Teen Dies in Dentist Chair While Wisdom Teeth Removed

[Dark Knight]

I kept avoiding this thread till now!!! My 22 yr old is scheduled to have hers out the end of this month. She's never been under anesthesia for anything her whole life. I was doing fine till this thread started!

This was in Canada, so she should be just fine here! :crazy: :truce: *hides from the Canadian contingent*

 

[txsvicki]

I'd never let a dentist's office give me anything in an IV. They're not even registered nurses or anestesiologists and the dentist is busy working on the mouth and probably not paying attention. I had oral surgery once and refused it. The guy thought I was crazy but I didn't care. I said that I didn't need it. I think they give it to keep the patient quiet and relaxed. I'm taking a child to the dentist next week, and better make darn sure that they aren't giving her anything like that, because the clinic doesn't allow the parent to go in with the child while they're worked on since it's Medicaid.

 

[gardenmom]

I had sodium penathol (sp?). I remember the surgery being done, although they tell me I didn't. I woke up crying, so I must have felt it, I'm thinking. I wonder if they do it this way anymore?

 

[Taximom]

:laugh:

This was in Canada, so she should be just fine here! :crazy: :truce: *hides from the Canadian contingent*

Laughter helps. Thanks DK.

 

[tennessee]

I had really impacted wisdom teeth. One was wrapping around the jawbone. When I had them removed it took hours and it took a long time to come to. The surgeon had to help my girlfriend help me to the car at 6:00 that afternoon. I slept all the way home, went to bed as soon as I got there and didn't get up until lunch time the next day. That was scary.

 

[Lurker]

This is scary and it happens more than you might think. Some people are just allergic and when it's found out, it's too late.

I remember growing up, a girl was riding her bike and she hit a car. She hit it in the front quarter panel when she came out of her driveway and went right over the hood and landed on the road on the other side. She was fine except for a broken arm. She went to have reconstructive surgery on her arm and died from an allergic reaction to the anesthesia.

My father always said it was her time to go and God must've really wanted another angel. When hitting a car didnt' do it, the anesthesia did.

 

[sillygoose]

This is sad. Some people just can't handle anesthesia and I guess there's no way to tell until it happens. It is rare though.

I have 3 wisdom teeth that have come in just like regular teeth. I'm not sure why the other one didn't. I didn't want to have mine taken out. Mine are straight, so I figured I'd just keep them. The dentist did want me to have them out, but the only reason he could give me is that they are hard to clean. If they were pointed wrong or damaging my other teeth, I could see having them removed. I know that's why most people have their's taken out. Surgery just because they are more difficult than the other teeth to clean? I think not. I know how to brush my teeth.

 

[Boyzmomee]

General anesthesia for wisdom teeth removal ??? - geez, I had mine removed with a good old shot of Novacaine with epinephrine.

I had mine removed under anesthesia but it wasn't general.

I am a social worker with children who have developmental disabilites. Almost all of my clients have to have dental treatment under general anesthesia but it doesn't occur in a dental chair but in an outpatient surgery center.

 

[ember]

Mutant.

Actually, my dentist told me that if you have no wisdom teeth it means you are more evolved than people who do. I asked because I only had bottom ones, no top ones though...so I guess I'm only half way more evolved. It makes sense becuase we really don't need them anymore.

My bottoms one had to be removed because they were impacted. I was 16 & they put me under general too.

 

[ariel7]

How terribly sad.........and frightening.

(Probably not what I should've read knowing
I need to make an appt. for the same thing
soon.)

 

[Peter Hamilton]

Actually, my dentist told me that if you have no wisdom teeth it means you are more evolved than people who do. I asked because I only had bottom ones, no top ones though...so I guess I'm only half way more evolved. It makes sense becuase we really don't need them anymore.
.

--lol--"more evolved"--Darwin would love that--sort of like Evolution on the fast track

 

[michelle]

I had a shot of Valium--Oral Surgeon then just ripped them right out and I didn't feel a thing--

ouch, I needed more than that.

 

[gman20001969]

I had to have three removed. On the day I was supposed to go in, I went and had a cup of coffee first. The nurse asked when was the last time I ate or drank and I told her I drank that coffee an hour before. The dentist told me I had to reschedule. He basically said that could end up coming up on me and I could basically choke on my own vomit.

I hope the same thing didn't happen to this kid where he ate something before.

 

[CuriousAnne]

All four of mine were removed at the same time under general anesthesia when I was 19. They were all impacted, and my jaw bone had to be broken in order to get two of them out!

I remember asking my surgeon at a checkup afterwards how they got my mouth open so wide in order to get them out. He assured me I didn't want to know. :silenced:

All in all, though, it wasn't a bad experience...

 

[kgeaux]

I'd never let a dentist's office give me anything in an IV. They're not even registered nurses or anestesiologists and the dentist is busy working on the mouth and probably not paying attention. I had oral surgery once and refused it. The guy thought I was crazy but I didn't care. I said that I didn't need it. I think they give it to keep the patient quiet and relaxed. I'm taking a child to the dentist next week, and better make darn sure that they aren't giving her anything like that, because the clinic doesn't allow the parent to go in with the child while they're worked on since it's Medicaid.

In this case, there was an anesthesiologist present. 4 of my sons have all had general anesthesia for removal of wisdom teeth......all 4 of them had impacted teeth that required much more surgery than a simple tooth pull. I didn't let a dentist do such a complicated surgery, however. I took them to an oral surgeon who is well trained and highly qualified. His office contained life saving equipment, had an anesthesiologist and registered nurses present. There was a little recovery room and everything.

The ONLY reason general anesthesia was used was due to the impaction of the teeth.

If they'd just needed to have the teeth pulled, we'd have gone to our family dentist and let her just deaden the areas with shots, maybe give the guys a valium or something.

Now, in response specifically to your comments: I have found that I've had to watch pediatric dentists in regards to the methods used on my boys when they were younger. They were VERY prone to wanting to "give them a little something" even when my boys were just having their teeth cleaned! I honestly believe it was just for THE DENTIST'S BENEFIT not the child's, and I always refused the "little something."

 

[Malapoo]

I had mine done at an oral surgeons, so I had an anesthesiologist and a bill to match. My family dentist pulled all my baby teeth except two - my roots never dissolved, but all he ever used was Novacaine and a nurse who would let me squeeze the heck out of her hand. Didn't lose my last baby teeth until I was well into my teens

 

[GlitchWizard]

I had sodium penathol (sp?). I remember the surgery being done, although they tell me I didn't. I woke up crying, so I must have felt it, I'm thinking. I wonder if they do it this way anymore?

Of course they do. When you're under, they ask you all kinds of personal questions and laugh hysterically when you tell them the truth. ;-)

PS
I believe you that you remember it. I had surgery once where I remembered it all, too. It was THE most freaky thing I ever experienced when they turned me over on my stomach and were cutting into my back. I didn't feel pain, but before the cut I thought I WOULD feel it and couldn't talk or move to tell them I was still "awake". I was 14 years old. It was really traumatic.