What getting my wisdom teeth out taught me about anesthesia

A couple of days ago, I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed. I still remember timidly walking into the surgical room, being wrapped with a heated blanket, and getting plugged in with an oxygen supplement. It was nerve-wracking at first, but (thank god) it went great.

Right before the surgery began, I was hooked up to an IV line that delivered anesthesia into my bloodstream. The surgeon told me she calls the anesthesia “vacation” for kids, and “happy hour” for adults. I thought that was pretty funny.

For me, it felt like a giant black hole in my memory. I remember when the surgeon administered the first shot, and I remember asking how long it would take me to fall unconscious. Ironically, that’s the last thing I remember before completely blacking out. A small pouch of liquid could completely knock me out. According to my mom, it was like I fell asleep, except I wouldn’t answer when she called my name.

But this was nothing like sleep..

According to MIT Professor Emery Brown, anesthesia is a “drug-induced, controlled, reversible coma.” It’s completely necessary - no anesthesia means unexplainable pain and trauma from surgery.

Professor Brown also explained that the symptoms of anesthesia were similar to something else: death. That sounds kind of terrifying, but it’s a good reminder that powerful things come with real risks. The science behind anesthesia is still pretty foggy, but future breakthroughs could help a lot of other fields. Scientists might be able to use what we learn to find new therapies for depression, actual comas, and sleep disorders. I think it’s cool that something as routine as getting your wisdom teeth out connects to so many bigger questions about the brain.

Sources

• Brown, E. (2015). Anesthesia and the dynamics of the mind. TEDMED.
• Virginia Tech News. (2021). You’re not sleeping: Expert to explain neuroscience of anesthesia.