Having 3 wisdom teeth removed in a week. Scared to death about anesthesia. Doctor not explaining.

[Remiblack76]

Having 3 wisdom teeth removed in a week. Scared to death about anesthesia. Doctor not explaining.

So after biting the bullet after a couple of years of not going to the dentist due to fears, I did today and discovered I need to have 3 wisdom teeth removed. They are all fully grown out(excuse my lack of verbiage). I have the classic white coat syndrome and thus get elevated blood pressure readings at any doctor/dental office. At home it's always around 120/80.

Will this affect them doing the extraction? And what should I expect?

I know this is probably questions to ask the surgeon when I see him, but my mind is racing here haha.



Also, I was reading today about how dangerous it could be for someone with sleep apnea. I have never been diagnosed, but my wife says I snore sometimes, but doesn't exactly know if I stop breathing or not, she can't tell.

When I called the office, the lady there said it was general anesthesia/IV sedation. And that I needed to not eat 8 hours before. Excuse my ignorance, but this is not done in an actual hospital but at an oral surgeon.

I asked if I could do local anesthesia and she said they typically don't do that, but that I can ask the surgeon. What's the difference, if any, between IV sedation and general anesthesia? And can they be used together? And like the person in this thread mentioned, wouldn't I have a breathing tube for general anesthesia, making it impossible for extraction of wisdom teeth. I'm just very confused and worried.

The surgeon I'm having it done at had a website that says :

Anesthesia methods include:

Hospital / surgery center-based general anesthesia

Office-based general anesthesia plus local anesthetic

Local anesthetic

Nitrous oxide or “laughing gas”


I'm just really worried and anxious. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Enarete]

Re: Having 3 wisdom teeth removed in a week. Scared to death about anesthesia. Doctor not explaining

Dear Remiblack,

it seems to me that you haven't really got all information to understand what your dentist / surgeon would like to make happen and I quite get that it makes you nervous.

It is possible to extract teeth with use of a local anesthesia only. That means you are conscious but don't feel any pain - the same priciple like if you were about to get a filling. I had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled with only local anesthesia, all in one session and it was one of the easiest and quickest procedures I have ever experienced.

iv sedation means you get put into a very relaxed state so that you won't get bothered by what's going on and won't remember anything of the procedure afterwards. This must get prepared and you should get an appointment to talk about what exactly will happen. In this appointment you could also voice your question about the sleep apnea and the blood pressure.

If you have any insecurities about what exactly is planned, I suggest that you call your office and make an appointment to talk to your doctor. You should only go through treatment when you have understood the background, the pros and cons and what exactly will happen and why.