Anesthesia is used for so many other surgeries, why not at the dentist? Friend of mine just had oral surgery for a broken tooth and obviously got novocaine, but he asked if he could be unconscious and they said they didn’t provide that service at their clinic. While drilling or grinding they hit a nerve, which was incredibly painful. Seems like if he flinched at the wrong moment it could make something go horribly wrong.
I understand there is liability in using anesthesia and they don’t use it on every single other type of surgery, but wouldn’t there also be liability if the patient flinches and you drill into the wrong part of their mouth? Even just nitrous seems like it would make the surgery so much easier, safer, and less traumatic for the patient.
Edit: thanks for the responses, I guess I was conflating anesthesia with sedation. My question should have been “why is sedation not required for oral surgery?” Regardless, I learned a lot!
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Novocaine is technically a local anesthetic and is administered by the dentist. I believe what you’re referring to is general anesthesia (being put under/to sleep) and it needs to be administered by a trained anesthesia provider.
Most dentist do not have this additional training, thus they are unable to provide the service. Some dentist have an anesthesiologist come to the office to provide the service but it often comes with an additional cost that most dental insurances don’t cover.
Depending on the patient and severity of the case, some dentist may recommend treatment under general anesthesia… possibly with an oral surgeon. This also has some concerns, your dentist will have a hard time during the procedure due to the tube down your throat and your tongue being in the way.
Edit: spelling corrections and additional information.
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