Many people have questions about general anesthesia for dental procedures. If you have questions, it’s important to find factual information on the subject. Check out the answers to frequently asked questions below, and be sure to consult with a certified dental anesthesiologist for more information.
What are the Benefits of General Anesthesia?
- Because you are fully asleep, general anesthesia allows you to be pain-free.
- Often, patients need a number of treatments that would take a long time to accomplish all at once if the patient is awake. General anesthesia makes it possible for an extensive amount of work to be done all at once, potentially saving you a lot of time, anxiety and money.
How Is General Anesthesia Administered?
- For adults: Intravenous sedatives are often given prior to the general anesthesia, allowing the patient to relax and fall asleep. After the patient has fallen asleep, a customized, precisely-measured amount of general anesthesia gas would be administered to ensure the patient remains asleep through the procedure.
- For children: Because children may experience more anxiety about the intravenous process, they may receive an initial sedative by gas, allowing them to comfortably breathe themselves to sleep. Once asleep, the customized amount of precisely-measured general anesthesia gas would be administered.
Should I Be Nervous About the Safety of General Anesthesia?
- General anesthesia is a very precise and controlled process. It can only be provided by a highly-trained, certified dental anesthesiologist.
- There is no need to worry about waking up during the procedure. While under general anesthesia, patients are carefully monitored by a certified anesthesiologist and the level of anesthesia is customized for the individual’s needs.
What Types of Patients May Benefit from Dental Anesthesia?
- Patients with extreme dental phobia.
- Patients with a particularly severe gag reflex.
- Children or special needs patients who may be overly anxious.
- Patients needing an unusually long dental procedure.
- Patients requiring many dental procedures at once.
- Overly anxious children or children too young to be able to cooperate
- Children who would otherwise need multiple or very long appointments
