For Professionals

Minnesota Dental Anesthesia provides mobile anesthesia services directly in local dental offices for all age ranges, with a focused specialty in working with pediatric dental practices for children who require full sedation.

MDA also provides anesthesia services for adults who request sedation from general dentistry practices, and for periodontists, prosthodontists, oral surgeons and other dental professionals.

MDA is staffed by Dr. James Lipon and a minimum of one — and often two — on-site registered nurses. Dr. Lipon is a pediatric dentist; trauma-level, residency-trained dentist anesthesiologist and father of three.

Dr. Lipon welcomes the opportunity to speak with dental professionals in the State of Minnesota about forming an ongoing partnership with MDA to provide anesthesia services within their practice.

Why should I work with MDA?

Given his dual training as both a pediatric dentist and as a dentist anesthesiologist, Dr. Lipon brings a unique perspective to providing dental anesthesia via his mobile practice. His philosophy of care is firmly rooted in the belief that every child—or adult—should expect and receive the highest-level of anesthesia care available, regardless of the setting.

After practicing for 13 years as a general dentist, Dr. Lipon completed his specialized training as a dentist anesthesiologist, with two to three additional years of work in a full-time, hospital-based residency. He also completed additional specialized training as a pediatric dentist.

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.

He and his wife, Cynthia, and their children, Lucia, Remi and Quincy, live in Edina.

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

How are appointments scheduled?

Dental offices can book a full day with Minnesota Dental Anesthesia to handle multiple appointments or schedule a single appointment.

When a child—or adult—requires anesthesia as part of his or her dental work, staff members at the dental office will email Minnesota Dental Anesthesia with the patient’s contact information and a tentative scheduled date for the procedure.

MDA will then contact the child’s parents or adult patient directly and will provide all necessary pre-procedure information about the anesthesia process. Dr. Lipon and his staff will also coordinate all consents and other paperwork required, while maintaining contact with the dental office as to progress.

For routine cases, average scheduling will generally be within a four-week period of first contact by the dental office. However, in the case of individuals who need immediate anesthesia services because of pain, infection or other urgent matters that require treatment at an earlier date, Dr. Lipon will make every effort to be available when his services are requested.

Dr. Lipon and his staff will generally arrive up to an hour prior to the scheduled appointment to ensure all machines and other equipment are fully set up and ready before the appointment begins.

How are fees and paperwork handled?

All fees for anesthesia services through MDA are paid by the patient, with no cost to the dental practice. MDA also handles all pre- and post-procedure paperwork and billing.

Dr. Lipon’s goal is to make the entire anesthesia process as simple and straightforward as possible for the dental professionals with whom he works, allowing the provider to deliver a higher level of service without unnecessary distractions.

What equipment do you bring to a dental office?

Minnesota Dental Anesthesia uses the same type of anesthesia machines and sterile medical equipment commonly found in hospitals. The MDA team brings everything typically found in a surgery center to each dental office—mobile anesthesia machines, medications, breathing tubes, towel warmers—including all precautionary emergency equipment and medications, should any adverse anesthesiology issue arise.

Dr. Lipon will work with each dental practice individually to ensure that his equipment and staff nurses will be able to function fully within the particular space available, while not obstructing the work area for the pediatric dentist and his or her staff.

Do you maintain separate insurance to cover your work and that of your team?

Minnesota Dental Anesthesia maintains full malpractice and liability insurance, separate from the respective dental office.

How can I learn more?

Dr. Lipon is happy to meet directly with any dental professional to provide more in-depth information about working with MDA. Contact him through the “Contact Us” button on the website.

Dr. Lipon oversees every aspect of a patient’s dental anesthesia directly in your local dental office, from intake throughout treatment and on to recovery post-anesthesia.