Introduction
Many people are afraid to visit the dentist. The reason for this is often negative experiences during childhood or past painful treatment appointments. The possibilities of carrying out particularly painless treatment methods at the dentist have improved considerably in recent years.
In most cases it is already sufficient to anaesthetize individual sections of the oral cavity locally. For particularly extensive sessions, general anesthesia may even be considered. The term general anesthesia is used both in the clinic and at the dentist to describe the elimination of consciousness and pain sensation.
Especially at the dentist the execution of a general anaesthesia has several goals. The consciousness of the patient to be treated is completely switched off in order to completely fade out negative experiences. Especially with anxious patients, the non-perception of pressure and pain sensations can be particularly relieving. General anesthesia has proven to be a very popular method for dentists in recent years, especially when treating children.
Implementation
Generally, general anesthesia at the dentist is divided into three stages. First, however, the patient must be prepared for general anesthesia. In this context, a detailed clarification discussion between the patient and a specialist in anaesthesia takes place.
During this conversation possible risk factors, such as heart disease and impairment of lung function, should be uncovered. In addition, various blood values must be checked by the dentist before general anesthesia is introduced. Even in the case of a general anaesthetic at the dentist, a dietary restriction beginning the previous evening, i.e. complete abstinence from food from dinner onwards, must be observed.
In addition, the patients concerned should neither drink anything nor consume nicotine in the morning before the general anesthesia. Before the actual general anesthesia can be initiated at the dentist, the patient is connected to various devices that measure the most important organ functions. Especially the oxygen saturation (by means of a clip on the finger) and the regular heart activity (by means of ECG) must be observed.
In addition, the patient must be given a venous access through which the drugs used to induce and maintain anesthesia can be administered. Before the actual general anesthesia is initiated, the patient receives pure oxygen through a breathing mask. In the meantime, the anaesthetics are administered. Once the patient has lost consciousness, a breathing tube can be inserted through the nose.
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