Anaesthesia allows you to have your operation safely and without pain. ‘Anaesthesia’ means ‘loss of sensation’. A good example of anaesthesia occurs when your dentist gives you an injection to numb your teeth so you can have fillings. Alternatively, your dentist may also use laughing gas prior to a procedure. These examples highlight the important features of anaesthesia:

• It stops pain and decreases other sensations
• It exists in many different forms (gas, tablet, drops, injection)
• You may not necessarily need to be unconscious
• It can be localised to a particular area or generalised to the entire body
• It allows you to have your surgery safely and comfortably