I can sleep throughout my surgery?

Yes! General anesthesia is extremely common during third molar (wisdom teeth) surgeries. These teeth are located deep inside of the oral cavity. They are the last teeth all the way in the back, closest to the throat. You can imagine how uncomfortable it would be to be awake and aware of people working all the way back there. Especially with the natural human gag reflex and the airway being so close. Who wants to be conscious for that?

            General Anesthesia is a very simple procedure. It starts by receiving 50% oxygen and 50% nitrous gases (nitrous oxide) through a plastic hood that sits comfortably over the nose. We all know oxygen is the natural gas that we breathe in everyday to keep us alive. Nitrous is another gas that holds the nickname of laughing gas. As you can imagine, this gas helps to relax the patient and make them feel a little better and less anxious.

            After a few minutes of breathing the nitrous oxide the doctor will use a stretchy rubber band and tie it firmly around the arm a few inches above the elbow. This helps the doctor find the patient’s veins. A small catheter needle with a small rubber tube surrounding it is used to enter the vein of choice. The small rubber tube can then be gently advanced into the vein and the needle removed. This catheter is attached to an IV line that leads to a bag of 0.9% sodium chloride fluids (the same fluids that the human body consists of). The IV line has a port near the catheter attachment end. This allows the doctor access to administer medications, which will be what puts the patient to sleep. The typical medications used are Versed, Fentanyl, and Propofol.

            Once the medications take affect, which is within seconds, the patient is sleeping. Next thing you know you’re waking up asking, “when are we going to get started?” General anesthesia is definitely recommended for third molar surgeries. View the testimonial video on the right of this post to get a feel on the experience!