Is it a safe option to consider doing dental work{extraction}by puting patient to sleep having them inhale ether till unconcious,then performing task?

-- brad bean (fnwyss5@aol.com), December 21, 1999

Answers

Yes.

-- porky (Porky@in.cellblockD), December 21, 1999.

where do I get ether?

-- sleepy (need@to know.now), December 21, 1999.

Regarding dental work without novacaine, I had 4 cavities filled last year with no anesthetic. There are two new technologies that replace the drill - laser and micro-abrasion (like a mini-sandblaster). These don't cause the friction heat of the drill, hence no pain. I have extremely sensitive teeth (drinking cold water hurts), and I had only minor discomfort. The drill generated a minor bit of heat and the micro abrasion felt like cold air being blown on the tooth. Both these hurt my teeth a little, but if I didn't have such sensitive teeth to start with, I probably would not have felt anything. My dentist is certified in both these technologies, but he's the only on in my area of 500,000 people. (One other dentist in the area did micro-abrasion at the time, and maybe one other did laser). Check around with the dentists in your area, it sure beats drooling for half a day after the appointment! I found a web site that listed dentists around the country that are certified with the laser (sorry I didn't save the URL - do a search for laser dentist).

-- Bruce (b@c.com), December 21, 1999.

You can kill someone with ether if you give too much. You ought not to do this. Yank the damn tooth without painkiller at all. I say this as someone who has had root canals without pain killer. GMAB we don't always need a painkiller for temporary, momentary pain. But don't pull a tooth unless there really is an abcess and unless the infection is deep-rooted. Sometimes we have dental pain for other reasons. Take a lot of vitamin C for several days and see if the pain goes away. Best of luck.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 21, 1999.

Well, they might die but other than that no problem.

Seriously though, yes, that will work but you might get some who react badly to the anesthesia. I have no idea what the danger factors (heart disease, etc.) might be. I can tell you that I used the same procedure to euthanize my son's pet rat that got a tumor. Just left his nose in the jar after he passed out (sad, but the kindest way...).

Can't think of alternatives. You can get a fairly high % benzocaine (maybe 20%) topical pain killer in max stregnth Oragel Liquid or paste at WallyWord. Back in the early days they used whiskey....

-- Don Kulha (dkulha@vom.com), December 21, 1999.

i believe ether is the same as engine starting fluid. The reason for ? was relizing that this need may be required in an envirment where dentist might not be available,teotwawki.

-- Brad bean (fnwyss5@aol.com), December 21, 1999.

This is one of the many reasons hubby and I decided to stock a case of whiskey and other assorted liquors in our pantry (top shelf!). Whiskey can also be used as a topical anesthetic, though it is not the best one around...Orajel or one of the others is probably better. There IS a point of intoxication w/alcohol in which you can no longer feel your teeth very much (or the cold)...I know this from numerous experiments in college;-) If we need to pull any teeth, this is the anesthetic we will use.. .....downside: alcohol's side effects are myriad and often unpredictable. IOW, in order to get someone drunk enough that they don't feel their teeth, they are also pretty emotionally unstable, so use with caution and only when you know the person pretty well, drunk or sober.

And I second what Mara said....make real sure the tooth needs to be pulled in the first place. Get the book "Where THere is No Dentist"

-- preparing (preparing@home.com), December 21, 1999.

See if you can get a herb called "Snake Root". Dried and ground and applied locally, it works like a dream. In my area, it can be found in quantity. I understand this is what they originally made Novacain from until they synthesized it.

-- Rob (maxovrdrv51@hotmail.com), December 21, 1999.

BTW, dentists now use Lidocaine.

-- preparing (preparing@home.com), December 22, 1999.

Try the string on the door, worked for Tom Sawyer.

Got burning lump of Coal?

-- Squid (ItsDark@down.here), December 22, 1999.

What about laughing gas?

Due for a revival?

-- Sir R (richard.dale@unum.co.uk), December 22, 1999.

No, it is NOT a safe option.

Get the damned tooth pulled NOW by a dentist!

You don't heal dental pain with Vit. C and you can't anesthetize well enough to extract with topical. ( Alcohol maybe, but it will take a lot and still won't really work)

Extracting teeth is NOT a home remedy. Experience really DOES COUNT here. Roots break off quite easily, actually. You are well and truly f***ed if this happens. You will not be able to get it out. Especially with NO ANESTHETIC!

Folks, you have two weeks, please get this stuff fixed NOWNOWNOW!

If TSHTF we will all have enough on our plates not to add severe dental pain to it. And anyone that has experienced this knows how incapacitating it is.

And I will tell you this, while all dental pain cannot be avoided and the occasional emergency happens, after 20 years I can assure you that 99% of all dental pain is self inflicted due to not seeking dental care in a timely manner. DO IT NOW!

Good luck to us all,

Will Huett, D.D.S.

-- Will Huett (willhuett@usa.net), December 22, 1999.

Please don't use ether! Not only is it hard to get the dose exactly right--thus preventing death--but it's also extremely explosive if the fumes get to any kind of flame. Either do the Tom Sawyer thing, buy Anbusol, or plan on showing up at your dentist's house with a loaf or two of homemade bread.

-- Ann M. (hismckids@aol.com), December 22, 1999.

I'm old enough to remember when anethesiologist still used ether in the operating theatre. When I was 5, I had my tonsils removed and ether was used.

Ann is quite correct though, ether vapor is extremely explosive. There use to be lots of 'accidents' - even among medical professionals who new how to handle the stuff.

It is also extremely volatile - it evaporates into the surrounding air very, very quickly. I can't imagine any scenario more dangerous than ether vapor in the presence of a wood or kerosene stove or even a candle.

When I was in college I worked a part time job in the anatomy department. Ether was used to euthanize lab animals - so too much ether can be deadly. Unless you have significant medical training, I would recommend steering clear of ether.

My brother spent a significant amount of time in Ethiopia and tells horror stories about what happens "where the is no dentist".

A far better solution has already been mentioned above - i.e. get the work done by medical professionals immediately.

-- Arnie Rimmer (Arnie_RImmer@usa.net), December 22, 1999.

The thought of such a thing (dental work without novacaine) is why I got all my dental work done last year. I guess it's too late now if you haven't already.

I brought up Y2K with my dentist when I went in to see him and asked if they were getting ready, but he just laughed and blew it off. I just hope I don't have any dental problems next year if there's no anasthetic available.

-- Clyde (clydeblalock@hotmail.com), December 22, 1999.

Go to a dentist. Medical supplies will be a top priority in a crisis situation. An absessed tooth can kill you by spreading infection through your system via blood flow. Don't let it get that far..at the first sign of trouble GO TO A DENTIST.

One of the reasons you might want to have a few gold coins is because dentists use gold for dental work. A dentist may be willing to barter if there is no cash around...or even if there is.

Don't wait for a crisis to develop. That's the first step in making life more 'interesting' than it needs to be.

-- ..- (dit@dot.dash), December 22, 1999.

I agree with many of the above posts: SEE A DENTIST NOW! I just spent the past few months getting all my "mission-critical" dental work done before the rollover. Yes, an abcess CAN kill you...and how bitterly ironic to have it happen while you are sitting on a mountain of preps!

-- Ludi (ludi@rollin.com), December 22, 1999.

give up on the ether idea, it is explsive, dangerous to administer, it will burn the face if you do not apply vaseline to the exposed skin, you have to use an ether cone, how would you decide if the patient is satisfactorily anesthetized and not over anesthetized?

if you dident know these facts or cant answer these questions you are not ready to give anesthesia. esecially with a dangerous drug like ether. it also makes the patients vomit like nobodies business.

why do you think we dont use it anymore?

be safe get a professional to do the work.

gaspasser

-- gasspasser (gasspasser@coma .com), December 22, 1999.