General Anesthesia

On some occasions a patients fears overcome them and they can’t engage treatment in a normal dental setting. For those patients we offer treatment in hospital under a general anesthetic. At our office this treatment is usually reserved for young children and those with developmental challenges.

After an assessment at our office we review what treatment we feel is necessary. Hospital protocols and forms are reviewed and completed with our hospital coordinator who will walk families through the entire process. Treatment is performed at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.  On the day of surgery the families are met by the nurse, anesthetist and Dr. Buys. Treatment is again reviewed with the parents and any additional questions are answered.

At the conclusion of the treatment, we meet with parents to review the work that was completed and the instructions for care while recovering at home.  Children are quick to recover — they don’t have a lot of time for sitting around and are often back to normal within a number of hours. We see children the following week to make sure that there are no concerns and that the teeth are functioning well.

Costs of the general anesthetic are covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). This offers a great service to families as compared to treatment completed in private dental offices where the services are paid for by the patient’s families. There are no surgical room fees and you have the assurance of support from the entire hospital staff. This affords your child the best and safest environment during their anesthetic treatment.