Have you ever had spinal anesthesia?

General Anesthesia vs. Twilight Sleep for Wisdom Teeth removal?

• Hello. I am 22 year old female and having a wisdom tooth removed soon (one only). I am NOT willing to just have local anesthesia or laughing gas so please do not suggest that. The two options I am considering are general anesthesia or twilight sleep (iv sedation). I have had one wisdom tooth out previously about three years ago. I had general anesthesia. PROS: I had a very positive experience pain wise, and experienced almost NO post-op pain! I felt nothing during the procedure, and remember nothing of it. The procedure seemed to go by very fast, and I did not have any complications during the procedure. The CONS of using general anesthesia were that I was very nauseated for about three days after the surgery and could not keep any food down for about three days. However, this may not have been all at the fault of the anesthesia, because I was accidentally swallowing a good amount of blood from my tooth being removed, and that could have also contributed to the nausea. The other con was that my insurance company does not cover general anesthesia for tooth removal, so I have to pay for it out of my pocket. I have never tried Twilight Sleep. The only reason I consider it is because I have heard the recovery time is faster, it may possibly be covered under my insurance or cheaper than general anesthesia, and I may be less nauseous following surgery. The CONS I believe to twilight sleep are (these are just from my online research, please correct me if I am wrong about any of these:) A) I will be able to move and will be conscious during the procedure, (which I do not want), B) I may feel pressure during the procedure and have a small memory of the moments following the procedure (which I do not want), C) My insurance may not cover Twilight Sleep and it may be just as expensive as General Anesthesia, and D) Twilight Sleep may also make me nauseated post-op. If any of you out there have had both types of anesthesia, or one or the other and feel strongly about which one I should choose, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know that the decision is ultimately up to me and my doctor, but I would really appreciate some advice! Thanks.

• Answer:

  I would recommend Twilight Sleep and not the GA.