For patients with severe dental phobia, complex surgical needs, or medical conditions requiring the deepest level of sedation, general anesthesia provides complete unconsciousness with zero awareness during dental treatment. At Dental Sedation Ottawa, board-certified medical anesthesiologists (Dr. Hesham Talab, MD MSc PhD FRCPC FASE and Dr. Asad Mirghassemi, MD MSc FRCPC) administer hospital-quality anesthesia care right in our dental clinic—combining maximum comfort with exceptional safety.
General anesthesia creates a state of complete unconsciousness where you have no awareness, no sensation, no memory, and no reflexes during your procedure. Think of it as a medically controlled, reversible coma—you're completely "asleep" in the truest sense, with your anesthesiologist managing every aspect of your body's vital functions throughout the procedure.
Unlike other forms of dental sedation where you remain conscious to some degree, with general anesthesia you are genuinely unconscious. You cannot be awakened by physical stimulation or loud noises. You don't dream, you don't hear conversations, you don't sense the passage of time. From your perspective, you close your eyes in the treatment chair and reopen them minutes later (though hours may have passed) with your procedure complete and no memory whatsoever of the experience.
General anesthesia represents the gold standard for dental anxiety management and complex procedures. It's the same anesthesia used for hospital surgeries—but delivered in the familiar environment of our dental office by the same caliber of medical professionals you'd find in a hospital operating room. This combination of maximum comfort with convenient access makes general anesthesia ideal for patients who need it most.
At Dental Sedation Ottawa, we're one of very few dental practices in the Ottawa region offering true general anesthesia with board-certified medical anesthesiologists. This means you receive hospital-quality anesthesia care without the expense, inconvenience, or intimidation of an actual hospital setting.
Board-certified anesthesiologist with decades of experience in hospital and dental anesthesia. Fellowship in Advanced Surface Echocardiography (FASE) demonstrates exceptional expertise in cardiac monitoring and patient safety. Specializes in complex medical cases and pediatric anesthesia.
Credentials: University of Toronto residency training, Fellowships in vascular/thoracic anesthesia and perioperative echocardiography (University of Ottawa), Assistant Professor at University of Ottawa, Hospital-level expertise in private practice
Board-certified anesthesiologist with extensive training in sedation and general anesthesia for dental and outpatient procedures. Master's degree in clinical research ensures evidence-based, cutting-edge anesthesia care. Expert in airway management and emergency response.
Credentials: Anesthesiology residency at University of Ottawa (2016), Fellowship in Perioperative Echocardiography (2017), Master's Degree in Healthcare Quality from Queen's University, Over 8 years specializing in dental anesthesia for pediatric and adult patients
Both doctors maintain active hospital privileges and bring the same rigorous standards, advanced training, and safety protocols from hospital operating rooms directly to our dental clinic.
Questions? We're here to help.
General anesthesia is the deepest option in our comprehensive sedation range. It's recommended for:
Paralyzing fear making any other sedation level insufficient. Patients who experience panic attacks, cannot enter dental offices, or haven't seen a dentist in many years despite severe problems.
Impacted wisdom teeth requiring bone removal, multiple dental implants, extensive bone grafting, full arch extractions, or other lengthy surgical procedures.
Toddlers and young children (typically ages 2-6) needing extensive dental work who cannot cooperate with treatment or tolerate other sedation methods safely.
Developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, movement disorders, or other conditions making traditional dental care impossible or unsafe.
Full mouth rehabilitation, multiple extractions, complex restorative work requiring several hours—completing everything in one unconscious appointment.
Severe gag reflex, seizure disorders, or other medical situations requiring complete unconsciousness for safe treatment.
General anesthesia is the deepest option in our comprehensive sedation range:
Complete unconsciousness
You are here
Our anesthesiologists will help determine which sedation level best matches your needs, medical status, and procedure requirements.
Several weeks before your procedure, you'll meet with our anesthesiologist for a comprehensive evaluation including complete medical history review, current medications assessment, previous anesthesia experiences discussion, physical examination including airway assessment, and opportunity to ask all your questions.
Fasting Requirements: Absolutely no food for 8 hours before (typically from midnight). Clear liquids allowed up to 2 hours before for adults, up to 1 hour before for children. This prevents aspiration complications.
Transportation: You must have a responsible adult drive you to and from your appointment and stay with you for at least 12-24 hours afterward.
We place monitoring equipment (pulse oximeter, blood pressure cuff, ECG leads, capnography). For adults, we typically place an IV line in your hand or arm first. For anxious children, we often start with inhaled anesthesia through a scented mask, then place the IV after they're asleep. Within 30-60 seconds of induction medications, you'll feel drowsy and then lose consciousness smoothly.
Your anesthesiologist secures your airway, administers continuous anesthetic gases, monitors all vital signs continuously, adjusts anesthesia depth as needed, and responds immediately to any changes. From your perspective, nothing happens—you have zero awareness, zero sensation, zero memory.
You'll gradually become aware over 10-30 minutes. You'll spend 30-90 minutes in our recovery area. The anesthesia effects will continue wearing off over 6-12 hours. You must not drive, operate machinery, make important decisions, or sign legal documents for 24 hours.
Ready to get started?
General anesthesia requires the highest level of safety monitoring, emergency preparedness, and medical expertise. At Dental Sedation Ottawa, we maintain standards identical to hospital operating rooms.
Safety Record: Modern general anesthesia is exceptionally safe when administered by qualified professionals. The risk of serious complications is approximately 1 in 200,000-300,000 for healthy patients—lower than the risk of driving to your appointment.
We can perform virtually any dental procedure under general anesthesia:
Complete Treatment, Single Visit: One of general anesthesia's greatest advantages is enabling truly comprehensive care in one appointment. We regularly complete dental work that would normally require 6-10 separate visits—transforming years of neglected dental problems into a single peaceful experience.
General anesthesia typically costs $1,000-1,800 per session, depending on the duration and complexity of your procedure. While this represents the highest investment among sedation options, the benefits often justify the cost: complete unconsciousness with zero awareness or memory, ability to complete extensive work in one visit, hospital-grade safety with medical anesthesiologists, and often the only option enabling necessary treatment.
Most dental insurance plans cover general anesthesia at 50-80% when medically necessary for documented severe dental phobia, special needs or developmental disabilities, young children requiring extensive treatment, complex surgical procedures, or medical conditions preventing lighter sedation.
We provide comprehensive documentation supporting insurance claims. We offer direct billing to major insurers and accept the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP).
Our patients consistently rate us 5 stars for gentle, anxiety-free care. Read verified patient experiences on Google.
View All Reviews on GoogleDentist Referrals Welcome: We collaborate with referring dentists throughout Ottawa and Eastern Ontario for complex cases requiring general anesthesia.
We welcome patients from throughout Ottawa including Kanata, Nepean, Orléans, Stittsville, Manotick, and Greely, as well as Eastern Ontario communities (Rockland, Embrun, Russell, Winchester, Kemptville, Carleton Place, Arnprior, Renfrew, Pembroke, Cornwall, Hawkesbury) and West Quebec (Gatineau, Aylmer, Hull, Chelsea, Wakefield, Buckingham).
