Dental Anesthesia: What You Need to Know About the Procedure
General anesthesia is a method of pain relief used in dentistry for complex and extensive procedures in patients with low pain tolerance, panic attacks, fear of manipulation, as well as for surgical interventions on the face and jaw.
Unlike local anesthesia, which is used for most dental procedures:
- tooth implantation under general anesthesia;
- dental prosthetics under general anesthesia;
- tooth extraction and treatment under general anesthesia;
- tooth cyst removal under general anesthesia;
- tooth root removal under general anesthesia;
- removal of multiple teeth under general anesthesia.
General anesthesia allows the patient to enter a deep unconscious state.
The process of inducing a patient into a state of general anesthesia begins with gradually slowing down the central nervous system activity, leading to loss of consciousness and ultimately deep sleep. Anesthetics are individually selected by an anesthesiologist for each patient to ensure an effective and safe sleeping process. During anesthesia, the patient does not feel pain, reflexes are blocked, and muscles relax, making the procedure easier.
There are specific indications for dental anesthesia, including a large volume of treatment and complex surgical interventions where local anesthesia is not effective enough. Anesthesia may also be necessary in cases of allergic reactions to local anesthetics, severe vomiting reflex, or in patients with psychoneurological disorders.
The decision to perform dental anesthesia is made by specialists - a dentist and an anesthesiologist, based on the specific situation and needs of the patient. Preparation for anesthesia includes not only choosing the method of pain relief but also assessing the patient's condition, following recommendations on food and fluid intake before the procedure, and allowing sufficient time for recovery after anesthesia.
Therefore, dental anesthesia is an important method of pain relief that allows complex and extensive procedures to be performed with maximum comfort for the patient. However, the decision to proceed with it should be carefully considered and based on the individual characteristics of each case.
Indications for General Anesthesia
Indications for general anesthesia in dentistry include the presence of dental phobia, pediatric patients under the age of 3 requiring dental procedures, heightened emotional excitability, allergy to local anesthetics, vomiting reflex, and atypically high pain sensitivity. During anesthesia, an anesthesiologist monitors the patient's condition, watches blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs. In dental practice, general anesthesia lasting more than 3 hours is rare, and if necessary, it can be interrupted, with therapy resumed after 1-2 weeks.
Contraindications to General Anesthesia
There are contraindications to general anesthesia in dentistry that prevent its use. In cases of surgeries conducted based on vital signs, contraindications are ignored due to the need for precision and speed in medical interventions. However, in other situations where there are alternatives, risks are carefully weighed. Special attention is given to patients with serious pathologies such as heart defects, heart failure, arrhythmia, recent heart attack or stroke, kidney failure, diabetes, bronchial asthma, and following severe infectious diseases. Absolute contraindications to anesthesia in dentistry include narcotic or alcohol intoxication, as well as having a full stomach. Patients are advised to refrain from eating for 6 hours and drinking fluids for 4 hours before general anesthesia.