Is It Possible to Avoid General Anesthesia with Wisdom Tooth Extraction

My daughter is 20 years old and needs to have her wisdom teeth extracted. One of them is partially under the bone. Our dentist has not given us much information on this and just said to schedule the appointment. I’m assuming that some type of sedative has to be used. Does she need the type of sedation that they do in hospitals during surgery or is there a less scary one?

Cassie

Dear Cassie,

Bear in mind that I have not examined your daughter myself or seen any diagnostics, so I don’t have all the information. However, unless your dentist said their were some complicating factors other than just being partially under the bone, then I don’t think she will need anything more than oral conscious sedation.

Oral conscious sedation is administered by a pill but is still very strong. She will likely just sleep through the entire procedure. However, she is still conscious and can stay awake if she really wants to. Most people just prefer to sleep.

I am not too worried about the bone issue. At your daughter’s age, the bone is still pliable. There is not much cementum accumlation on the roots of the teeth at this age either. She’s actually in a sweet spot when it comes to extracting wisdom teeth.

As I am sure you know and why you expressed concern, there are added risks with general anesthesia. If she doesn’t need it, and I really don’t think she does, then you will be fine with just getting the oral conscious sedation. If you are still concerned, you can look for a dentist who is associated with DOCS, which is the Oral Conscious Sedation Organization. They provide special training for dentists. This will ensure your daughter is in the safest hands.

This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Carl Embury.