Reply to: Having a tooth pulled out under general anaesthetic

[Menelaus]

My best friend at uni was on a dentistry course: when he got his own practice I was his first patient and needed to have four fillings.

Whilst he wanted to do the injection-into-gums on four separate occasions I was less than impressed with this offering and instead took him up on his offer of GA .

I was out for about an hour, needed to be driven home, and after that went to bed for a few hours so I could form a nice salivary pool on the pillow (sexy, not).

Anything my dentist wants to do now that involves more than a check-up? GA is the way

[TimberWolf]

That's what happened to me...

Perhaps it's a hallucinogenic effect of the drugs, to turn dentists into stunning redheads gagging for it?

[Lockhouse]

I had my 2 lower wisdom teeth removed under general anaesthetic in an NHS hospital some years ago. I wasn't allowed to eat anything for 12 hours prior to the op. I went in at 10:00am was prepped and had the surgery done by 12:00. I was conscious by 14:00 but not able to get up and walk about until around 15:00 as I was still quite groggy. By 20:00 I was discharged. Don't try to rush about afterwards as you'll chuck up (like I did). I also looked like a chipmunk for a week.

There's always a slight risk they'll damage the nerves to your tongue - it took about a week for my taste buds to get back to normal.

[SuperZ]

Had two impacted wisdom teeth removed years ago under GA - had no option. Worse part was when they removed a tube from my nose when I started to come around - felt like my brains were being sucked out - oh and I was also dying for a peeeeeeeeeeee. Try communicating that to someone when half out of it but i managed to and somehow safely had a leak - ahhhhhhhhh.
Best part was after a second sleep I woke up to find a sexy redhead nurse bending over right in front of me bed - oh joy.

[jimjamuk]

had a top wisdom out last year - nhs dentest said he'd give it a go or he would refer me to a private job.

Based on the "give it a go" comment, had the private done for about £300 which involved drip in the arm for a sedative - seriously didnt remember a thing bar telling the nurse it wasnt working then remember singing in my brothers car on the way home

best dentist experience for years

[dropcliffsnotbombs]

I really wish I hadn't just read this thread. I've finally registered with a dentist after years in the wilderness and am thinking about getting my gnashers straighten which is going to involve extractions.....

[NotAllThere]

After GA, drink plenty of water to flush the drugs out of the system - but maybe that's only after major surgery...

[bored]

Surely if it was a general the overall sensation would be similar to being unconscious?

I think you're right. The doctors called it sedation and not general anaesthesia; also I remember pretty much everything that happened during and after the operation.

[VectraMan]

Had 2 wisdom teeth removed under general anaesthetic - I didn't even notice when it happened, overall sensation was similar to being completely drunk. Don't expect to be able to do anything productive for the rest of that day.

Surely if it was a general the overall sensation would be similar to being unconscious?

I had a tooth removed under general as a child. IIRC one of my adult teeth had started to grow in behind the baby tooth it was meant to replace.

I've had all four wisdom teeth done under local over the last few years.

I wimped out and had a sedative when having the camera down the throat procedure that I can't remember what it's called. I remember a friend came to pick me up, and I made him wait because I thought I hadn't talked to the doctor yet. The doctor came in and said he'd talked to me just half an hour before and I'd appeared awake and been nodding and asking questions, but I had no recollection of any of this. I got home about 6pm, lay down on the sofa in front of the TV ... and then woke up at about 11am the next day. Whatever they gave me obviously worked.

[bored]

Had 2 wisdom teeth removed under general anaesthetic - I didn't even notice when it happened, overall sensation was similar to being completely drunk. Don't expect to be able to do anything productive for the rest of that day.

[Ardesco]

I had two impacted wisdom teeth taken out under a general (wasn't given the option of a local). Woke up looking like a chipmunk with huge blood clots on each side of my mouth and they wouldn't let me out till I ate a fricking sandwich!!!!!

After sitting there watching everybody who had come out each a sandwich, suck out the blood clots and piss blood everywhere, before going in I was having none of it....

[TCL]

Had both wisdom teeth out as a teenager. local anathestic, one each side. I can still remember the sensation, it was a horrible grinding you could feel right inside your skull. At one point the dentist was straddling me, a knee on each arm of the chair. If only I hadn't been 13 years old...and in a great deal of pain...and didn't have blood pouring out my mouth....

[ChimpMaster]

OK so I guess it's not uncommon then ... makes me feel better. I've only been under GA once for another op and I quite enjoyed the morphine after (terrible come down tho).

Still for a tooth extract it does seem a bit much eh.

[OwlHoot]

If you wake up with a bruised chest.... thank your lucky stars

Isn't that where the dentist plants their boot before they start tugging?

[Platypus]

If you wake up with a bruised chest.... thank your lucky stars