February 17, 2025

Is General Anesthesia Necessary For Full Mouth Restoration?

Full mouth restoration is a transformative journey designed to fully rehabilitate your oral health and the appearance of your smile. But many wonder if general anesthesia is actually needed for it or not. General anesthesia is a critical component of our practice at New Teeth Now, enabling us to perform complex dental restorations with the utmost precision and without discomfort to our patients. It is administered by our highly skilled anesthesiologists, ensuring a safe and pain-free procedure that will allow you to wake up to the new smile you’ve always dreamed of without the memory of the procedure itself.

Below, we will explore more about the factors influencing the use of anesthesia, alternatives to general anesthesia, and how New Teeth Now makes these critical decisions for your full mouth restoration journey.

Why Use General Anesthesia in Full Mouth Restoration?

The decision to use general anesthesia in full mouth restoration with dental implants takes into account several critical factors. The primary considerations include the patient’s overall health, the complexity and length of the dental procedures, and patient comfort.

Health status: A comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s health is essential. Conditions such as anxiety disorders, certain cardiovascular issues, and respiratory diseases can influence the decision toward general anesthesia to ensure the patient’s safety and comfort.
Extent of restoration: Full mouth restorations often involve multiple, complex procedures that can be time-consuming. In cases where the dental work is extensive, general anesthesia may be recommended to allow the patient to remain comfortable and still throughout the procedure, ensuring optimal results.
Patient anxiety and comfort: Dental anxiety is a significant concern for many individuals. For patients with severe dental anxiety or phobia, general anesthesia can provide a stress-free experience, enabling them to undergo necessary treatments without the fear or trauma that might otherwise prevent them from seeking care.
Procedure duration: Lengthy dental procedures can be challenging for patients to endure while fully conscious, even with local anesthesia or sedation. General anesthesia offers a solution by allowing the patient to sleep through the procedure, making the passage of time inconsequential to them.

Alternatives to General Anesthesia

While general anesthesia is the preferred sedation option for patients undergoing full mouth restoration, there are alternatives that can be suitable for patients undergoing less comprehensive procedures. You may have heard of options such as:

Local anesthesia: Used to numb a specific area of the mouth during dental procedures, local anesthesia may be appropriate for a tooth filling or a single extraction. But it does not affect consciousness and is not long-lasting or strong enough for patients having full mouth restorative work, such as multiple tooth extractions and dental implantation.
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas): A mild sedative that helps patients relax during their dental procedure, nitrous oxide is administered through a mask that fits over the nose. It significantly dulls but does not eliminate pain, and Its effects wear off quickly once the mask is removed. Dentists may choose this sedation option when performing root canals and tooth extractions, or when they want the patient to be able to respond during a procedure. It is not a strong enough sedative for full mouth dental implantation.
Oral sedation: This involves taking a sedative pill before the procedure. Oral sedation can range from minimal to moderate, depending on the dose. Patients remain awake but in a relaxed state and may have little memory of the procedure afterward.
IV sedation: Administered directly into the bloodstream, IV sedation works quickly, and its level can be adjusted throughout the procedure. It allows patients to remain conscious but in a deeply relaxed state.

Although oral and IV sedation, combined with local anesthetics, may provide adequate pain relief during a routine dental implant procedure, many patients prefer to be fully unconscious and unaware of the sensations (such as suction and surrounding noises) that typically occur during any type of surgery. What’s more, many patients seeking a full mouth restoration will have significant bone loss or other complex dental conditions that make general anesthesia a better choice.

A Top Reason to Choose New Teeth Now

At New Teeth Now, we specialize in full arch and full mouth dental implants, and we’re able to deliver exceptional results and a comfortable patient experience for even the most complex cases. Our use of general anesthesia – a sedation method that only highly trained oral surgeons can offer – is among the top reasons so many dental implant patients trust us to restore their smiles and self-confidence.

When you turn to us, we’ll start with a comprehensive consultation, during which our dental professionals will evaluate your oral health, discuss your dental and medical history, and understand your concerns and expectations. This initial assessment is crucial for tailoring your treatment plan to meet your specific needs.

If you decide to move forward with us, we’ll thoroughly discuss the complexities of your case, including whether teeth extractions are needed and how your dental implants will be placed.. Our goal is to ensure that you are fully informed about your options and that you feel comfortable and confident about the decisions made regarding your treatment plan.

We’ll also discuss the benefits of general anesthesia, providing you with a clear understanding of why our highly experienced oral surgeons perform full mouth restorations using this sedation method.

Additionally, you can have full confidence in our expert anesthesia team, including Steve Lanners, Kim Cherry, Daniel Reimschiissel, and others. They are highly experienced professionals who specialize in administering anesthesia safely and effectively. Together with your board-certified oral surgeon at New Teeth Now, they will closely monitor your sedation status and medical condition throughout your implant procedure. Their expertise ensures that your safety, comfort, and well-being are prioritized at every step of your full mouth restoration journey.

Ready to Learn More?

The decision to use general anesthesia is not taken lightly. After many years of performing dental implantation procedures, we truly believe it is the best sedation method for our full mouth restoration patients. Why? Because your journey toward a transformed smile should be as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

With our expert team, advanced technology, and personalized care, we at New Teeth Now are here to help you make that journey a reality. Trust us to provide you with a full mouth restoration experience that is safe, effective, and tailored to your unique needs. Your dream smile is within reach, and we are here to ensure you achieve it with the utmost care and excellence.