Dental Hygienist Questions Dentist

Does a dental implant procedure require general anesthesia?

I want to get a dental implant. Does a dental implant procedure require general anesthesia?

5 Answers

The short answer is no. The real question is do you require sedation to deal with your anxiety? If not local anesthesia in combintion with laughing gas
Actually soaking overnight in any kind of clear water or water based denture cleaner is good. It’s just that cold water is less likely to initially encourage bacterial growth as would warm water.

The reason for why we soak it in water at night is simply because this particular type of Acrylic was engineered to be in a wet environment.

If you allowed it to dry out it may warp ever so slightly to eventually cause pain or discomfort as the intimate contact between your jaw and the denture is compromised.

You might get away with several drying out periods, but eventually the denture might not fit as it would if you kept it wet.

So another question might be if it needs to be kept wet all the time why not just wear it 24/7?

The reason is simply because the constant pressure on the bone will eventually cause the jaw to reabsorb and decrease the foot print and ridge height that the denture uses for support. Eventually the shrinking ridge gets flatter and flatter especially on the lower until the denture floats on the ridge and becomes difficult to control. This instability on the lower is due mostly because of movement of the tongue. Ironically the upper has the opposite effect and flat ridges tend to have greater retention.

Taking out the dentures at night can double the useful life of the dentures by allowing a rest period; thereby reducing the rate that the lower ridge bone reabsorbs as compared to wearing the dentures all the time.

Respectfully Yours,
Dr Wayne Yee
No. Most dental implants are placed using local anesthesia. However, there are patients that prefer some other firm of anesthesia such as twilight.
If there is no issue with high anxiety then a local anesthesia is sufficient for the great majority of patients. I have done full mouth implants on patients with just local Anesthesia and Oral Conscious Sedation. Anxiolytics by mouth can be helpful to some. General anesthesia takes place at the hospital for severely medically compromised patients. IV conscious sedation (twilight sleep) is another option that can be used in office for anxious patients. Hope that helps.
No, implant placement does NOT require general anesthesia. The majority of dental implants are placed with local anesthetic only.