Advice on Anesthesia for Daughter's Tooth Extraction

I had a 7 year old who needed multiple teeth pulled, on both sides of her mouth. First off find a PEDIATRIC dentist. It may cost you more, but it's worth it. One dentist recommended admitting her in the hospital and doing all the work at once, we didn't like that idea,so we found a second opinion. The second dentist was wonderful, and scheduled 2 different appointments, and gave her mouth time to heal in between, so it was less trauma to her mouth. Nitrous oxide was first, then the novacaine. She didn't feel a thing, and she's not afraid of the dentist. Hope this helps, good luck.

General Anestheia is when they put her to sleep and she doesn't remember anything. I had this done when I was 10 or 11 and they did General Anestheia and this is the one I would recomend so she doesn't have a horribale experiance and won't
want to go to the Dentist. They will give you a prescription for pain medication. Hope this helps.

definitely novacaine localized injection. I am the daughter of a dentist, sister to three dentist and mother of 9 children. extractions of baby teeth are easy..not so deep in roots.it is really not a big deal.

I was 12 when I had to have a root canal. What you need to do is determine your daughter's tolerance for pain. If she has a decent tolerance, novocaine will work. If she doesn't, I recommend completely sedating her.

I have two daughters, ages 14 and 9. About a year ago, they both had to have 4 teeth pulled as recommended by their orthodontist also. Their extractions were done in their regular dentist's office using just novocaine. It went very well. They did great. Our dentist pulled two teeth on one side of their mouth, then they returned a week later for the other two to be pulled. I was really worried about having the teeth pulled, but it really was not big deal : )

Hi D.,

Why is your daughter having 4 teeth pulled? Why is an Orthodontist pulling her teeth? What about getting a second opinion? D.

My daughter was 12 and was in the same situation. They told us that general anesthesia is really for those who are very afraid of the dentist...plus we had to go to another dentist who actually did that. Not to mention more expensive. I don't know anything about "laughing gas". We just did general novacaine as she had that once before with a filling and it was fine. You need to jug it by how your daughter normally handles dental visits. This was actually the easy part....it was the bleeding afterwards for 3-4 hours that bothered my daughter. Good luck.

This sounds like what I had to have done when I was her age. I got gas, an IV, and Novocaine. I remember counting backwards, coming to a enough to know I was being moved out of the dental chair and into another room and then being drunk walked out of the office to my mom's car. About 20 minutes after that I was fine if a little drooly from the Novocaine. I ate ice cream, jello and soup for a couple days and then was fine. If you have specific questions, you can always ask to speak to their anesthetist. He or she should be able to go over all the options available at that oral surgeon's practice. Talking about my anesthesia options and about my concerns was the best thing I did when I had to have another c-section recently. It made a huge difference in how I recovered. Also, you will want to prepare your daughter with what to expect with the anesthesia. Everyone is different, but I also had the most vivid odd dreams. Not nightmares, just weird dreams while under. It's been almost 20 years (eek!) since I had my molars out for braces, but what I remember wasn't too bad.

Hi, I have had to have teeth pulled as a child and as an adult. As a child, I believe that they just used novocaine because I would have remembered being put under. As an adult, they used conscience sedation. I could still obey commands, but I didn't feel or remember a thing. It totally depends on your child. I was a calm child and only had to have one tooth pulled. If the orthodontist knows your daughter's temperment ask him what he recommends.

I had four teeth pulled when I was 15 and I had general anesthesia. I woke up crying. They said that it was normal to either wake up crying or laughing. I don't remember any pain with it. My daughter had some teeth pulled when she was about 8 and the dentist only administered local anesthesia. He was a great dentist and my daughter didn't even realize what he was doing for some of the procedure. If I could go back I probably would have tried to bug my orthodontist to see if he could move my teeth instead of pulling them. I have gaps in my teeth now. General anesthesia seems pretty safe now but it is still kind of scary. I would consult with your dentist alittle and find out as much as possible. Good luck.

Hello. As I read about your situation, I could not help but remember my own experience. As a 4th grader, I needed to have 4 teeth extracted for my braces. Granted this was over 30 years ago but the memory is still fresh. My dentist did not believe in any type of anesthesia - only novacaine, only as needed. Apparently, his son - who was in dental school - self administered some general anesthesia and never woke up. While my dentist was understandably traumatized, his policy was barbaric. While my mouth was numb (after several large needles with novacaine were used, which was quite scary), he pulled my teeth. I screamed, cried and hollered. My mother, who had to sit in the waiting room, said that several adults left and gave up their appointments because of my loud anguish
To this day, I am scared of the dentist. I ask you to have a conversation with the dentist and express your concerns about anesthesia. Your daughter may be able to tolerate the experience with only novacaine; or you may decide to go with her being "out". I, to this day, prefer the "knocked out" route. I also would be upfront and honest with her about what is going to happen. There will be blood, swelling and soreness. Remind her about the result after her braces. I really feel for you and your daughter.
Hope this helped.

Hi D.! I stay home now but I was a dental assistant. I worked for a pedodontist that placed braces and therefore did a lot of extractions. I assume that these are simple extractions (baby teeth) that haven't come out yet. If that's the case this is how I would explain the options to our patients parents. Lidocaine is what you are calling novocaine. I'm from the west coast but we don't use novocaine anymore. Anyways, it only numbs the specific tooth on the upper jaw and an entire side plus tongue on the lower jaw. She is probably old enough to have both sides of the lower jaw blocked, but you may want to consider 2 appts. as some kids do an awful lot of chewing on tongues and lips. If they are baby teeth the hype is not worth what will go on. The dentist I worked with would not even tell them when the teeth were coming out, instead he would remove the tooth, then say "okay, here it comes" The children obviously didn't feel a thing and 9x out of 10 left feeling relieved. It's the emotional trauma if the kids think there is something to worry about. Since she is 11, try telling her like you'd tell an adult that she will be numb and the only thing she might feel is pressure, then make sure you trust your dentist to get her completely numb before the procedure. Nitrous Oxide is a great option ( but not usually covered by insurance) but the truth to that is kids don't always communicate at what level they are affected. You want the child to feel floaty, maybe some tingles, but the room does not need to be spinning! And sometimes there is a headache coming off. It does make time fly and can make some people (myself included) laugh a lot. About the general anesthesia, we would only do this with children to young to possibly cooperate. Like 3 yr olds with rampant decay for example. She does not need this unless she has some other medical reason for it. I am telling you, the only time this becomes a problem is if the kid is left to worry, assure her that the dentist does this all the time and it will be over before it begins. Same goes if they are adult teeth, she should be able to become completely numb and only feel pressure, although in this case she will see him tugging a little and hear some cracks. Perhaps they will let her listen to music on earphones.? Good luck, she will be fine!!
P.S. Don't schedule anything else that day, they'll give you post-op instructions but as a heads-up: she'll be biting on some gauze for about an hour, they'll tell you what pain relievers to use if there is any pain, and no straws or hot foods for at least 24 hrs.

Based on my own experience with having teeth pulled, I say knock her out!! BUT, I would check with her pediatrician and let her decide. Generally, general anesthesia poses little risk but if your daughter happens to have any kind of health problems or other situations, it may not be best. That's why asking her pediatrician would be the best way to determine the answer. Personally, novacaine injections really really hurt and I truly hope I don't have to go thru that again!

Good luck to both of you.
Julie

I hope this helps: I'm 28 & I just had all 4 wisdom pulled. I did conscious sedation (valium I believe) and then they numbed me. You don't feel the pain throughout the procedure(numbing) but you hear the sounds- it didn't really bother me, & most or at least some people don't even remember it, at least through it's entirety. (partly to do with the valium I'm sure) Anyway, I am epileptic, so I was TERRIFIED of any kind of sedation. I chose conscious sedation due to my risk factor & the safety of it all together, and it turned out to work great.

My biggest bit of advice is to make sure that the pain meds are called in & picked up, if possible, for after the procedure. Once that pain starts, it's hard to get rid of it! I hate taking meds (probably because I have to) refused them after my daughter was born, but I absolutely NEEDED them after the teeth were pulled.

Unfortunately,I've also had the experience of teeth being removed at a young age. I had mine removed with novacaine only.I felt no pain,only because the teeth and roots were to far gone. Depending on your Daughter's situation,that is what I would reccomend. Technology has come a long way,but there are more serious risks with Nitrous Oxide versus Novacaine.I hope this helps,Good Luck.

I would say either novocaine or general anethesia. I remember having a tooth pulled (probably around that age) and the gas didn't do anything.

I think it's most common to have the general anesthesia when pulling 4 teeth especially if they are impacted and they have to cut them out. My husband about 2 yrs ago had all 4 wisdom teeth out and he was put to sleep. I don't even think they asked us, they just said they would give him anesthesia. Now when I had my top 2 wisdom teeth out, they asked me if I just wanted novacaine alone or nitrous oxide with it. I got the nitrous and the novacaine, and it was AWESOME. I had no care in the world!!! I came out of there and was like, OK, seriously when are we doing my bottom teeth cause that was a piece of cake. They didn't give me the option of the general but I'm guessing it's because they only pulled them, they didn't actually have to cut them out. Like I said, if they have to cut them out it's probably more painful procedure and I would definitely get the general.

My son had a number of baby teeth extracted because they were so jammed in his permanent teeth weren't getting through (from ages 7 to 10). He also had at least one permanent tooth removed (about 11). Never more than one or two at a time. The baby teeth were mostly taken by his dentist using novacaine. However, he was such a wreck after the last session with his dentist that when it was time to take out the permanent tooth, it was agreed he should get anethesia. The oral surgeon felt novacaine would be sufficient but because of his nervous state I said go ahead with the anesthesia. They administered a bit of nitrous oxide to relax him and then gave an intravenous anesthetic. The procedure took all of 5 minutes. It took him longer, much longer, to wake up and he was nauseous. We wheeled him out to the car and he slept most of the way home and for the rest of the day. If we had to do it again, I would skip the nitrous oxide (I think that's what made him ill). I've had the intravenous anesthesia myself for wisdom teeth and other procedures and had no problems. Ultimately it depends on how you and your daughter feel and how easy the oral surgeon thinks the teeth will come out. They do apply a numbing gel to the novacaine shot sights. (My son also doesn't do needles well.) He's now 16, had perfect teeth for a time but can't remember to use his retainers.

I had to have a tooth pulled a few years back and am exremely squeamish when it comes to anything associated with pain. I opted for the novocaine as well as the nitrous oxide (happy gas). The gas really helps the patient relax and of course the novocaine takes care of the numbing part, and you won't have to worry about your daughter being totally unconcious. Plus, if she has a fear of the dentist, it might be better if she isn't completely under so she can learn to work on her fears.

I can't tell you what choice to make, however, I have had 2 children put to sleep through iv sedation. They had hernias removed, and was told by the doctors that the risk of a serious complication from anestesia is far less likely to occur then them being injured in an auto accident on the way to the surgery. My childrent were both only a few months old during the procedure, and now a few years later are just fine.

Also, I took my 8 yr old niece to the dentist to have only one tooth pulled last spring. Her parents had no money nor insurance, so I paid to hav a rotting tooth pulled out of pocket. The least expensive method was to have it pulled with only novocaine. That is what she did, and she screamed. It was aweful. She now has to take anxiety meds just to go to the dentist. I would not wish that on any child.

Hi D.,
My sons, ages 9 & 11 have both had teeth extracted with just Novacaine & have done fine. When I was about your daughter's age, I had to have 11 teeth pulled prior to getting braces. Again, it was done w/just Novacaine, although I did receive Nitrous for my wisdom teeth several years later. While the Novacaine is uncomfortable, to be sure, I think you need to remember that anesthesia is not without risks. I would prefer to go with the least risky method, especially for my children. If she cannot tolerate needles, you may need to consider some sedation. Best of luck & I hope she sails through the procedure.

Go with general. She'll have no idea what happened to her. I wouldn't want to be awake for that.

Demand semi-conscious sedation (I think they do it with novicaine at the same time). Do not go with any of the other options. Any dentist should be able to do it. If yours doesn't, find another.

A few years ago my daughter knocked out my two from teeth and I had to have them extracted and had dental implants put in. I didn't feel a thing and it's serious surgery. There are huge risks involved with general. you are essentially dead and dependent on these nurses to keep you alive. with semi conscious sedation you are alive and breathing on you own you just don't feel pain. It is great. I also had it when I had a wisdom tooth removed.

When having that many teeth pulled at once, it is common practice to do general anesthesia regardless of age. I had my 4 wisdom teeth cut and pulled out at once. After the procedure, the orthodontist should have some pain medication for the first couple days. Nitrous oxide is effective also for this kind of procedure (although the dosing is an issue at young ages as they tend to me more sensitive to it.) I had Novocaine when I was 12 and had to have a couple feelings- I don't know how well it would work w/ pulling teeth. You may want to ask your child if she wants to be awake during to procedure or not. It is her mouth and she's the one that has to go through it. The general is very safe and closely monitored- I would go with that or the laughing gas personally. Good luck!

Hi. First I want to say make sure she needs four pulled. I had four pulled, for braces, when I was 12. Now 18 years later I still have issues with the top teeth b/c the two up there should not have been pulled. I had enough space already, now it's too much and that is the first place my teeth shift. The bottom is fine. A lot of dentist pulled them out of routine, not always necessity. I'm not saying she doesn't need them pulled, just make absolutley sure it's necessary. Second, I would have them put her under. I don't know what it's called exactley but you're awake but kinda out of it. You know somethings going on but you don't really know or care what lol. I say this b/c when I had mine pulled it was just novacaine, and I still remember the pain. I was actually talking about it last week with a co-worker. So even after all these years it's a very bad memory. When it comes time for my daughter to get braces she will have more than just novacaine. I hope this helps.Good Luck!

My husband is a dentist and I am a hygienist....so here it goes. Typically, in a pediatric dentist office they SHOULD only put your child under general anesthesia if they are a very difficult child in the office or she has high anxiety. Personally, I had 4 teeth removed on me at the same age for the same reasons by a general dentist with just novocaine and nitrous oxide (laughing gas). There is no reason to put an 11 year old under general anes. if you don't have to. It just makes THEIR job easier. Unless you child is extremely fearful, don't do this. Pediatric dentists are famous for this. (They see lots of kids that general dentists have referred to them b/c they are difficult patients) There are risks every time anyone goes under general anesthesia and children and animals are particularly vulnerable. Why allow that risk if it is unnecessary. Please, from a dental professional perspective, don't do this unless it is absolutely necessary.

My daughter had 6 teeth pulled before she could get braces, two were baby and 6 were adult teeth. They did nitrous and novacaine, and they also gave her some "Sleepy Juice" before they gave her the shots. I can't remember exactly what was in the juice, but it just relaxed her.

She did unbelieveably well, I was amazed, that evening she was a friends house playing and jumping around. If that would have been me I would have been layed up for days :)

Now she has beautiful teeth and a smile, that was three years ago. Best of luck! J.

My daughter had 4 teeth pulled for orthodontic reasons when she was 11. She was put to sleep~I guess that would be general anesthesia. She was given a shot and then she was asleep. Amazingly enough she doesnt remember a lot of it. The day she had the teeth pulled she came home and was a little "weepy" but didnt know why. It sounds horrible getting that many teeth pulled but all in all it really isnt that bad. I hope that helps. Good luck.
K.

Definitely general anesthesia! Although local would numb the pain, the whole procedure is a little bit scary...(I had four permanent teeth pulled at this age as well). There is a lot of pressure, as well as them holding the head and pulling so as you can imagine it could be traumatizing...also it could take a little while. As for being put to sleep...it feels like 2 seconds and then you wake up. Definitely the best option, and you don't even know what you went through...and especially at that age.

Remember how novocaine is administered...needle stabs! Multiple stabs to get the nerves for each of the teeth.

I had four teeth extracted when I was in my teens, and I was quite happy to be knocked out for it.

Hi D.,

When I was a little bit younger than your daughter, I also had 4 teeth pulled (recommended by orthodontist) and had Nitrous Oxide and it worked fine. Not knocked out all the way, but had silly dreams during the procedure. I would recommend it. Novocaine might be pretty scary as you are still aware of what is going on. With the laughing gas you are not. Best of luck to you and your daughter.

i just had 10 teeth taken out last year and i asked to be put to sleep it was anesthesia given through an IV. they did it at office (one that does this sort of thing) not the hospital. if you can afford the extra hundred or two it might cost i would recomend it. theres no point in having your child afraid of the dentist or having to go through it awake if she doesnt have to.

Hey D.,
dont fret my 9 yo had to have about 3 teeth rmvd last year all at once. We went with the general anethesia(novacaine) but the key to that is that u follow the surgeons pre-op instructions to the t.

It has been our experience that local anestheia (lidocaine with 2% epinephrine) works fine as long as there are not compromising health problems and your child does not have severe anxiety issues.

Hi, D., I am a dental professional; I can't imagine a child needing general anesthesia for 4 simple extractions. Simple extractions meaning baby teeth that are erupted, and simply not ready to fall out on their own. Is she unusually anxious, disabled, or are there any type of behavioral issues? If so, you may want conscious sedation. Nitrous is great, as it relaxes the patient and there is also a bit of an amnesic effect. If the extractions are more complicated, she may need more. My daughter had 4 teeth extracted at age 9, that were fused to the bone (worse situation than impactions, & I wish she had been sedated.) Local anesthesia is always used, no matter what other types of sedation are used or required. I would discuss her specific case with the dentist who is doing the extractions. Hope this helps. I'm sure she will do fine. Good luck. N. B.

I was 11 when I had to have 2 teeth pulled as per my orthodontist's instructions. They tried to give me the nitrous oxide which made me feel so bad that I started crying and so they stopped. I was then given just novocaine which did the trick and it wasn't bad. I would suggest novocaine but if she is overly nervous and upset about the upcoming procedure then I would have her go to sleep. The "sleepy medicine" (not sure what it is called) only lasts a few minutes and she won't feel a thing. Good luck to her and don't worry... she will be just fine!! :)

My husband, and anesthesiologist, would say never use general without an anes. present. Some offices have anes. just for that purpose, but most do not.

That's my two cents...

Be careful about having teeth pulled. My mom had her I-teeth (or eye-teeth?) pulled and she lost her hearing in one ear. The i-teeth are the large pointed ones in the top of your mouth. So be careful!!! Sometimes dentist are quick to pull teeth when they shouldn't. My sister also worked for a dentist and they don't ever pull teeth in children unless they are baby teeth and even then they are extremely cautious. The baby teeth make/hold space for the adult teeth to grow in. At 11 I had to have my mouth widened when I was younger to make room for the adult teeth b/c sucking my thumb had caused my mouth to shrink in a sense, so my baby teeth were crowded and there was no room for the adult teeth so they were just growing in where they could. Once they widened my mouth to the corret shape it should have been all my teeth went right into place and I only had a few baby teeth pulled b/c they had been pushed back by adult teeth and there were no adult teeth to push them out. Maybe you should get a second or third opinion.

Good luck!

My son just had a front tooth pulled (he's 7) and he didn't feel a thing. The dental assistant gave him nitrous oxide, which I would not use again--it was expensive. If your daughter is apprehensive about the procedure, then apparently the nitrous oxide will help calm her. My son was not nervous and we should not have used it. He did not feel the shots of novocaine and within about a minute the tooth was out. No biggy at all. I take him to a pediatric dentist and the staff is AWESOME with kids. I certainly would avoid general anesthesia if possible.

Nitrous oxide is laughing gas, and I have had it for getting my wisdom teeth out. The teeth were not impacted, and it worked just fine for taking the edge off. However, if you think a lot of pain will be involved, you may want to do general anesthesia. My son just had that with his wisdom teeth, and last year for nasal surgery. All went well. Hope that helps.

Try "twilight slumber" anesthesia. They will give her enough so that she won't feel pain but she won't be completely asleep. She'll sort of know what is going on and be able to answer questions but she won't have pain. Any time you can avoid being put under it's a good idea. Good luck!

Oh, one last thing. Try giving her some tylenol or aleve, if the doctor says it's ok, before you go in for the surgery. It will help as the anesthetic and numbing medication wears off to keep the pain to a dull roar until you can get her the prescription pain killers.

-M.

My daughter (now 12) had to have 4 teeth pulled for the same reason this past August (then she was 11). She had them pulled one at a time due to their locations. Her dentist used a numbing cream on a cuetip on her gums before applying the needle. She did exceptionally well. We used a dentist in Westminster, MD that was AWESOME. They each got 1-2 stitches and we had NO complications. I gave her tylenol before we arrived there and then shortly after we got home I gave her motrin. We alternated the 2 every four hours to prevent any pain from arriving and I can say she never complained and said it didn't hurt. I personally would prefer the novacaine versus having my child "put under". I would ask as many questions as necessary until you are 100% comfortable. I will admit that for the first one I was a little nervous (I was in the room for each extraction - that gave my daughter alot of comfort too) but I was confident in the precedure and I knew fully (from the dentist) what to expect.
Good Luck!!!

I think that you should ask more questions-- who will administer the anesthesia-how imbedded are the teeth? Are they wisdom teeth or molars?
For an 11 year old , if these questions are answered to your satisfaction , I suggest general anesthesia. Generally, with the newer sleep drugs , they are lighter and less traumatic. Some are administered by intravenous and you have no recollection of the procedure.
Good luck- ask questions!!

Are these permanent teeth? When my daughter was 12 she needed two permanent teeth pulled for orthodontics. I took her to an oral surgeon who put her to sleep. We are returning to that same oral surgeon next month for the removal of her wisdom teeth (she is now 16 yrs old) he did such a nice job and was very kind. With four teeth for your daughter you might want to consult with an oral surgeon.

hi D.,
my then-14yo son had a very deep and painful procedure on his upper hard palate with nitrous and novacaine. i sat in there with him and he was fine. sore afterwards, but tylenol helped with that.
good luck!
khaire
S.

D.,

I currently have three boys doing the orthodontics thing 14, 12, 11 and I would shop around for a new ortho. I really don't see a reason to pull four teeth when a more up to date office will simply use an appliance that stretches the roof of their mouth taking away any reason to pull teeth. My 12 year old used this appliance. It was painful for him at times as I had to crank the appliance, but in the end, I'm so grateful because he still has all his teeth. If you do decide to pull the teeth, go with general anesthesia. I've been awake for procedures like that and there's no need for that memory. I believe it's better to go to sleep then wake up when it's done. One draw back, general anesthesia is rough on the stomach. Again, shop around and see what other places have to say before your daughter looses 4 perfectly good teeth. I believe the name of the appliance is an expander or expansion and it's placed under the roof of their mouth, then with wires attached to the back molers. You, the parent, take a long appliances and put it in the hole of the expander and on a daily basis crank the expander. You childs mouth begins to expand to save those teeth. Hope this helps.

Hi D.

Having your child under with general anesthesia does have its concerns but I would take this option. I recently had oral surgery twice, both times with general and it worked very well. The oral surgeon told me the dental anesthesia is different than that used in other surgery. I had no side affects whatsoever either time. I woke up nicely and did not feel drugged. In other words,it was not an unpleasant experience.

Good luck!! K.

Hi! Even though this is not "life-threatening" surgery, it could affect your daughter's well-being in the future. Oral alignment is essential to being able to adequately consume sufficient nutritional needs. Secondly, a child's positive self image plays an important role in your daughter (or any child)developing strong study habits, social skills and finding her way in the world. Bottom-line, tooth extraction should not be taken lightly and one should take the time to seek a second opinion For this particular procedure, I'd encourage you to seek a respected pediatric orthodontist. I would look for that orthodontist to say to you, this is what I see needs to be done; anesthesia we could use are "X" "Y" & "Z". These are the "pros" and "cons" of each and if it were "MY CHILD" this is the route I would probably go! Your daughter (unless she is mentally incapacitated) should also be "addressed" and included (even if only in a 'courtesy capacity') in the decision-making process. Don't hesitate to ask!!!!!! Good Luck! C. W.