3 ms·

> When I mentioned that I would be opting opt of general anesthetic, the receptionist paused and asked me to hold. When she came back, she said that the doctor

> When I mentioned that I would be opting opt of general anesthetic, the receptionist paused and asked me to hold. When she came back, she said that the doctor specified that general anesthetic would be necessary. I mentioned the conversation I had already had with him. She again asked me to hold. When she returned, she said it was no longer an option. That's a very strange outcome indeed, I wonder if you could have pushed for it anyway. My wisdom teeth were also impacted (nearly buried in gums, horizontally aligned), and I also opted for a local anesthetic. The worst part of the procedure was seeing the size of the syringe. They really didn't spare any anesthetic for it. I felt numb all the way to my neck and ears. To my surprise the whole procedure took less than 40 minutes from start to finish, including cutting the gums, sawing the impacted teeth in half (the noise and smell is not for the faint of heart), and then putting sutures in. Personally, I don't regret getting rid of them either. Made hygiene slightly easier and no risk of inflammation where the wisdom teeth were breaking through the skin.

jessaustin 6y ago
...the noise and smell is not for the faint of heart... Working in a dentist's office, I have seen a wide range of tolerances for discomfort (not pain: we always anesthetize). The people who need ativan or nitrous for a simple filling are probably going to need general for impacted third molars. Those need to be sectioned if they're going to come out without breaking the jaw. In USA, relatively few dentists would offer general anesthesia in a non-hospital setting.
- cm2012 6y ago
  Everyone I know was knocked out for their wisdom teeth removal, is that not general anesthesia?
  - pstch 6y ago
    It depends on many factors (teeth being devitalised, expected complications during the surgery, and other non-teeth related factors as well). Some people do get a local anesthesia (not knocked out), others have no choice.
    - cm2012 6y ago
      Where I live (NYC), everyone I know has been knocked out for routine wisdom teeth surgery.
      - thex10 6y ago
        I chose local anesthetic when I got my impacted wisdom teeth removed in NYC. This was in 2006 at a dental school though.
  - WesolyKubeczek 6y ago
    What, you can get general anesthesia for wisdom teeth removal? Is that a thing?

jessaustin 6y ago

...the noise and smell is not for the faint of heart... Working in a dentist's office, I have seen a wide range of tolerances for discomfort (not pain: we always anesthetize). The people who need ativan or nitrous for a simple filling are probably going to need general for impacted third molars. Those need to be sectioned if they're going to come out without breaking the jaw. In USA, relatively few dentists would offer general anesthesia in a non-hospital setting.

cm2012 6y ago
Everyone I know was knocked out for their wisdom teeth removal, is that not general anesthesia?
- pstch 6y ago
  It depends on many factors (teeth being devitalised, expected complications during the surgery, and other non-teeth related factors as well). Some people do get a local anesthesia (not knocked out), others have no choice.
  - cm2012 6y ago
    Where I live (NYC), everyone I know has been knocked out for routine wisdom teeth surgery.
    - thex10 6y ago
      I chose local anesthetic when I got my impacted wisdom teeth removed in NYC. This was in 2006 at a dental school though.
- WesolyKubeczek 6y ago
  What, you can get general anesthesia for wisdom teeth removal? Is that a thing?