A general anaesthetic ensures that your child is unconscious (asleep) and pain free during an operation. Anaesthetists are specialist doctors who give the anaesthetic and look after the health of your child during surgery and recovery.
Preparing your child
It is important that your child knows:
- that they are going into hospital
- that they will be having an operation to get their poorly teeth removed
- some basic information about what will happen to them when they are in hospital
Please visit the Royal College of Anaesthetists website for stories and videos to prepare your child for a general anaesthetic. They also have easy read leaflets to help prepare children and young people with learning difficulties.
Before the General Anaesthetic
A nurse from the hospital will ring you to find out some details of your child’s health and medication.
Make sure you have paracetamol and ibuprofen in the house for when your child comes home from the operation.
It is usually best that general anaesthetics are carried out when your child is not sick. If your child is unwell, please telephone the hospital before coming in, you will be able to speak to someone who can tell you whether to come in or not. It is sometimes better to delay the surgery until they are feeling better.
On the Day of the General Anaesthetic/Dental Extractions
Fasting
The hospital should give you clear instructions about when to stop your child eating and drinking. It is important for you and your child to follow these instructions. If there is food or liquid in your child’s stomach during the anaesthetic, it could come up into the back of the throat and damage his or her lungs.
Please follow these general rules:
Food, milk, baby formula, sweets and chewing gum – stop eating/drinking these 6 hours before you arrive at the hospital.
Breastmilk – stop drinking this 4 hours before you arrive at the hospital
Sips of clear fluids (water, very diluted squash, clear sports drinks if they are not fizzy) – stop drinking these 1 hour before you arrive at the hospital.
Your child should take any regular medicines on the day of surgery as usual with a sip of water/diluted squash. Please don’t fast your child any longer than the times given above. It is very hard for little ones to not eat or drink for longer than needed.
What to bring to hospital
- your child’s regular medication
- clean pyjamas/change of underwear/nappies
- things to keep your child occupied eg, books/toys/phone/tablet
- if your child has a restricted diet, please bring some soft food that they like to eat for after their operation. The hospital will also provide food, but some children prefer their own
- parents should wear comfortable clothes that can be washed, as your child may dribble blood-stained saliva
When you arrive at the hospital
You and your child will go to the Children’s Ward before meeting the general anaesthetic team. You will meet a few people – one or two anaesthetic doctors, a dentist and three or four nurses. The doctors will ask you about your child’s health and whether they have had a cough or a cold recently, about any previous operations and if they have had or any medical problems. The dentist will check your child’s teeth. The nurses will measure and weigh your child and put a wristband on them. This is a good time to ask questions if you have any. The nurse may put a numbing cream on the back of your child’s hand so that the anaesthetic is more comfortable.
Once you have seen the nurses, the dentist, and the doctor you will wait your child’s turn for surgery. The lists are very busy, we usually try to treat the youngest patients first. Please prepare to be at the hospital for several hours.
In theatre
One parent can go with your child to the room where they will go to sleep. The anaesthetic medicine may be given while your child is lying on a bed, or for smaller children when they are sitting on your lap. The anaesthetic medicine is usually given by an injection into the back of their hand through a thin plastic tube called a cannula. This should not be painful because of the cream that was applied earlier. Your child will go to sleep very quickly. Sometimes we use anaesthetic ‘gas’ to put them to sleep. This is just as good as the injection but takes a bit longer to work – two or three minutes. It involves blowing a mixture of anaesthetic and oxygen across their mouth and nose through a mask and smells like felt tip pens. Your child should not find this unpleasant. You may notice he/she become a bit restless whilst going to sleep – this is normal. The doctor and nurses will tell you and your child everything that they are doing.
Once your child is asleep you will go back to the ward until their operation is over. This may take up to an hour depending on how many teeth they are having removed. Once your child starts to wake up you will be brought to the Recovery Room to be with them. When they have fully woken up you will both go back to the Children’s Ward.
After the procedure
You and your child will stay on the Children’s Ward until they are well enough to go home. They may be upset or sleepy after their operation and there will be some blood in their mouth. This is completely normal. Your child will be offered something to eat and drink. The nurses will give you instructions on how to look after your child’s mouth. When the nurses are happy you can take your child home by car or taxi (you cannot go home by bus or train as your child may feel sick and drowsy).
Further information
For more information about general anaesthetics, including information on any risks and side effects please visit the Royal College for Anaesthetists website.
Anaesthetic information for children, parents and carers.
For information on protecting your child from dental decay.
My day case operation booklet.
Opening hours:
Monday – Thursday 8.30am – 5.00pm
Friday 8.30am – 4.30pm
St Catherine’s Health Centre Dental Clinic
0151 514 6420
Victoria Central Health Centre Dental Clinic
0151 514 6266
Leasowe
0151 514 2340
Out of Hours:
Out of Hours Service 111
Revive Dental Care
0161 476 9651
Download the PDF leaflet:
