General Anesthesia (GA)
What is General Anesthesia?
General Anesthesia is a way of using drugs (sedatives) to make you sleepy and without worry and fear during the procedure. Anesthesia is pumped through the respiratory system as well.
Benefits of General Anesthesia?
- It reduces anxiety and pain associated with the procedure
- It enables the physician to undertake the procedure easier
- It will result in partial or total loss of memory of the procedure
1. Before Procedure - Preparations
During your first visit, your doctor will walk through your sedation options and your dental treatmnet plan. After deciding and choosing General Anesthesia, you will be referred to our alliance hospital to have a chest x-ray and general health-check with blood works done. A report will be given back to us to confirm you are in good health without any medical condition for general anesthesia.
One day before your procedure:
- Do not to drink or eat anything after midnight on the day before your procedure or at lease 8 hours before the procedure
- Continue to take prescribed medication as directed by your doctor
- Bring any drugs or inhalers with you that you have been prescribed
- Removed nail polish and nail extension
- Do not drink alcohol the right before and the day of your procedure
- Make arrangements for an person to come with you to take you home
If you a develop cough, cold or flu symptons just before your procedure or if you think you might be pregnant during the week before procedure is due, please contact us as soon as you are aware. We will need to determine if general anesthesia procedure can or will still be proceeded with.
2. On Day of Procedure
On the surgery day:
- your will meet your anesthesiologist doctor who will do a check on you and your health records. If at anytime you have any worries or questions, please do not hestitate to ask your anesthesiologist doctor on any concerns
- our registered nurses will request you to change into clean clothing
- you are then brought into the theatre room (OR). Your dentist, dental assistants, OR registered nurses and anesthesiologist will be present who will do a run through checklist and time-out
- When all equipment and team is complete and ready, your anesthesiologist doctor administers general anesthesia by
- Anesthesia injection : injecting the drug into bloodstream
- General anesthesia : inhaling the drug in gas form by inhaling through a mask
What Happens During General Anesthesia ?
The sedatives will be given through a small needle in the back of your hand or your arm. Once you are feeling relaxed and pleasantly asleep, the procedure and dental treatment will start. During the procedure you will feel calm and unaware of what is going on. Throughout the procedure, our registered nurses will be monitoring your blood pressure, pulse, oxygen level and level of responsiveness continuously. Your anesthesiologist is in the OR room all the time.
What happens after General anesthesia ?
- You will need to stay in the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU) or recovery room. Your anesthesiologist and nurses will monitor you until you are considered ready to go home.
- Recovery time is normally about two hours but can be longer.
- During this period, you are able to contact your family member or friend who can then help you get home and stay with you for a few hours when back home.
- During the 24 hours after receiving sedation, you should not drive or operate machinery, drink alcohol or make any important decisions.
- You should be able to return to your normal activities in the next day
Risks and Alternatives
What are the risk?
With proper medical checks and planning by a professional team, general anethesia sedation risks are minimal and relatively safe. There are always risks of complications that can potentially occur with any procedure. This includes being drowsy, feeling of an unconscious state, depressed breathing, discomfort, aspiration, low blood pressure or drugs allergy.
What are the alternatives?
If general anesthesia is not opted, the alternatives are:
- No sedation
- Having local anesthesia only
- Opting for Intravenous Sedation or IV sedation where you are in a semi-conscious state
