Did you know that 60,000 people across the United States have surgery under general anesthesia? This combination of drugs makes it easy for patients to undergo surgery without worry or discomfort. It dampens pain, keeps your body as still as possible, and knocks you completely unconscious. It was a breakthrough that truly changed the way doctors of all different fields practiced medicine.
If you plan on having an implant placed or a significant amount of dental work done, chances are an oral surgeon in Marietta, OH mentioned that you’d received general anesthesia. Here’s what you can expect.
How Does General Anesthesia Work?
General anesthesia occurs in three stages: induction, maintenance and emergence. The induction stage is the process of going under, which typically involves inhaling the sedatives through a nasal mask or injected directly into your bloodstream intravenously. However, these drugs work very rapidly, meaning they have to be constantly administered and measured. This is the maintenance stage, which is operated by an assistant. They make sure that you’re getting the proper doses of sedative and continuously monitor your vital signs. These include your heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure and breathing rate.
After you’re in the maintenance stage, it’s likely that you’ll forget anything that happened during your procedure. You’ll also lose your ability to feel pain and sense of time. By the time you wake up, it will feel as if you were asleep for a very short period of time.
What Happens After I Wake Up?
Once treatment is finished, the dentist will slowly reduce the sedatives and you’ll begin to enter the emergence stage. Keep in mind that the rate at which you wake up can vary on several different factors. These include your age, genetics and the medications you received. For example, about 40 percent of elderly patients and 1/3 of children appear to have lingering confusion and thinking problems several days afterwards. After waking up, you may feel some minor discomfort, but this is common after any surgery.
With that being said, you can rest assured that you’re being cared for by professionals who have done this hundreds of times before. As a precaution, you should reserve the rest of the day to relax and recover; any surgery should be followed with rest before resuming any normal activities, such as driving or working.
Is General Anesthesia Safe?
General anesthesia is considered safe for most patients when administered by a professional. Anesthetics have only gotten safer over the years and the side effects are becoming less and less common. The important thing is you don’t skip on surgery you need.
General anesthesia is nothing to be afraid of. Schedule an appointment with a Marietta, OH oral surgeon to plan your next treatment!
About the Author
Dr. Jeff Lee is fully trained to administer general anesthesia for patients undergoing oral surgery. As an oral surgeon, he’s required to undergo anesthesiology training and know how to monitor patients’ vitals during surgery. To learn more about the process or if general anesthesia is right for you, contact him through his website.