If you have been advised by your dentist or dental specialist that you “need to see the oral and maxillofacial surgeon” for treatment, come see us!

Whether you need simple or complex tooth extractions, or grafting or implant procedures, or have a lump or spot in your mouth, or traumatic injury, we are here to make your evaluation and treatment experience COMFORTABLE for you.

Our receptionist will welcome you to our practice and will help you make an appointment in as timely a fashion as possible. Our competent financial coordination staff will help you understand and utilize your insurance benefits.

Our office is “state of the art” with modern oral surgery, dental implant and bone grafting, instrument sterilization, anesthesia equipment, soft tissue LASER, hand held NOMAD x-ray technology, i-CAT FLX 3D cone beam computed tomography, and more; offering you the best there is to offer in in-office oral and maxillofacial surgical care.

Dr. Banks and her well- trained Surgical-Anesthesia Team members provide the following services to make your treatment pleasant and comfortable, from your initial evaluation throughout treatment and aftercare:

• Local anesthesia: The administration of a medication by injection in order to make part of the mouth or face numb is called local anesthesia, often called “dental injections”. For those patients who have minimal anxiety, this may be all that is needed to make your procedure comfortable.
   
• Intravenous anesthesia: Intravenous anesthesia can be administered to patients of all ages. Our surgical-anesthesia team approach ensures that you or your loved one will be fully monitored before, during, and after the procedure by multiple team members. A range of anesthetic options exist, from ultra-light conscious sedation to moderate and deep sedation, to general anesthesia. Each patient is treated individually, with careful attention to physical and medical conditions, age, body size, and pain and anxiety levels.
   
• Nitrous oxide analgesia sedation: Often called “laughing gas” or “sweet air”, nitrous oxide inhalation sedation is very well accepted by most patients, especially the pediatric patients. The nitrous oxide gas is breathed using a special mask that fits over the nose, or the nose and mouth. Our patients are monitored before, during, and after the administration of the nitrous oxide gas. While most patients will not be fully asleep during the procedure, they will report feeling of euphoria, decreased anxiety, and lessened awareness of pain. 
   
• Other services: Occasionally, patients are just so fearful that we have to help them feel less anxious BEFORE delivering intravenous anesthesia or nitrous oxide gas. We also treat certain patients who are unable to cooperate fully with the initiation of anesthesia. Premedication with a sedative medication, inhalation anesthesia, oral and intramuscular anesthesia may be utilized for some of these patients.

“Anesthesia safety is a prime concern. Sometimes doctors like to avoid this discussion, but I don’t. I hold myself to the standards set by the American Association of Anesthesiologists and by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. This means that all patients are appropriately monitored under anesthesia. This may include non-invasive blood pressure, pulse, pulseoximetry, ECG and capnography. For longer surgeries we follow hospital surgery protocols and use sequential compression devices on the lower legs to promote circulation. This means that I am ACLS and PALS certified, and the surgical-anesthesia team members are ACLS and BLS certified. This means that we train for and prepare ourselves for situations we hope will never happen, and that we take this aspect of our job very seriously.
Dr. Kathy A. Banks