Can you feel pain when under general anesthesia?

Question

The dentist always has a very difficult time numbing me for dental work. Yesterday when I had my top wisdom teeth pulled, he had trouble getting the bottom 2 out because he had to numb me 8 times and I could still feel it. He referred me to an oral surgeon who could put me under general anesthegia. My question is; Is it possible to feel pain while under general anesthesia? If so; could I be awaken during the removal of the bottom teeth from the pain?

Answer 1

There's actually 2 kinds of anesthesia that are frequently confused. It pays to make sure you and the doctor are both talking about the same kind of anesthesia.

General anesthesia - usually done in a hospital or outpatient surgery setting. It requires a breathing tube, and either a nurse anesthetist (a registered nurse specially trained to administer anesthesia) or anesthesiologist (doctor who specializes in anesthesia) administers the medications and monitors your heart and breathing. They usually start the procedure with Diprivan (a drug that's given through your IV), but they keep you asleep with anesthetic gases given through the breathing tube. You won't feel anything, and you won't remember anything. No amount of pain will make you wake up until the anesthetist turns off the medications. This option is the better choice if they think you might need breathing assistance during your surgery.

MAC (Monitored Anesthesia Care) - is a variation of general anesthesia. An anesthetist still administers the medication, but they don't use a breathing tube. They give Diprivan continuously during your surgery. Just like general, you won't feel anything, and no amount of pain will wake you up.

Conscious sedation (also known as IV sedation) - may be done in the doctor's office. They give a sedative and a medication that provides amnesia (you don't remember anything). The surgeon who does the procedure will tell the nurse how much medication to give you and when to give it, but they don't need an anesthetist to give this type of anesthesia. You may feel pain or pressure at the time, but you won't remember it.

Answer 2

Feeling Pain Under Anesthesia

Answer 3

I'm always a little nervous about dentists administering general anesthesia (including oral surgeons). Anybody can do the easy cases, but if something goes wrong anesthesia-wise, I'd hate to rely on a dentist to save my life.

Dentists tend to do their general anesthetics with i.v. medications and no endotracheal tube. If blood or secretions drip down your throat and onto your vocal cords, you might go into laryngospasm (no air goes in or out). I also doubt that they are really prepared to treat heart rhythm abnormalities, or extremes of blood pressure.

Unless they have an anesthesiologist there, I'd stick with the local. Maybe an oral surgeon can get the local where it needs to be, and you'll be numb.

And to answer your question, yes, you might feel pain while under. Anesthesia is a balance between how badly you're being hurt and the amount of drugs you get. If the surgical stimulation changes abruptly (as in hitting a nerve), it may take a bit to catch up on the anesthesia, especially if the dentist is using something like propofol or Brevital (which do not have analgesic properties)

Answer 4

A little info I think should be considered about this drug Versed ( Midazolam ) that is used for Sedation for many medical procedures..Sedation and General Anesthesia are not the same and quite a few people being given Sedation
think they are being given General Anesthesia!

There is simply no good or valid reason to ever purposely induce amnesia during a medical procedure. It is only a recent development in medical thinking that amnesia is somehow a "benefit" to the patient. On occasion some
some patients will remember a bad experience. Forgetting does not mean it did not happen!!
I feel that if people were aware of the effects of this drug they would Opt For Another Drug!
Erasing someones memory of what was done to them is wrong!!
In fact, many people who use Versed for " IV Sedation,Conscious Sedation" Twilight Sedation, during a procedure are Awake For The Entire Procedure but remember nothing, often Believing They Were "Out" the whole time.

Versed (Midazolam) is an amnestic. It is also commonly used for minor procedures like setting broken bones,colonoscopies,endoscopies, dental procedures like extractions,conscious sedation,twilight sleep, so that patients won't remember pain and discomfort.HOWEVER THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THOSE SENSATIONS WILL NOT BE EXPERIENCED!!!!


Here is a note from a Dentist Who uses Versed
I've used Versed 1000+ times during oral surgery procedures and I've never had a complaint. It's a miracle drug because it is safe and it causes you to not remember an unpleasant experience. My answer to him is isn't it better to have not experienced the pain than to have forgot it. No wonder you have had no complaints they have no memory of the procedure.....

I feel that giving a drug for amnesia is cruel I would not want it done to me!

A strange development in medical thinking that it's okay for a patient to have
pain as long as they don't remember it and think they slept thru the procedure..


Here is a link for some info

http://www.freehelpforcancer.com/manages...

Answer 5

General anesthesia? As in putting you out and needing breathing tubes?

If so, no, you won't feel it.

I've never heard of anyone being able to feel pain when "put out"...and my mom and grandma and I all have to have more anesthesia than the norm...you just can't knock us out.

Answer 6

No, you can not feel anything under general anesthesia You won't wake up as long as you have a good anesthesiologist.

Answer 7

no, you cannot feel anything under general anesthesia, you are unconscious, and kept that way by a continuous infusion of medication.

Answer 8

If you are not completely under you will, ut if you are out, no pain at all. You will feel pressure, but that is different.

Answer 9

you won't feel no pain then and the Dr will make sure you are sleeping until it is all done

Answer 10

No. I have heard from some medical professionals that drug abusers can though.