Sometimes oral dental sedation isn’t enough to help you feel comfortable at the dentist. For some patients, we recommend general anesthesia – the strongest form of sedation. This puts you in an unconscious state so Dr. Polley can complete your dental procedures without you feeling discomfort, pain, or anxiety. If you suffer from extreme dental anxiety or find it difficult to sit still during your procedure, you might benefit from general anesthesia. It is also ideal for patients undergoing an invasive procedure.
When considering your dental procedures, it’s important to make sure you visit a licensed and fully equipped dentist. Not many dentists in Las Vegas carry a license to perform general anesthesia so it’s important that you verify first.
Dr. Polley is a licensed and compassionate dentist in Las Vegas who can administer general anesthesia for your dental appointments. Please call our dentist’s office at (702) 873-0324 or email us to schedule an appointment with Dr. Polley and to find out if general anesthesia is right for you.
When We Recommend General Anesthesia
Not every patient needs general anesthesia and can benefit from a much milder form of sedation like oral sedation. We consider it as a last resort option and often recommended it for:
- Extreme dental anxiety
- Highly invasive procedures with high discomfort
- The patient doesn’t respond to sedation
- Developmental disabilities
- The patient finds it hard to sit still during treatment
In any of the above cases, Dr. Polley recommends general anesthesia as the most effective way to give patients the dental care they need with the least amount of discomfort.
For patients who experience less severe anxiety or will have a less invasive procedure, we suggest sedation dentistry like oral sedation to help them feel comfortable and relaxed throughout their procedure. Talk to Dr. Polley to see which treatment is best for you.
General Anesthesia Procedure
Once we decide you are a good candidate for general anesthesia, we will discuss your medical and family history. If any of your family members have had bad reactions to anesthesia, we may need to perform certain tests to establish the best ways to perform your procedure. If you have a history of feeling nauseous following general anesthesia, please let us know. We can provide you with medicine to help with this side effect.
Prior to your appointment, we will give you instructions on how to prepare for general anesthesia. Generally, patients should not eat or drink past midnight on the day of their procedure. You will also need someone to drive you home from your appointment.
Before we begin your treatment, we will administer medicine to make you unconscious. Once you go unconscious, we will monitor your breathing and vitals to account you’re your personal safety. In the blink of an eye, you will wake up from your procedure without any memory of what happened while you were unconscious. We completed your dental work without you experiencing any stress, anxiety or discomfort.
We will monitor your recovery after you awaken. It may take a while until we release you to go home but this is entirely for your own safety. Please make sure to have someone with you to drive you home from the appointment. They will also need to stay with you for the first day following your procedure to monitor your recovery.
If you would like to learn more about general anesthesia and find out if it’s right for you, please schedule an appointment with Las Vegas dentist Dr. Polley. You can call our office at (702) 873-0324 or email us to request an appointment or to ask us any questions you have.
