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Is An Anaesthesia Safe Before A Dental Procedure?
Question: My son who birthday it is August 24, 2009 saw a dentist yesterday through the x-ray he saw cavity not visible to the naked eye he recommend my son to go sleep under Anesthesia to take out the cavity I don't feel comfortable for my son to go sleep just to take out cavity please advice
Brief Answer:
used when children may not be able to cope
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic
Your concern is understandable.
The recommendation for general anesthesia is likely based on his age. At 4 years old children tend to be very anxious or fearful during any medical procedure.
Even though the procedure may be explained to him once it is started, it is possible,at his age that he may not be able to tolerate being awake for what is occurring. It may scare him.
General anesthesia is used for young children who may not be able to cope or who require extensive work to be done. He would not be aware of any treatment being done.
The vast majority of persons, including children, use general anesthesia with no problems.
There are other options such as nitrous oxide. This has a mild sedative effect and gives the person a sense of well being. He would be fully conscious during the procedure.
If you are not comfortable with GA, you may want to discuss the other options with his dentist.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
used when children may not be able to cope
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic
Your concern is understandable.
The recommendation for general anesthesia is likely based on his age. At 4 years old children tend to be very anxious or fearful during any medical procedure.
Even though the procedure may be explained to him once it is started, it is possible,at his age that he may not be able to tolerate being awake for what is occurring. It may scare him.
General anesthesia is used for young children who may not be able to cope or who require extensive work to be done. He would not be aware of any treatment being done.
The vast majority of persons, including children, use general anesthesia with no problems.
There are other options such as nitrous oxide. This has a mild sedative effect and gives the person a sense of well being. He would be fully conscious during the procedure.
If you are not comfortable with GA, you may want to discuss the other options with his dentist.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I once heard there is a possible brain damage with GA is that true? What risk is there i should worry about?
Brief Answer:
news is conflicting
Detailed Answer:
HI
At present there are some studies trying to determine if there are any long term effects of general anesthesia on children.
There are some studies that suggest it may impact on development but other studies have found no link between anesthesia and any damage to the nervous system.
A doctor (Dr Flick) connected with the mayo clinic was named in an article stated that the child's overall health is more likely a factor not the procedure conducted. It may also related to the number of times exposed to general anesthesia, it is possible that repeated exposure may cause a problem but this is not proven.
Because the information is not proven and generally seen to be safe, the FDA stated that the practice of GA in children should not be changed as yet.
If you are still not comfortable then you can discuss other options with his doctor.
news is conflicting
Detailed Answer:
HI
At present there are some studies trying to determine if there are any long term effects of general anesthesia on children.
There are some studies that suggest it may impact on development but other studies have found no link between anesthesia and any damage to the nervous system.
A doctor (Dr Flick) connected with the mayo clinic was named in an article stated that the child's overall health is more likely a factor not the procedure conducted. It may also related to the number of times exposed to general anesthesia, it is possible that repeated exposure may cause a problem but this is not proven.
Because the information is not proven and generally seen to be safe, the FDA stated that the practice of GA in children should not be changed as yet.
If you are still not comfortable then you can discuss other options with his doctor.
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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