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.

Pizza obsessed yes I realise they are different sorry if I confused anyone. He did set his heart on being completely knocked out but I know he would be ok with either to be honest. I think hes more afraid of having the gum just numbed and tooth out.

I don't know if things have changed but I had my four wisdom teeth taken out under general anaesthetic 10 years ago before having braces put on. I wasn't given an option although it's what I'd have chosen anyway. I'm sure I remember them saying it was because it was all four although I could be wrong.

I've had teeth out. Definitely valium will help him. A general anaesthetic has risks which is why they don't like to do it. Not a risk I would take. If he has a valium he won't care what they are doing.

My DD had 4 teeth extracted before her braces were fitted; she just had the numbing injections. I got my DH to take her because I'm squeamish about tooth extractions. DD was absolutely fine with it all, but to be fair she wasn't particularly nervous beforehand. I burst into tears when she arrived home looking a bit puffy and with mouthfuls of cotton wool; she just laughed and gave me a thumbs-up.

It's DS's turn this year. They've already extracted the last of his baby teeth as they showed no sign of shifting on their own, and he will have at least 4 adult teeth removed in the autumn.

Hope you and your DS are able to find a way to get it done to minimise anxiety and worry for you both.

They are adult teeth I think that's why hes more worried he knows they hurt more it think. He actually has a tooth that grew at the top of his gum (abit strange to explain) the dentist said he lost his teeth quite early and they all grew back fighting for space as he explained it.
I'm so glad I've posted on here so can can hear all other experiences and explain things to him because I had no idea how to go about it, I've never had a tooth out before.

Waterlego bless your daughter giving you thumbs up and good luck to your ds this time around. The worry we have to go through as parents.

I had 5x teeth out when I was 12. When I went to the dentist to get it done I had a complete freak out crying etc as like your DS for me needles in my mouth is a no no. It wasn't possible to go through with the appointment as I was so beside myself so we went to my GP and they gave me diazepam (Valium) for my next appointment. Well, needless to say I do not remember the appointment when I had my teeth removed but funnily enough I was perfectly fine with it...

Prior to braces, my brother needed impacted wisdom teeth, so had a GA. I'm unsure if a regular dentist only removes teeth that are already visible, or if they attempt impacted teeth too? If they are more complex, they might recommended a GA anyway.

We've just gone through this, my dd has a massive needle phobia and there was no way she was going to let the dentist take her teeth out. She was referred to the dental hospital and she needed several appointments just to psych her up before actually having the teeth removed.

I'd asked for sedation for her but they wouldn't do it due to covid.

They absolutely will not want your ds to have a GA and they'll push for him to let the normal dentist do it as a referral to the dental hospital could take months.

Thanks again for all your replies they've been really helpful. I've told him we will talk with the orthodontist explain his worries and go from there. I'm squeamish nd dont like dentists myself as I've had bad experiences with them but very good at hiding emotions and not showing this infront of my children and I think if I went through this I'd be wanting to be put asleep myself so I can see where my ds is coming from. What worries me is if he does decide have the injections and extractions at the dentist how he will act that day if he then refuses because he gets too scared.

I detest the dentist/orthodontist mostly due to years and years of treatment and then surgery so I don’t take my son to the orthodontist it’s one thing his dad does as I just can’t do it.

I had many teeth out too, I think he did too. They will be sympathetic I’m sure. However you will have to speak to him about the actual orthodontic treatment because that is uncomfortable and painful at times, and at each adjustment and it helps to be aware. I make sure I’ve got plenty soft foods in and painkillers if needed as my son really struggles afterwards but it gets better it just takes me right back to that feeling. I think more so due to all I went through from a young age then getting train tracks when everyone else got theirs off - literally got mine in the day before my friends were removed - 4 years of treatment and surgery later I did get them off and loved it but lots of pain between times. Mine obviously is a bit of an extreme case though, does help I know what my son is going through.

It’s hard knowing we can’t protect them from pain and fear but that’s not realistic long term as you can’t always be with them, but trying to alleviate it and try different things to help him and make sure he’s ok and hopefully he’ll get through it absolutely fine. My sons teeth look amazing so far which he says is worth the pain and discomfort.

Im a dentist who works in hospital doing extractions under GA, generally unless it was 4 molar teeth or surgical extractions, we wouldn’t take teeth out for ortho purposes only under general anaesthetic, due to the risks involved & the fact it is ‘only’ for ortho, so difficult to justify.
He would at the very least have needed to try local anaesthetic & gas & air sedation first

They will be removed by the dentist....but even when sitting in the chair he can refuse....he is old enough to consent.....you could enquire about a hospital referral for extraction....but given the current situation with non urgent procedures he may have to wait a couple of years

Sloth thankyou. He has said hed be fine for a light sedation not actually be put to sleep it's the thought of being wide awake knowing what's going on that's scares him. I do think he'll need quite a few out as the dentist said hes got way too many teeth at the bottom and as he has a tooth grown out of his top gum and no space for it to move down with braces alone I'm assuming theyll need to take teeth from the top to allow space for the brace to pull that tooth down.
Kitkat I've explained to him in could be years before he is seen at a hospital which will put all of his treatment on hold and it could be that it wouldnt be started until he finished school. I'm hoping the orthodontist can give some advice as ds is very good at making out hes ok with things infront of people then get nervous at home and threat over what's going to happen.

My son started orthodontist treatment at 13- he had to have 4 teeth removed then a retainer then a fixed brace.

All appointments were at the orthodontists except the tooth removal which they said had to be done at our dentists.

He was not put to sleep, he was given anaesthetic injections to numb his mouth and the dentist removed 2 teeth the 1st week and 2 the week after - he said he could have done 4 at once but thought DS would appreciate a break!

The actual extraction was so quick, literally seconds to get each tooth out. What took a while was administering the injections and waiting for the area to become completely numb.

DS was completely fine with it all, not bothered. He didn't like the feeling of a numb mouth and the tingling when it wore off but realised this was better than feeling his teeth being removed!

A few painkillers afterwards helped too.

Dentist here. I think it's unlikely he will be able to get the teeth extracted under sedation or GA. the NHS has a massive backlog of urgent cases to be seen for extractions. These are people with chronic infections, abscesses and wisdom tooth complications. Simple ortho extractions will be at the bottom of the priority list, and rightly so.
Perhaps you could explore your private options?

Regarding the extractions, it obviously varies, but usually it can be up to 4 premolar teeth that are removed in most cases. These are usually slender and conical in shape and therefore "pop" out easily. The dentist can offer to do them slowly, one at a time. Topical gel would be applied, and the local anaesthetic can be placed so gently and slowly that they will hardly feel it. Seriously it's such a simple procedure. Most 13 year olds opt ( and cope extremely well) with getting 2 or even 4 done all at once.

The orthodontist does not do the extractions, and rarely liases with oral surgery departments. The procedure is completed at their regular dentists instead.

I also wouldn't be comfortable offering oral sedation to a child.

Austin powerful thats good to know your son did so well. I'm hope we go so smoothly aswell.
Orangejumpsuit that's all reassuring to know thankyou. I spoke with him today a bit more and he said it is the needle hes unsure of and the pulling feeling. Also he has sensitive gums and said at the moment some of his gums feel abit sore and he can feel slight movement, I've spoken to the dentist and he said all looks ok and all teeth do actually have slight movement it's just that alot of us dont notice it and if teeth were stuck in one place with no movement at all upon impact or chewing something hard this could break or shatter teeth so all teeth do slightly move as long as it's not too lose...I've not heard of this but as he is a dentist I trust his say. My ds has asked if the sensitive gums would cause more pain during the procedure and I have explained they put gel on first? Am I right that this numbs the area slightly before the injection? I think I might actually be getting through to him after explaining what everyone has said on here so fingers crossed.

Yes the dentist puts a numbing gel on before the injections.

Yes. The topical gel I meant is a numbing gel!

If you opt for sedation be prepared to wait. I needed all my wisdom teeth out as they were impacted and painful. A sedation removal was a 5 month wait for a space at the clinic or 1 week wait with my normal dentist.

I got two teeth out for my braces when I was about 14 and it was complete and utter agony. I could feel everything they were doing (pushing the gum around and cutting) though it didn't cause pain, but when they pulled on my tooth there was this deep intense ache that went all down my body. Not to mention the numbing injections themselves hurt like hell despite all the numbing gel in the world. I remember every second of it in precise detail despite it being 20 years ago now, it was that traumatic.

See if you can find a GP that offers "twilight sedation". You are semi-put under, still awake (to be able to answer questions from the dentist) but no pain and you have deep feelings of calm and you don't care about anything.

They are not allowed to do GA anymore, this is because a child died a number of years ago.

What they can do is offer sedation, I've been with two friends when they had sedation, one had an injection in his arm and needed to lie down in a room for an hour or so afterwards, I called in at a shop on the way home and he came in with me and danced in the aisle.

The other was sedated with gas and air and recovered within what seemed like seconds.

I very much doubt he'll have it done while awake. DS had four baby teeth removed when he was 11 and it was done in hospital under general. It was a traumatic all round as the anaesthetic made him very sick, but much better than him being awake.

My dd had a baby tooth and then 2 adult teeth removed and it was all done using local anaesthetic at the dentist.

Kangaroosally that's what worries me if he has a bad experience hes never going to want to go again. I've heard so many split stories about people feeling nothing to people being in agony. My dad had a tooth out last week and hes had teeth out before no problem but this one he said was the worse pain hed felt and wouldn't do it again. Sashh I think I might try push for this option if possible. Dancing in the isle made me giggle, I'll be sure to bring him straight home
It's such a hard decision but I guess itll lie more with the orthodontist on what he thinks but I dont want to push my ds to be awake if he really doesn't want to but at the same time theres nothing I can do if they refuse to sedate or ga