General anesthesia is necessary in some cases to provide safe and effective treatment for children or patients with special needs. It is usually indicated for patients that are too young to comprehend dental treatment that require extensive work, patients who are extremely apprehensive and have very negative chairside behavior, or patients who have medical problems which dictate that treatment be performed in an hospital setting. Most children are able to be seen for an outpatient surgery appointment, have all their treatment completed in one visit, and go home the same day.
General anesthesia offers advantages for treatment as well as disadvantages and greater risk for complications. It is important that your child’s health history be discussed thoroughly with Dr. Drew and that you schedule an appointment with your child’s pediatrician no less than 2 weeks prior to the procedure to ensure that your child has no medical concerns or contraindications for treatment under general anesthesia. Once your child is cleared for treatment by your pediatrician, he/she will be assessed by a member of the anesthesia team the day of the procedure to determine there have been no immediate changes with the child’s health and that it is safe to proceed with treatment. Dental outpatient surgery is treated the same as most other outpatient procedures. Once completed with the procedure and discharged, if indicated, we prefer to see the child back in our office 7-10 days post-operatively to ensure your child’s treatment has been performed successfully and there are no adverse outcomes or complications. Your child will also receive a post-operative call either the night of the procedure or the day after the procedure to ensure your child is doing well post-surgically.
If your child experiences any issues after the procedure (prolonged discomfort, infection, etc…), please contact the office at (615)-614-2424 and leave a message on our emergency line and someone with get back with you as soon as we are able to address your concerns.
