PDF: General anesthesia in dentistry
Dentistry, in its surgical and restorative aspect, is in majority based on office practice. Limited dentists work routinely in operation theaters.
Majority of the dental procedures can be performed under local anesthesia which is inherently safe.
Most dentists are skilled in techniques of local anesthetics and nerve blocks. General anesthesia should not be used as a method of anxiety control but for pain control.
VIDEO: Gow-Gates nerve block
All general anesthetics are associated with some risk, and modern dentistry is based on the principle that all potentially painful treatment should be performed under local anesthesia, if at all possible.
General anesthesia is strictly limited to those patients and clinical situations in which local anesthesia (with or without sedation) is not an option such as children or individuals with learning difficulties.
This review elucidates the facts and importance of general anesthesia in dentistry.
Anesthesia enables the painless performance of medical procedures that would otherwise cause severe
or intolerable pain to an unanesthetized patient or would otherwise be technically unfeasible.
No comments: