Hospital-grade general anesthesia delivered on-site at our Goderich practice by an anesthesiologist from London Health Sciences Centre. We're the only practice in the area with the RCDSO-approved permit for this — and we use it to complete entire treatment plans in a single visit.
Book a GA consultation
General anesthesia (GA) is the same anesthetic technique used in hospitals — you're fully asleep for the entire procedure, with no awareness of what's happening and no recall afterward. The difference at Suncoast is that we deliver GA at our dental practice rather than requiring a hospital admission. The anesthesia itself is provided by an anesthesiologist from London Health Sciences Centre, the regional academic hospital — a hospital-trained specialist who comes to our practice for GA cases.
Suncoast is the only dental practice in the area with an RCDSO-approved permit to deliver on-site general anesthesia. The combination of a hospital anesthesiologist and our dental team means hospital-level safety standards in a dental setting — without the cost, complexity, or wait time of a hospital procedure. Dentists across Goderich and the surrounding area refer GA cases to Suncoast when their own offices can't accommodate the modality.
GA is appropriate for several specific situations: patients with severe dental phobia who can't tolerate awake treatment even under sedation, patients with special needs or behavioural conditions that make awake treatment difficult, complex multi-procedure cases (where we want to complete an entire treatment plan in a single visit), advanced implant procedures like zygomatic and trans-nasal implants that require GA by their nature, and pediatric cases for some children who can't otherwise have necessary work done safely.
GA cases involve pre-op preparation, the procedure itself, and recovery — most patients leave the practice 60 to 90 minutes after the dental work is finished.
Review medical history with both your dentist and the anesthesiologist. Discuss the procedure, the GA itself, what to expect during recovery, and any pre-op fasting requirements (typically no food or drink for 6 hours before).
On the day of the procedure, you arrive with someone who will drive you home. The anesthesiologist starts an IV, attaches monitors, and discusses any final questions.
Once you're asleep, the dental team performs the planned procedure — extractions, implants, restorations, or whatever combination your treatment plan calls for. The anesthesiologist monitors continuously throughout. Procedures can range from 1 to 4+ hours depending on case complexity.
After the procedure is finished, the anesthesia is reversed. You wake up in our recovery area, typically over 30 to 60 minutes. The anesthesiologist confirms you're recovered enough to leave; the dentist gives you post-op instructions.
Your driver takes you home. The rest of the day is for resting and recovering — no driving, no important decisions, no work. You should have someone with you for the first 24 hours after GA.
Common questions about GA for dental procedures.
Book a free consultation to discuss whether general anesthesia is right for your case. We'll review your medical history with the anesthesiologist, walk through what to expect, and confirm costs before scheduling.