Hi, I’m Dr Lyle, one of the principal dentists here at Dental House Group in Melbourne.
Our new patient, Linda from Diggers Rest, will be receiving a full arch of dental implants soon. She is a bit anxious about the procedure, which is completely normal, and so she asked me about general anaesthetic dentistry and how much it cost.
First, I would like to explain that we understand many patients are concerned with certain dental procedures and may experience some anxiety about having them done. General anaesthetic is a dental solution for patients who are severely anxious about dental treatments and for patients who require complex treatments such as wisdom teeth removal or full arch All On 4 Plus® dental implants.
With general anaesthetic, the patient is put completely to sleep with the aid of IV medications. This may take place in a hospital or certain clinical settings such as one of our Dental House clinics, and is overseen by a dental sedationist or anaesthetist. The patient will be closely monitored throughout the entire treatment to ensure there are no complications.
Sleep dentistry helps anxious patients relax during their entire treatment. This can help patients with extreme anxiety, patients who have a difficulty holding their mouth open or those with extreme gag reflexes, and for patients who have difficulty responding to local numbing anaesthetics.
However, not everyone is a candidate for sleep dentistry, and there are certain medical conditions that contraindicate the use of general anaesthetic in a dental setting. Because of this, patients are screened to ensure that sleep dentistry is a safe option for them.
Due to the additional medication used and the extra specialist to oversee the procedure, the cost of general anaesthetic for dentistry is more than nitrous oxide or twilight dentistry. Other factors to consider are the patient’s physiological makeup and needs, and the length of the treatment. Most of the cost is patient-specific, and highly individualised.
Medicare will cover part of the cost of the anaesthetic fee. If you have appropriate Hospital cover, your health fund will also pay benefits towards the costs of the anaesthetist. The out of pocket expenses will vary, and we will be able to give you an indication of this cost after the initial consultation.
If you are considering general anaesthetic for a dental treatment, we would love to help. Here at Dental House, we have purpose-built general anaesthetic theatres for our anxious patients, making sure their experience is safe and comfortable.
Simply give us a call on 1800GENTLE, fill in the form on our website, or DM us on social media, and our friendly team will help you organise your consultation.
