Due to the fear of dentists, which is very common in society, people do not visit dental clinics unless they have to. Unfortunately, the six-month periodic checks that we constantly emphasise are often neglected. When we push aside our identity as physicians and empathise with our patients, they have a point of feeling anxious. No one would willingly go to an environment where they have a stressful experience. For this reason, we recommend dental treatment under general anesthesia for some of our patients.
For procedures with a high stress-inducing capacity, such as dental implant applications, impacted wisdom tooth removal, cyst-tumor surgery or patients with moderate to severe dental phobia; we find it very useful to use techniques that will ensure that this procedure does not take place in their memories.
I routinely prefer to perform surgical procedures under general anesthesia during maxillofacial surgery applications, which is my own field of expertise and advise my patients accordingly. Especially in multiple dental implant applications, I prefer to perform these treatments with general anesthesia for the comfort and treatment success of our patients.
Is There Pain During or After General Anaesthesia?
You will not feel any pain during dental anesthesia. In cases where extraction is required, local anesthesia is applied along with general anesthesia. Only very young children may be disturbed by the feeling of numbness due to local anesthesia that they become aware of after the operation or by the cavity in the area where the tooth extraction is performed.
How Long Do Dental Treatments Under General Anaesthesia Take?
The duration of the procedure varies depending on the applications to be performed in the patient’s mouth. Dental treatments are long-term treatments, especially in cases where more than one procedure is required. After the procedure, the patient is kept under observation for about 1 to 2 hours and then discharged.
Thanks to the new anesthesia techniques and drugs used today, general anesthesia can be performed very safely. The important thing here is that the treatment should be carried out in a hospital environment with adequate equipment and specialists.
Today, these procedures are carried out in a very comfortable and safe way in patients whose dental treatments need to be performed under general anesthesia. The important thing here is that general anesthesia is being performed in a full-fledged hospital.
Another important issue to consider is the experience of the specialist dentist who will perform dental treatments under general anesthesia. Specialized dentists who have the experience to perform dental treatments under general anesthesia can shorten this period as much as possible and at the same time prevent the repetition of general anesthesia.
Before it is decided to perform dental treatment under general anesthesia, the patient is examined by a general anaesthesiologist to check whether there is any harm in receiving anesthesia. In cases where there is no problem for the patient to receive general anesthesia, the patient is taken to a special room in the hospital with his/her family on the day of the procedure.
What are the Advantages of Dental Treatments Under General Anaesthesia?
- Especially in pediatric patients, the fact that all procedures are performed in a single session prevents the family and the child from being worn out during the treatment process.
- The risk of injury that may occur as a result of sudden uncontrolled movements of young children is eliminated.
- Thanks to the controlled working area, all stages of the treatment can be completed in an ideal way, especially in young children with communication difficulties.
With general anesthesia, it is possible to easily perform some major surgical procedures that may be considered difficult for patients and uncomfortable or even impossible to perform with local anesthesia.
What are the Risks of Dental Treatment with General Anaesthesia?
The risks of anesthesia are closely related to the patient’s general health status, age and the extent of the planned surgery. In the last 20 years, the risks have significantly decreased with anesthesia administered under the supervision of an anesthesiologist.
However, it can never be said that “there is no risk at all”. For this reason, we take every precaution to ensure that you are operated in the safest way possible.
Compared to local anesthesia procedures performed in dental clinics, dental treatments performed under general anesthesia do not show any difference in terms of risk factors. These risks are minimized by taking into account the warnings of your doctors.
At Lotus Dental Clinic, Maxillofacial Surgeon Erdem Kaya routinely performs dental implant applications, dental treatments and surgical operations with general anesthesia, allowing patients to sleep without stress and fear.
