Questions and Answers for Adults
Although the majority of the Minnesota Dental Anesthesia practice focuses on pediatric patients, Dr. Lipon also provides anesthesia services to adults who would prefer to be sedated for extensive dental issues, or for patients who would simply be more comfortable being anesthetized prior to scheduled dental work.
Dr. Lipon enjoys interacting and building relationships with adults and practiced as a general dentist for 13 years before receiving his specialized, advanced training in both pediatric dentistry and anesthesiology. He also has extensive experience handling adults who have more challenging medical histories.
It depends. The average adult patient Dr. Lipon provides anesthesia services for is on two to three different prescription medications.
Dr. Lipon will consider these factors to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for dental office-based anesthesia services:
- Patient wishes and needs
- The type of dental or surgical procedure being planned. (Dr. Lipon will speak with your dentist or surgeon to determine the most appropriate anesthetic plan based on their requirements.)
- Your medical history
- Your anesthesia history
Some of the options available for adults who wish or need to receive anesthesia include:
- Treatment with local anesthesia in a dental office
- Treatment with IV sedation in a dental office
- Treatment with general anesthesia in a dental office
- Provide care in a higher-level setting such as a hospital
Given his training as both a pediatric dentist and as a dentist anesthesiologist, Dr. Lipon understands both how and why anesthesia may be recommended in a dental setting. Because of that, he is able to provide the level of focused, attentive care you require, leaving your dentist free to address your dental situation.
After practicing for 13 years as a general dentist and completing his dentist anesthesiology training, which required two to three years of work in a full-time, hospital-based residency, Dr. Lipon also completed his pediatric dentistry residency.
Pediatric dentists receive two to three years of extra training in formal residencies to enable them to best care for infants, children and patients with special health care needs. Pediatric dentistry is recognized by the American Dental Association as a dentistry specialty.
During his resident anesthesiology training, Dr. Lipon provided IV sedation and general anesthesia for a full scope of medical procedures, including general surgery, orthopedic surgery, head and neck surgery, plastic surgery, neurosurgery and trauma surgery. Typical rotations during this specialized training included working in emergency medicine, internal medicine and pediatric medicine, as well as practicing outpatient dental anesthesia.
Dr. Lipon is on faculty at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Minnesota and serves as an attending dentist for pediatric sedation cases at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
And because Dr. Lipon and a minimum of one—and often two—on-site registered nurses directly supervise every aspect of the anesthesia process in your local dental office, they are able to provide the highest level of care for you in a safe, cost-effective and familiar setting.
Dr. James Lipon, DDS
Education:
Bachelor of Science
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Doctor of Dental Surgery
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Residency in Dental Anesthesiology
Lutheran Medical Center
Brooklyn, New York
Residency in Pediatric Dentistry
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Board Certifications:
Diplomate – American Dental Board of Anesthesiology
Diplomate – American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
Licensure:
State of Minnesota Board of Dentistry
Dental License # D13930
Today anesthesiologists have the advantage of many modern delivery methods and monitoring techniques to make sure patients remain safe during anesthesia. Properly administered and monitored anesthesia is generally considered low-risk and is employed every day in many tens of thousands of medical procedures throughout the world.
The most common complications from anesthesia typically include nausea and vomiting, a sore throat after the anesthesia, mild fever or a bleeding nose.
And while there is always a small possibility that a patient may have some adverse reaction to anesthesia, both Dr. James Lipon and his attending registered nurse(s) are exceptionally trained to react to and handle unforeseen events. The team routinely conducts mock emergency drills, and Dr. Lipon also maintains certifications in CPR, ACLS and PALS. An emergency plan is also in place at each dental office to provide immediate transfer to a hospital in the case of any adverse event.
In addition, Minnesota Dental Anesthesia provides the same type of precautionary emergency equipment and medications on site that you would find in a hospital-level anesthesiology practice.
Minnesota Dental Anesthesia also requires a preoperative history and physical to be completed by your primary care physician in advance of the procedure in order to fully understand any underlying medical issues that may affect the anesthesia process.
This guidance from your primary care physician gives Dr. Lipon information from someone who knows your medical history best. In some cases, Dr. Lipon may follow up with your primary care physician on medical issues such as asthma to ensure you are in the best possible health prior to undergoing anesthesia.
Dr. James Lipon, DDS
Education:
Bachelor of Science
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Doctor of Dental Surgery
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Residency in Dental Anesthesiology
Lutheran Medical Center
Brooklyn, New York
Residency in Pediatric Dentistry
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Board Certifications:
Diplomate – American Dental Board of Anesthesiology
Diplomate – American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
Licensure:
State of Minnesota Board of Dentistry
Dental License # D13930
Because dental anesthesia is almost always a scheduled procedure, Dr. Lipon and his staff are able to fully prepare in advance to best treat you in the safest way.
The goal on the day of treatment is for everyone involved to be as comfortable as possible moving forward with the dentistry, the anesthesia and the anesthesia plan.
Dr. Lipon will speak with you on the phone several days before your scheduled appointment to review your medical history, outline the risks and benefits of anesthesia, provide instructions for you and answer any questions you may have. If any situation arises that makes it a better option to postpone anesthesia—such as if you are sick or have not fasted completely—treatment can be delayed until employing full sedation is optimal.
During anesthesia, sedation will be administered through an IV in your arm that will be inserted prior to any procedures. The IV will also remain in place throughout the procedure should you require additional medicines at any point during the anesthesia. If you wish, Dr. Lipon can also administer a calming sedative orally—with a pill—before the IV insertion to make sure you are both relaxed and comfortable prior to the anesthesia itself.
Adults will typically receive either deep sedation or a general anesthetic, depending on the patient, the procedure and the dentist/surgeon.
Dr. Lipon and his nurses will provide you with a full set of instructions for post-anesthesia care after treatment. (These forms are also available for download in the tab marked “Forms” on this page.)
There are two common scenarios when Dr. Lipon will postpone anesthesia—when you have not fasted completely or if you are showing certain signs of illness.
Minnesota Dental Anesthesia and Dr. Lipon strictly follow the American Society of Anesthesiology fasting guidelines. This includes no solids for 6 hours prior to a procedure (cereal, toast, jam, etc.) and no clear liquids for 2 hours prior to a procedure (water, apple juice, ginger ale, etc.)
Any person who will undergo anesthesia must strictly observe all fasting orders because the risk of vomiting increases with full sedation. If the contents of the stomach end up in the lungs, it can be life-threatening.
Dr. Lipon allows no exceptions to the fasting rules because of his absolute commitment to your safety. If Dr. Lipon has any question about you being appropriately fasted prior to a procedure, he will either rebook to later in the day or reschedule for another day.
Dr. Lipon may also decide to postpone anesthesia if you are showing certain signs of illness. He may, however, make an exception if he believes you feel sick or are running a fever because of the dental problem that needs to be addressed.
In every case, Dr. Lipon will use his best judgement about postponing anesthesia to ensure you receive the safest possible care. If he does decide to postpone anesthesia, any fees you have paid will be applied toward your next appointment.
Typically, your dentist’s office can give you the costs associated with anesthesia, based on their anticipated treatment time for you.
Minnesota Dental Anesthesia does not accept insurance but will accept all major credit cards.
From a medical provider’s standpoint, working with insurance companies can be very costly and time-consuming, and providers often must charge much higher rates to account for the time spent interacting with a wide range of insurance carriers.
Because Minnesota Dental Anesthesia does not accept insurance, we are able to offer you the most cost-effective and highest-quality anesthesia services available.
Minnesota Dental Anesthesia will be happy to give you an estimate which you can submit to your insurance carrier for consideration of reimbursement.
Payment for anesthesia is due when you complete booking for your anticipated procedure. This way, on the day of the procedure Dr. Lipon and his staff can concentrate solely on your care.
The goal on the day of treatment is for everyone involved to be as comfortable as possible moving forward with the dentistry, the anesthesia and the anesthesia plan.