I have a daughter that just reached her twenties. She has two impacted wisdom teeth. One of them hasn’t erupted at all, which probably means it is still in the bone. Is anesthesia necessary for this? I will be honest, the idea of anesthesia completely terrifies me.
Sylvia
Dear Sylvia,
I will preface this by saying I have not seen your daughter’s x-rays. Because of that, I do not have many details about her case. That being said, I cannot imagine her case is complicated enough to warrant general anesthesia. At her age, she should be fine with just oral conscious sedation. This is much safer than general anesthesia. It will give her a pain-free/anxiety-free experience during her procedure without the severe complications that can happen with general anesthesia.
At her age, her bone is still relatively pliable. this is because there is not enough cementum accumulation on the roots of her teeth. It would be a rare case where someone her age would need anything more than oral conscious sedation.
I would visit with a sedation dentist for her extractions. Be aware that while she will only be taking a pill to relax her, it is a STRONGÂ pill. Though she will be conscious, it will relax her so much that she will likely sleep through the appointment. It is important to note that your daughter will need someone to drive her to and from her appointment as well as stay with her until she is lucid and steady on her feet after the procedure. She will be too groggy.
I hope this puts your mind at ease.
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