Would you ever place your young child (<10 years-old) under general anesthesia?

[EYEL1NER]

Thanks.



She's 5.

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A couple years ago I went through this with my daughter who was the same age and needed a ton of dental work. After insurance and over the span of about two years it was $6K worth of work, and all on baby teeth. I did have an initial reaction of "These teeth aren't even important, right? Root canals and fillings on baby teeth that will fall out soon, is this necessary?" But they explained why it was necessary and what problems it could possibly cause with her overall dental health and her future permanent teeth. The anesthesia that was required because of the extent of the work and how scared and impatient she was isn't something I really thought about at the time; they're professionals and know quite a bit about dental treatment requirements, and the anesthesiologist at the hospital where the treatment was administered surely knows a lot about anesthesia and probably has all kinds of training and certifications. I don't know anything about that stuff.

 

[Number45]

I got one when I had open heart surgery at 4 years old. Is it supposed to be something scary?

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It can be for a parent, yes.

 

[Threadkular]

Much like with vaccines or anything medical, I would listen to what the medical community advises. I'm not a doctor.

 

[Razmos]

Why wouldn't you? Do you have any actual concerns about this or just general fear?

 

[Turin Turambar]

I'm not asking for professional opinion. I'm asking as a parent,.

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Precisely, if you are asking as a parent, you should take advice of professional opinion.

 

[PoppaBK]

If medically necessary then of course. My son had his first adult teeth come in behind his baby teeth, so they didn't push the baby teeth out. We had an appointment to have him put under so they could remove them (he can't even really get through a routine exam due to sensory issues) but fortunately his baby teeth started getting loose and came out naturally.

 

[bionic77]

OP I am pretty sure full sedation is not the same as general anaesthesia. The latter is more intensive as it requires a breathing tube, total loss of muscle control and consciousness. Sedation is the loss of awareness but not consciousness. Perfect for relatively low invasive procedures like dental.

Check into that. Both are statistically extremely safe though.

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Yeah I don't think you get general for dental generally.

 

[KodaRuss]

Very young kids go under everyday to get tubes put in their ears. My oldest son has done it twice. Not too much to worry over in my opinion.

 

[Mikebison]

I'm not asking for professional opinion. I'm asking as a parent, if you would let your child be fully sedated in a theater (as if she's being treated for something more serious) when he/she is that young.

Anyway, this thread gave me some assurance that others have experienced the same. I will heed the dentist's advice.

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Why would you be asking for the advice from anybody other than a professional? Fuck what parents think.

 

[airjoca]

My son had to do it at around 8 months old for an mri exam and at around 18 months old for surgery.

So yes.

 

[Heromanz]

Why are you asking a bunch of people on a thread instead of using the advice of a medical professional?

 

[BlackGoku03]

I'm not asking for professional opinion. I'm asking as a parent, if you would let your child be fully sedated in a theater (as if she's being treated for something more serious) when he/she is that young.

Anyway, this thread gave me some assurance that others have experienced the same. I will heed the dentist's advice.

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My daughter is three and had to get that done for her teeth.

She didn't even cry. And they had a bunch of TVs with Nick Jr on, so she was good.

 

[Mr Jones]

My child is eight and on the spectrum.

He's had surgery for his ears, his adenoids, his nasal passage, and his teeth/gums.

My kid is alive and still driving me insane. You're child will be fine. GA is handled very professionally.

 

[Podge293]

Yes

 

[Herb Alpert]

My 6 year old daughter underwent light ears surgery a few months ago. All went well.

I admit I didn't ask myself such question.
I have somehow blind trust towards doctors.

 

[Smylie]

Our son went under general anesthesia several times by the time he was 4; once for ear tubes/tonsils/adenoids; and once for a balloon septoplasty.

As long as the doctor/dentist knows what they're doing, why wouldn't you trust them?

 

[RetroMG]

I am generally going to accept the advice of trained medical professionals. They went to school for all this stuff. I didn't.

 

[LordDraven]

Of course

 

[hombremalo]

Are the mortality ratios higher under a certain weight for general anesthesia?

 

[Patriotbball5460]

I had my tonsils out when I was 7 or 8, and had to be put under. I had no issue with it, and I have no issue with it today

 

[Scrooge]

The issues with anesthesia usually involve the elderly and that is in part due to general changes in the body as one ages and in part due to the fact that they are more likely to have conditions that can make anesthesia riskier.

Of course, you can always get a second opinion to determine if the procedure is necessary, but anesthesia is pretty safe these days.

 

[iapetus]

Would you ever place your young child (<10 years-old) under general anesthesia?

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My son had two operations on his eyes at a much younger age than that, and has recently (still <10 years old) had dental work under sedation. In all cases it was necessary to avoid causing him worse problems in the future, and we took the advice of medical professionals at an excellent hospital.

The only way I can see this being a question is if you were planning on putting your child under general anesthesia yourself. In which case I'd strongly advise against it - was quite a traumatic experience all three times, for us as much as him.