15 year old DD needs four teeth removed for braces to be fitted. GA?

[Worried234]

Does anyone know if back molars are extracted under regional or general anaesthesia? My DD is 15 and starts orthodontic treatment in a few weeks. She will have her four 'corner' back molars removed, and then when that has healed, a fixed brace.

She's worried about the extraction. I had the same four teeth out at a similar age, but that was years ago, I'm 45 now so I'm sure procedures have changed.

Does anyone know anything about the procedure, and if a GA can be requested? I have told DD that I suspect not, but just looking for any advice or knowledge.

Thank you.

My son had four out, but they did two at a time with a local anaesthetic. I think there was 2 weeks between each extraction appointment.

My child has just had this done. As did I as a child. It’s extremely routine and as far as I’m aware not something you’d be eligible for GA for.

There might be a possibility of sedation if you went private though so look into that.

I‘m not in the UK, but when I had 4 impacted wisdom teeth out I was able to request and pay for a GA. Otherwise it would have been local.

My DD had 4 out in total but in 2 trips to the dentist. It was pretty brutal to watch but DD was fine.

Thank you all. I suspected it wouldn't be a general.

I can't afford to opt for private treatment, it's over £3K here.

I'm not sure if having them out across two appointments is good or bad.

We have our first appointment in just over two weeks, so I'll know more then. I was just hoping to be able to reassure DD a little. She's a tough cookie but is worrying a lot about it.

Think really carefully about having this done. It was done to me and 40 years on I have awful gappy teeth - they were realigned by the braces but you cannot fill the whole space by doing this. I'm really pissed off that my parents allowed the removal of perfectly healthy teeth and it's a grudge I still bear when I look in the mirror.

DDs misalignment is quite severe. She will need a retainer brace after the fixed braces, for quite some time. She can't close her mouth properly. We have been on the waiting list for this for almost five years. Believe me, we have thought very long and hard.

I'm sorry your experience of orthodontics wasn't a positive one.

Local, but I hated watching it!

GA would make an easy procedure a lot more risky. There's really no reason for it

Eldest had two out under local. His younger brother has SEN with sensory issues so he is having none out. He has got a brace to expand his lower jaw instead.

My understanding is that if he subsequently needs a tooth out we will ho to a spealist dentist who will do local plus something on top to sedate him ( gas maybe?)

My 10 year old is having quite a few baby teeth out under general anaesthetic. They are stuck so he has to have it gone at the specialist children's hospital.

DD had two molars removed and then a fixed brace. She had them done under local and apart from being a bit sore when the local wore off, she was fine. DH took her as I’m a wuss when it comes to the dentist! She just shut her eyes and let them do it. We had her favourite soup ready for dinner and kept her dosed up with painkillers.

She’s had a fixed brace and now has beautifully straight teeth and loves them - selfies now have open mouthed smiles!(Gaps closed up without a problem.) We’re now on retainers!

Have you asked about palate expansion rather than teeth out? My daughter was eligible on the nhs as her teeth were so overcrowded. But the problem is the palate is too small and not finished growing.

They were adamant she would need teeth out on nhs, but privately they use and entirely different system and her teeth now further mouth perfectly. None out.

I get you say you can't afford private but it's worth a chat about not having teeth out. It's the easier option for the treatment to work quickly but not necessarily the best to lose so many healthy teeth and the impact that can have on the jaw/possibly future movement etc

Dd 15 had injections only. 2 at a time over a month. And she hates needles... And has ASD.... Managed more than fine with the block braces then train tracks. 2 years... GA? No need....

Just to say DD had no options but to have teeth out. We asked for a private quote from the orthodontist as well as what she would get under the NHS and it came back the pretty much the same treatment. (Except a fancier fixed brace under private and we weren’t paying the extra for that!)

My dd had 4 out, dentist tried for an hour and despite I expect more injections than usual couldn't extract the teeth as Dd kept asking him to stop due to pain. Ended up waiting for a hospital appt and a GA.

DS (15 too) is having 4 premolars out under GA on Tuesday at our dental hospital. They said this was the sensible option.

They do 2 at a time so you can eat on the other side while healing.

It'll be fine under local. GA will mean a dental hospital and possibly a much longer wait. My DD had 10 teeth out in the run up to braces, DS has had 7.

DS had to have a brace due to a severe overbite. He absolutely hates anything medical or dental and has a real fear of needles but he had four teeth removed under local anaesthetic and was absolutely fine. He is really glad he had it done as sometimes his bottom teeth would cut into his upper gums at the back and cause him a lot of pain.

Hi, I had wisdom tooth removed recently as it was growing sideways. It was done with two injections. Getting tooth out took ten seconds amd I did not feel a thing.
I did not swell first day but had some very, very mild puffy cheek next two days.
So if possible schedule for Friday.

GA is serious pricedure and not done for normal tooth extraction. But make sure you have strong pain killers at home. I took 2x200mg ibuprofen 3 times a day and two paracetamols in between.
It took all pain away.
Would not normally suggest that much medication but it is rare event.

It's good to do it in two appointme ts so you are left with one side of the jaw that is functioning and you can chew :)

Good luck!

GA is risky so the benefits must outweigh the risks for it to be offered. Most healthy people can cope with having teeth out with just local.

My DS 12 has just had two out. He hated the numb feeling and the needles but it was over quickly and he managed fine

My then 11yr and 14yr olds had them out under local.... They came out fairly easy

When I worked in NHS dentistry and before the contract changed I would do 2/3 ortho extraction cases a month. I generally found that it was mum who was far more anxious than the teenager.
I found over the years that being completely honest about what was going to take place was the easiest path.
Also, it’s often friends that wind them up the most so would ask them if the “friend” had actually had an extraction. 99% of the time they hadn’t so I would start by pointing out “how do they know when they haven’t experienced it”.

Most teenagers cannot understand how it can be pain free because it’s rare that they have had a local anaesthetic.

I often tell them that I had a whole baby removed via an incision in my abdomen using less anaesthetic than we use to remove teeth ( this is actually true).

But most importantly it is very much a one( or two ) off experience. And without it their teeth will never improve.
They are usually fine at the second appointment since they know what’s going to happen.

The one thing that does help is if the dentist gives them a panic button, that is if they want them to stop they will. If they feel in control they will be slightly more relaxed.

Removing teeth for braces is a common procedure, especially for younger patients. In some cases, it may be a good idea to have the teeth removed under general anesthesia (GA) for a 15-year-old like DD, especially if the child is anxious or if multiple teeth need to be removed at once. General anesthesia makes the procedure painless and ensures the patient won’t remember any discomfort.
It’s important to discuss this with the dentist or orthodontist, as they can assess whether GA is the best option based on DD’s medical situation and preferences. You can find more information on sedation treatments here: narcosebehandeling.

DD was meant to have 4 out with local anaesthetic but she got really anxious on the day and the dentist said she couldn't do it with an anxious patient so referred DD to have it done under GA.
I found it incredibly hard watching her go under with GA. I would have much preferred local. If your dentist will do it with local and your DD is OK with it, I would definitely choose that over GA.