Yeah, in Europe it's pretty standard to extract wisdom teeth under local anaesthesia only (and perhaps mild sedation). You're pretty lucid throughout.
As a (former) neuroscientist I'm a lot more terrified about going under general anaesthesia with the risks and the long-lasting cognitive changes that sometimes occur afterwards!
That said it's pretty fun to watch all those videos of Americans with all the symptoms described in the article after going to the dentist...
Why? General anaesthetic is fun! The last time I was under for 6 hours. For a few days afterwards I saw the most incredibly interesting, detailed persistent hallucinations whenever I closed my eyes. They completely vanished when I opened them.
As a (former) neuroscientist I'm a lot more terrified about going under general anaesthesia with the risks and the long-lasting cognitive changes that sometimes occur afterwards!
That said it's pretty fun to watch all those videos of Americans with all the symptoms described in the article after going to the dentist...