients to feel like they can't believe they've already had their injection!

We carefully make sure that the local anesthesia works completely by testing the teeth and gums before starting the treatment.

Nitrous oxide

What exactly is nitrous oxide?

Nitrous oxide is a colorless and odorless gas that can provide a temporary and reversible "sedation" effect and a pleasant sensation. For patients who need more than just a quiet environment and local anesthesia, nitrous oxide is a safe and reliable means of overcoming anxiety.

Nitrous oxide (N2O), better known as laughing gas, is used as a local sedation method. Nitrous oxide is an effective sedative because it relaxes patients due to the pleasant feelings it triggers. The usefulness of nitrous oxide also results from the fact that it acts quickly and its effect is reversible. For these and other reasons, nitrous oxide is widely considered a safe method of sedation.

How is it used?

Our team is very well-trained in dealing with nitrous oxide. Normally, a mixture of dinitrogen monoxide and oxygen is administered in a ratio of about one to one. Some patients need more, some much less. The effects of the happy gas are "a feeling of calm and happiness" and a reduction in anxiety. Some funny side effects include laughing and giggling as well as hearing echoes of the voices of dentists and nurses.

Undesirable side effects can include nausea and fatigue, but these are very rare and go away on their own.

Once the nitrous oxide is turned off, the patient must receive oxygen for at least five minutes to avoid a headache. The oxygen flushes the remaining gases from the lungs and helps the patient to become awake and alert.

Meals are another important consideration in treatment with nitrous oxide. It is advisable to eat very little before the procedure and not to eat a large meal for three hours afterwards.

General anesthetic

Our dental practice in Lucerne is one of the few that offers dental treatments under general anesthesia.

We offer our patients the opportunity to undergo dental treatment under conscious sedation (twilight sleep). Although this method works well in the vast majority of patients, there are some whose fears are so ingrained that they can't relax themselves under sedation, and others who have developed a tolerance to the drugs used.

At Häfliger & Zaugg, we are able to calm nervous patients. This is partly because we have created a calm and relaxed environment where we can discuss your procedure in detail before you decide to perform the treatment. We have often found that patients approach treatment with confidence if it has been fully explained beforehand.

If this is not the case, but dental treatment is required, we can recommend general anesthesia. Dental treatment under general anesthesia is usually recommended for patients with a severe phobia, where conscious sedation is not sufficient to relax them for treatment.