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Comment by lpsz | Hacker News Reader

It's remarkable that in the US the much more dangerous general anesthesia is used for routine things like wisdom teeth when anesthetic shots (lidocaine) are significantly safer and simpler. This leads to additional complications due to anesthesia itself, or worse. [1] [2]

If your dentist proposes things like this, please, switch to someone else.

(For those unfamiliar, after the shots you feel not much other than some tugging. And you can get up and walk immediately after.)

[1] http://www.medicaldaily.com/baby-girl-cavity-filling-dental-...

[2] http://wgntv.com/2016/02/23/dentists-license-suspended-after...

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As I recall, when I had my wisdom teeth out (around 1999-2000) the oral surgeon offered three options - local anesthetic only, local + some anesthetic gas (I remember he called it the "la-la land option"), or a full "you're totally out" anesthetic. I took the middle option, and I have some vague memories of people standing over me pulling on something in my mouth, but that's it. That would've been a pretty damn unpleasant experience if I was fully conscious, even if there was no pain.

I went to an oral surgeon who offered general anesthetic because he was digging out 4 impacted wisdom teeth at one and I don't do well with any kind of dental work.

Without the general I would still have the teeth today.

The fentanyl mentioned in the GP (probably also what I had) is an anesthetic shot.

Yikes, I was only referring to lidocaine (i.e. more typical choice for dental work.)

Right, I think I shouldn't pretend to define what the various words mean.

Still, I don't think the procedure used for wisdom teeth in the US has the same risks as the general anesthesia used in more involved surgeries. It's probably still reasonably described as sedation (in my story, I'm obviously still conscious, just not very aware. I didn't include it above, but I actually asked How much longer? and they just told me to go back to sleep).

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