Warren Davis, M.D.

Nausea and vomiting is one of the most common side effects of general anesthesia (abbreviated as PONV for post-operative nausea and vomiting). PONV typically refers to the immediate post-operative period, a few hours after surgery is done. One can also have post discharge nausea and vomiting which typically refers to outpatient surgery and can extend to the first day or two after surgery. Nausea or vomiting after this time period should lead one to look for other reasons for their symptoms besides anesthesia. Some common culprits could include new medication. Many people are sensitive to pain medication and experience nausea as a side effect. New blood thinning medication, which is common after stenting can also cause nausea. Do not stop taking these without talking with your cardiologist. If you are having nausea along with sweating, chest pain or pressure, dizziness or fainting you should seek medical attention immediately as this can be an indication of a failed stent or progressing coronary artery disease (another heart attack).

Whether or not you need general anesthesia (going all the way to sleep) will be up to your dentist. Most office based dental procedures can be done with local anesthetic - which is when the dentist injects numbing medication into the gums and numbs up the nerves supplying the teeth so you don’t feel pain. Even wisdom teeth can be extracted with only local anesthetic, although many people these days opt for some additional sedation in addition to local anesthetic.