Treatment under General Anaesthetic

The Dentist recommends a General Anaesthetic (GA) for a Child’s Dental Treatment

If we have recommended that a child has their dental treatment completed under General Anaesthetic (GA) the usual reasons typically would be because:

• Extensive dental treatment needs to be completed
• The child is young and unable to happily tolerate multiple long appointments in the dental surgery
• Child is anxious – may have had difficult dental / medical experience in the past. Very often there is a combination of the above factors.

The decision to complete dental treatment under GA is made only after the dentist has assessed the child.

Treatment is completed by Dr. Dympna Daly and her staff plus a Consultant Anaesthetist and their team in the Galway Clinic, Doughiska, Galway.

All necessary dental treatment is completed at the one visit which is provided as a “Day Case Procedure”- i.e. the child does not stay overnight in the hospital. The duration of treatment under General Anaesthetic (GA) – varies depending on the amount of dental treatment to be completed but typically takes 1½ – 3+ hours. After the consultation the dentist will be able to advise about the approximate time for each child.

It is natural for parents to be anxious about their child having a General Anaesthetic (GA) – but remember this method of treatment is chosen so that the child can be restored to good oral health in a controlled environment.

The benefit of this type of treatment is that all necessary dental treatment is completed in one visit. The main side effect with full mouth GA dental treatment on young healthy children, is some nausea after the anaesthetic. If this occurs, it usually resolves within a few hours.

Costs: There are 3 parts to the fees for this service

Health Insurance

If you have Health Insurance, they may cover the cost of the Hospital fee, less the excess on your policy, and pay a small contribution of approx. €180 towards the Anaesthetist’s fee. We write to them on your behalf to secure this cover.

Dental Insurance

There are 2 Dental Insurance Providers available – VHI Dental and De-Care Dental

They provide immediate cover for dental visits in the dental practice – after 3 months, members are covered for a percentage of the dental costs.

Tax Relief

Med 2 Form – click here to download – also available from Tax office.

You can download your Med 2 Form above where it also explains which treatments qualify for tax relief. We complete Med 2 forms for all eligible treatment and give to parents when treatment is completed.