Will the dentist put my son to sleep?

[Miracle29]

Hi everyone. My son has been waiting on the orthodontist list now for 3 years and finally today i got a phone call to say they can now see him. The dentist has already said he will definitely need teeth taken out and braces. Ive spoken to my son today and hes really really nervous about having them out. My question is will they put him to sleep? My son said he doesn't want to be awake when they take them out at all and to be honest I dont think I'd be very good in that situation either. I hate seen my children scared or in pain but I'm nervous to say yes they'll put him to sleep if the orthodontist refuses to put him to sleep. Anyone any advice or been through this? Thankyou.

Teeth are normally removed by the dentist not the orthodontist. If he needs to be sedated he will likely need referring to a dental hospital. My dd got teeth removed; the orthodontist provided a letter to the dentist and it was the dentist that removed them under local anaesthetic

An orthodontist won't be able to put him to sleep. He'll probably be referred to hospital if you want him to have sedation as many orthodontists and dentists don't have trained sedation staff. Not sure it's worth the risk of a general anaesthetic for having teeth out.
I had sedation for an impacted wisdom tooth and it was brilliant. Entirely pain free and I was away with the fairies!

How old is he? Ds had his last baby tooth out at the dentist but I wasn't in the room.

So if I was to ask the orthodontist or dentist would they put him to sleep? It's making me nervous thinking about about because I know how anxious he gets. When we last spoke to the dentist he said the orthodontist would be removing teeth before braces, I did actually think the dentist did this but now I'm unsure.

No dentists can’t put kids to sleep any more. Orthodontists would refer them back to the dentist to take two teeth probably at a time. You can get a sedation/ gas and air type thing at the dentist but if they need GA it would be at the hospital.

No an orthodontist or dentist wouldn't put him to sleep.

My DD's orthodontist wrote to the max-facs team at the hospital, telling them what her plan was and which teeth needed to be removed. Then they saw her, wrote back to the orthodontist and said 'have you considered this option?' She wrote back and said 'yes, but I still want it done my way.' Then they took out the 4 teeth under GA. 2 weeks for healing and then braces on.

No its not likely they would do it; he would probably need a referral to a dental hospital to get it done

@Miracle29

So if I was to ask the orthodontist or dentist would they put him to sleep? It's making me nervous thinking about about because I know how anxious he gets. When we last spoke to the dentist he said the orthodontist would be removing teeth before braces, I did actually think the dentist did this but now I'm unsure.

If you're in the UK neither the dentist nor the orthodontist will knock out your child for tooth extraction. If this is really necessary you need to make it clear and ask for a referral to the dental hospital.

You need an anaesthetist for a GA- so no, you dentist or orthodontist not only aren't allowed to do this, they won't have the equipment or staff to do this! Ask for a referral.

No. Is it the pain he's worried about.

They'll use numbing gel then give him local anaesthetic injections. You can't feel any pain at all once you're numb.

Dentists can't do GA. though you could pay privately I guess.

It’s unlikely a standard practice would have the facility to sedate.

Ask your dentist, as they’ll be performing the extraction. I had 4 out for my Otho treatment, after they did the first one, I asked how long it would be. I honestly didn’t realise they’d done it.

I had mine done over 2 appointments, one side the Friday and the other the Monday to allow me a side to eat comfortably on (the Friday side had healed enough by the Monday). If he’s sedated they’ll do all four at once and he may end up struggling to eat.

Thankyou for all the replies. Hes just 13. Hes always had a fear of dentists but never had any bad experiences or anything like that. I'll speak with the orthodontist when we see him but I can't see my son having them out without sedation. He said the thought of him being aware and awake, the needle in the gum anything other than being asleep makes him really anxious. He keeps asking me "will they definitely sedate me?" And I have been honest and said I dont know bit I will certainly try if that's what he wants.

I would push for the ga I had 2 teeth out around 10 in my dentist and I remember the pain and fear and I’m very reluctant to go dentist now I’m not one to complain I’ve had many brain surgery’s and a baby and by far the teeth was the worst.

I think it's the pain side of things hes worried about and the thought of having teeth out. I've tried to reassure him as much as I can but hes adamant on sedation. I'm just worried hes set his heart on it and they refuse.

I wasn’t allowed GA when I had my teeth out - I had four wisdom teeth out at around 12. It was much better than I expected. I told them I was really nervous and they talked to me lots, and the needle bit was done really fast and didn’t hurt. I was absolutely petrified and kept holding my breath, but they were really good and I didn’t feel anything.

It didn’t hurt after; either, the feeling coming back felt odd but okay, and I was happy I could eat!

If he’s got his heart set on GA, he might have quite a long wait for a dental hospital; there is a big backlog. It’s worth chatting that through with him if you can.

I’m still scared of the dentist, but honestly, this was absolutely fine. The anxiety was the worst part. I went by myself as I was in care - the dental nurse squeezed my hand. If you’ll be with him, doing that might help; and reassuring him about how good he’s doing.

Also rescue remedy drops the day before and the morning of the extraction!

I had wisdom teeth out recently with local anaesthetic and it was absolutely fine, felt zero pain.

I think he'd have to go into hospital privately to have a general.

I have had sedation a couple of times as the numbing gel doesn’t work on me, and I find the gum injections incredibly painful.

A light/conscious sedation is different to GA, and may be possible that the dentist can refer to local sedation centre rather than having a full GA at the hospital.

Either way, he will still need to have the drugs injected in the back of his hand, but that may still be infinitely preferably to a gum injection?

If he is sedated, he would be awake, but not in any pain/would be vaguely aware of what’s going on but would feel like a dream

Can 13yos have diazepam?

Takeyourfinalposition that's good to hear yours went well and they helped you through your anxiety. I'll have a talk with him. I do understand why he wants to be put asleep after hearing horror stories at school ect. Rescue remedy drops sound good aswell I might need them myself!
Any time we have been the dentist hes always asked "will I need a tooth out or a filling" or "will it hurt"

@Miracle29

I think it's the pain side of things hes worried about and the thought of having teeth out. I've tried to reassure him as much as I can but hes adamant on sedation. I'm just worried hes set his heart on it and they refuse.

Just to check, you realise sedation and a GA/being knocked out/asleep are different things? You're still awake with sedation

Atowelandapotato yes I think he would be ok with light sedation to be honest. Hopefully he has a lovely orthodontist who can put his kind at ease about it all.

If he's not good with pain, then braces might be a challenge. I remember them being far more painful than the 4 extractions. Definitely no sedation.

Are they baby teeth or adult teeth? I had 4 teeth out before braces at a similar age. The two baby treth popped right out because they had very little root left. The 2 adult teeth were a less pleasant experience. It doesn’t hurt because of the local anesthetic, but it takes quite a lot of force to pull out healthy adult premolars.

Ime this is one time your ds needs to trust you know best.
Dd 14 had 4 out this year. She was nervous but I said feeling in control with needles is better than recovering from being knocked out... She said honestly she felt nothing. Barely even the needles. They kept checking she was happy to keep going and topped up the jabs. I was in the waiting room. She was less than 10 mins both times (2 each appointment)..
Better to nip dentist worries young imo.