Testimonials

Gary Hayes, MD and patient, Maddie

“I’m not a big fan of getting teeth pulled,” confessed Maddie Walters, age 9 of Wabasha. “I was kind of scared because it was my first surgery, but then I found out I’d be asleep, and I wasn’t so scared.”

Maddie’s oral surgeon, Gary Hayes, DDS, at Winona Health, understands. “Obviously nobody likes having oral surgery-whether you’re nine or 99-so we offer people different levels of sedation up to and including general anesthesia. The level of sedation is based on your health, anxiety level and the procedure being done-we personalize the plan for each individual.”

According to Dr. Hayes, older people with more complicated cases usually can use an IV sedation that is adjusted according to the anxiety level of the patient. He said that more and more adults are requesting an oral sedation like Halcion and laughing gas.

“While these options require the patient to have a driver with them, it makes the procedure much more tolerable,” Dr. Hayes added.

In Maddie’s case, general anesthesia made the most sense. She had seven teeth removed to help prepare for orthodontia.

“Having teeth extracted is fairly typical pre-orthodontia work,” said Dr. Hayes. “The logic is to remove teeth at an easy and safe time and then allow mother nature to move the remaining teeth into the empty space. Since mother nature is doing what comes naturally with a little timely guidance from us, there is less orthodontia time, less risk of root resorption and fewer visits to the orthodontist.”

Maddie’s mom, Monica, said, “Dr. Hayes asked Maddie if she had any questions and she had many! She was very curious, and he was very thorough in explaining to her what was going to happen. He and the nurses took such good care of Maddie. We had stopped at the gift shop to get a stuffed animal on the way in and the nurses gave her and her animal special attention. They were so gentle and caring-they made her feel very special.”

Asked if she had any advice for other people who might need to have oral surgery and were feeling a little nervous about it, Maddie said, “I’d tell them not to worry because surgeons are pretty nice people. And they won’t feel a thing because they’ll be asleep. The other thing I’d tell them is that they can bring their favorite stuffed animal and keep it in their lap the whole time. Dr. Hayes is a great surgeon-and he’s pretty funny, too!”

For more information:

Oral Surgery
859 Mankato Avenue
Winona, MN 55987
Winona Health campus, 2nd floor of clinic
507.457.7700