Dr. Justin Blake Perkins, D.D.S.

Implants can be placed under all types of anesthesia. The general rule is the more interventions to achieve the level of comfort you are looking for, the more risks are introduced. The anesthesia with the lowest risk is local anesthesia (numbing shots). from there, a mild sedative such as Ativan or valium is added to reduce anxiety if needed. The next level is conscious sedation (either via i.v. or pill form) which still keeps you awake enough to breathe on your own and respond to verbal commands such as open your mouth, turn your head, etc. However, the types of medications used for conscious sedation also cause you to not have a good memory of your visit (retrograde amnesia) so your anxiety is much lower when you fully wake up. Finally, general anesthesia, where a machine assists with your breathing and you are completely asleep, is the type of anesthesia with the most inter-operative risks. Implants can be placed under any of these types of anesthesia so it is important for you to understand the risks of each approach but you can be confident that whichever route of anesthesia you choose, the surgery can be completed well.

Antibiotics may help somewhat short term depending on which one was prescribed. However, the cause of the swelling and infection is the tooth and if it is not removed ASAP, it will still keep giving you problems. Infections that are around the back top teeth and result in swelling into the eye area are particularly worrisome because they can lead to a very bad complication called cavernous sinus thrombosis which is life-threatening. I highly recommend you find a dentist to remove the tooth for you immediately.