Going back in time, dentists could give nervous patients a general anaesthetic, who would then drift off to sleep and wake up when all the nasty drilling and filling was over. In the 1960s my mother-in-law would actually look forward to going to the dentist, who would always put her to sleep before he did any dental work. She would wake up, pay, and after recovering would walk home not remembering one thing of what had gone on.
Fast forward and it’s now illegal in the UK for dentists to give patients a general anaesthetic. I know, because I’ve been trying to find a suitable one due to the radiotherapy legacy of an over-sensitive mouth and throat causing me much distress (which we don’t need to go into in great detail) in my current dentist’s chair.
At last I found one by trawling the Internet. They are not too far away and they give sedation; not a general anaesthetic, but an injection that leaves patients ‘relaxed and in a dream-like state’. The anaesthetist actually works part-time in the same hospital that I do, and although it’s quite expensive and not through my current Denplan insurance, I jumped at the chance to actually have some work done which I had been putting off because I just couldn’t tolerate my current dentist doing it.
So yesterday I turned up at the new surgery, nervous as hell. There they were, the dentist and anaesthetist, standing there waiting for my carcass like two circling vultures. I was ushered onto the dreaded chair in a flash. I tried to make some polite conversation as the cannula was inserted into the back of my hand, and asked whether I would be getting a shot of Midazolam. The anaesthetist looked quite surprised, and replied that it was only a small dose of Midazolam but the main ingredient was Propofol as Midazolam caused too much drowsiness the next day. I immediately thought of poor old Michael Jackson and his Propofol-induced sleeping regime, but decided not to comment on that.
Very soon I was pleasantly circling the airport and was aware that two teeth were being prepared for root canal treatment, but I didn’t care two hoots. An hour passed in a flash, and I slowly woke up, amazed that it was all over. The anaesthetist told me that I was so relaxed that he had to tell me to take some deep breaths at one point because my oxygen levels were decreasing, and I duly did so! I have two more of these Mickey Finn’s to undergo, but am not dreading any more drilling. Sam drove me home and I ate some dinner without all the usual nausea that accompanies an anaesthetic.
If I had stayed with the other dentist, I am sure I would have started to lose some teeth before too long. Apparently my new dentist is the only one in the county that offers sedation. Thank goodness I discovered the pair of them. It ain’t cheap, but as Sam says…I’m worth it!
dgkaye said:
Glad it worked out alright for you. I get propofol when having colonoscopies. Best drug, lol. 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
It’s great isn’t it? No nasty after-effects.
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dgkaye said:
Absolutely!
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The Opening Sentence said:
I remember the hideous dentist’s gas and then being able to get an injection instead. Both experiences put me off dentists for life. I didn’t know it was restricted thee days.
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Stevie Turner said:
Neither did I until I investigated. Sedation sends you off to a happy place though. It’s great for root canal work!
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Phil Huston said:
Just to put a happy note on this, Midolazam is the key knock out ingredient in death by lethal injection. The gasping effect has caused many states to re evaluate its use! Eeeeek!
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Stevie Turner said:
Thankfully the anaesthetist told me only a small amount of Midazolam is used, and it’s mainly Propofol.
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wellcolourmeyellow said:
Sounds like a dream!
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Stevie Turner said:
It felt like I was dreaming!
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jenanita01 said:
I had work done years ago under sedation, but woke up before he had finished! Not sure who was more surprised, me or him!
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Stevie Turner said:
Lol!
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jenanita01 said:
Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for the re-blog!
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ksbeth said:
i’m all about dental sedation
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Stevie Turner said:
Me too. It’s wonderful!
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watchingthedaisies said:
I am so glad you had such a positive experience Stevie. Wishing you well for your next visits. 🌼
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks Brigid.
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jwebster2 said:
When did it become illegal? I had wisdom teeth out under general anesthetic from a dentist in the last ten years, but we had to go to Lancaster to have it done. (All local practices refer to this one practice. )
It may be that they do enough work to have a fully qualified team of Anesthetists
Or the ban might have come after this?
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Stevie Turner said:
Not sure when it became illegal, but I’ve been told it is by my current dentist and the old one. Thank goodness I can still have sedation though!
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franklparker said:
Your question – and Sevie’s assertion – intrigued me sufficiently to carry out a google search. I came across this from the Journal of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine. “Since 1 January 2002, general anaesthesia for dentistry has been confined to a hospital setting with critical care facilities.” Here’s the relevant link: https://www.anaesthesiajournal.co.uk/article/S1472-0299(06)70100-X/pdf. Apparently people had a habit of dying under anaesthetic in dentist surgeries. (8 people between 1996 and 1999 in UK).
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Stevie Turner said:
Yes, and many hospitals, like the one I work in, no longer do any dentistry due to cutbacks. I could have teeth taken out by a private oral surgeon, but I’d prefer to keep them if I can.
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jwebster2 said:
Thanks for that. My ten years must have been longer than I thought 🙂
I also remember that there were some scandals of dentists who’d been claiming for work done under general anesthetic which they’d never done. (Because with the NHS the patient never saw the claim.) Indeed I’m pretty sure I remember a Dixon of Dock Green episode about it 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
Don’t get me started on that… I was a green teenager and the dentist I had carried out years of unnecessary work and x-rays, probably leading to my thyroid cancer 35 years or so down the line. He’s dead now, but I hope I meet him in the afterlife…
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jwebster2 said:
😦
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