To be worried about being sedated for an extraction?

[tarmactreacle]

I need a broken stump of a tooth removed. It's being done surgically because it's a tricky procedure and the dentist has given me three options.

1. local anaesthetic
2. sedation
3. general anaesthetic

A general anaesthetic is out. I've had them before but I know they all come with a risk and it's not worth it for something small like this.

How risk free is sedation? I vaguely remember stories of people dying in the dentist chair. Does this happen? I would much prefer to be sedated but not if it's a risk.

Sedation is fucking awesome. If you could book a treatment at the spa etc and it was a straight up sedation I’d be there every day.

what happens is someone says “sharp scratch” and you feel a little something and then the next thing it’s all done AND you’ve had the best sleep EVER.

Seriously awesome stuff. It’s what offed Michael Jackson cos it’s so nice and he overdid it.

I have no idea on the risks but I've had sedation for a wisdom tooth and it was fine. You'll need someone with you though to take you home.
I've also had the tooth stump extraction with just a local and that was totally fine as well.... but I'm not phased by the dentist at all.

I'm given fentanyl for sedation for a regular procedure and it's great.

I think the thing that killed MJ was a drug called propofol, which is used to induce general anaesthesia, and will often cause the patient to be unable to breathe without help.
This is NOT what is used for sedation at the dentist 😂

I had sedation for a wisdom tooth removal and it was great. Didn’t feel a thing. Woke up and all done. No stress from being aware of what’ was going on. Definitely recommend it.

I know the sedation for a general anaesthetic is AMAZING!! They say count to 10 but why can't they make it happen more slowly so you can enjoy the feeling for longer!!

I'm really tempted by a general for that reason!!

(But not worth the risk/NHS extra costs just so I can get high!)

I had midazolam for a tooth extraction…absolutely marvellous! Just make sure you have someone with you post procedure.

OP do you understand about risk and odds. I have feeling it would help your life going forward if you properly understood it. Quick google suggest that less than one person in ten million dies at the dentist.

If you have anxiety about such things, I would strongly recommend you learn about risk. Then can you read things on on the internet with a critical eye and realise they are, for the most part, bollocks.

Michael Jackson was a drug addict, prescription or otherwise, who was so rich that doctors would prescribe him anything he wanted, however unwise.

I imagine you are not in the same position OP. It is just a tooth removal. Stock up on ice lollies for afterwards.

@vegaspot were you told of any risks before having it?

It sounds much better than the agony I had last time for a similar extraction with just a local anaesthetic. I was in the dentist chair for well over an hour and she still couldn't get every bit out!

Omg..I've got a fractured molar extraction coming up..🤔

@ForPearlViper one in 10 million?? Those sound pretty good odds!

I had loads of teeth removed by my dentist in the 70's (all by general anaesthetic). This was for baby and over-crowded adult teeth.

DD(17) has also had to have some baby teeth removed, but via local anaesthetic (I've been sat there, listening). Some were fine, others were trickier to pull out.

Go for sedation and take a friend.

It’s good. Like being pissed. Didn’t feel any pain at all. Felt fully aware of what was going on though and didn’t could have sworn the sedation hadn’t worked because I was so “awake”. I was chatting away about how broken the bits of tooth were.

Then I went to bed when I got home and slept for ages. Woke up with my partner pretending to have some legal docs for me to sign as that was one of the stipulations “don’t sign any legal docs under sedation” hahahha

If you have any degree of health anxiety I would strong urge you to learn how risk works. For example, you often see stuff than says a particular behaviour increases your risk of getting a disease by 50%. But your baseline risk of getting that disease is one in million.....

Had mild sedation for a complicated root canal, it was fine. Thought I was fully with it until I got up off the chair and I couldn't walk in a straight line! But highly recommend, I was a very nervous patient. I don't think I fell asleep, they said I did but I only closed my eyes as I couldn't bear watching what was going on.

DH is TERRIFIED of the dentist and had to have an extraction. He had sedation (tablet form) and it went so well he didn’t realise the tooth was gone. He was euphoric afterwards as he’d built it up to be such an awful event and it was literally painless.
Ii was funny waiting for it to take effect. They said he would get talkative and he did, although he doesn’t remember this.

Having thought about it a bit more, what's worrying me is that it's taking place in the village dental surgery 30 minutes from the nearest hospital. If anything goes wrong we are really remote.

I suppose this stems from when I gave birth. I opted for a hospital birth but had I chosen a home birth I probably would have died.

I bloody love twilight sedation.
I've had it a few times for dental treatment.
I would agree to absolutely anything with the drugs on board, like if they said we will just need to remove your leg as well as your tooth I would be like yeah that's fine.
I do get very shivery though so they wrap me all up in cosy blankets then I nod off.

this is hilarious.

I've had sedation twice. The first time I literally remember nothing! Had a tooth out and a couple of fillings. A few months ago I had more than that done, 2 extractions and 5 fillings. I was aware of some parts of it but they were fleeting. Far preferable to being awake for all of it! I had midazolam.

I just want to add that the dental team don't just inject you with a drug and that's it. Your BP and heart rate are continually monitored so that the amount can be adjusted as need be.

Sedation is bloody marvellous. Don’t even think twice.

Propofol quite often is used for dental sedation but would be done by an anaesthetist.

OP, the risks associated with sedation depend on your medical history and what drugs they plan to use. For some people it’s very low risk, for some people it’s higher risk than a GA. You’ll need to ask your dentist what their plan is to work out what’s best for you.

Thanks @Greybeardy I have extremely low blood pressure but other than that I'm in okay health. Not fit, but no health problems thankfully.

I am terrified of the dentist but recently had to have some teeth removed.
One of them was a molar that was only 3/4 remaining.
I was due to have them out at the hospital under general but there was a very long waiting list.
I went for a local in the end and it wasn't as bad as I had built it all up to be!
The molar was the worse one (wish I'd worn ear pods to drown out the drilling), but it was fine. Very quick, with pretty much no pain afterwards.
Good luck!