general anaesthetic

SM746

I have no doubt this topic has been dealt with already but I cannot find the exact information I am looking for after searching through the forum.

Basically, five years ago I went to the dentist to get two teeth taken out. Such a mess was made at taking the first one that I refused to have the 2nd pulled and decided that day that I would never sit in a dentists chair ever again.
A mate of mine has a new girlfriend who is a dentistry scientist of some sort and she has me convinced now that I need to get this tooth pulled.
When I get chatting to her next I will also ask her about this but I am wondering can I get this pulled on general anaesthetic? It is basically only one tooth that would probably take 30seconds for any dentist.
Too terrified to be conscious after the last experience and this is the only way I would get it pulled.

Thanks for any advice it is much appreciated.

Oral Surgeon

SM746 wrote: »

I have no doubt this topic has been dealt with already but I cannot find the exact information I am looking for after searching through the forum.

Basically, five years ago I went to the dentist to get two teeth taken out. Such a mess was made at taking the first one that I refused to have the 2nd pulled and decided that day that I would never sit in a dentists chair ever again.
A mate of mine has a new girlfriend who is a dentistry scientist of some sort and she has me convinced now that I need to get this tooth pulled.
When I get chatting to her next I will also ask her about this but I am wondering can I get this pulled on general anaesthetic? It is basically only one tooth that would probably take 30seconds for any dentist.
Too terrified to be conscious after the last experience and this is the only way I would get it pulled.

Thanks for any advice it is much appreciated.

Hi OP, your friendly Dental Scientist friend is correct. If a tooth needed removal 5 years ago- then it's highly likely that the situation has not changed. You are lucky that it has not caused you pain in the meantime...

To answer your question, there are 3 main ways to get this extraction done;

1; Fully awake but with very good local anaesthetic. This works for most patients but would be unacceptable to you I expect

2; Sedation (oral / inhalation / intravenous) Oral and inhalation are weaker and probably not great for you. Iv sedation would work very well and has a few advantages over GA. It is cheaper (€200-€250), with a quicker recovery, less nausea etc, can be done in a suitable dental surgery, patients remember little or nothing and it calms even the most nervous patient down.

3; Full general anaesthetic. This in my opinion is a little much for a simple dental extraction as it involves an admission to a public/ private hospital in a day ward, the use of hard core anaesthetic meds, a tube down your throat and a longer recovery...
The biggest downside is cost. If you have private medical insurance- you are only covered for impacted tooth removal or removal of a root (not all teeth are covered), even if covered, you may pay an additional €1500 or so to the hospital and anesthetist to house you and put you asleep. If not covered this and the cost of the extraction are out of your pocket. If you have no private medical insurance- forget it, you will wait a lifetime for a pubic GA for a dental extraction as there is more important things to be doing in the HSE theaters....

My advice; look into IV sedation,
Good luck,
OS

SM746

thanks a million for the pointers