May I Receive Anointing of the Sick?

[bben15]

Hello. I went to the dentist last week, and I found out that I will have to have two wisdom teeth removed within the next few months. I am not yet Catholic, but have been baptized. May I receive an Anointing, along with Confession preceding the Anointing? Maybe even Viaticum?

Also, if I could, would Confirmation be part of the last rites?

God bless you for answering my question.

 

[Zooman77]

I am not sure it is necessary so I would talk to a priest and see what he thinks. Generally before surgery is a good time to be anointed but here is what the Ritual gives as a suggestion.

“a sick person…before surgery whenever the surgery is necessitated by a dangerous illness”

I would not assume that having impacted wisdom teeth is considered a dangerous illness. Were you baptized in a Catholic Church? If you were you would be able to receive it. Are you in RCIA? Would it be your first Confession? Even if anointing were not warranted in a situation I personally would still go to Confession before a procedure, though I usually go once a week anyways. I can tell you with definite certainty that Viaticum would not be warranted for this, it is really meant for those who death is definite and soon. Hypothetically if you were to slip into a Coma or whatever and you were on your deathbed and not yet confirmed, yes the priest would confirm you along with the anointing and Viaticum and confession if conscious. A priest would not confirm you though unless you were on your deathbed. If you were to receive anointing though you would need to be in a state of grace.

 

[L_Marshall]

I don’t think a tooth extraction would warrant it. If you’ve already been baptized, you can make a confession.

If you’re not yet baptized, you can ask your pastor for a blessing before a surgery. There’s a solemn form in the Book of Blessings.

 

[landon13]

Anointing of the sick is really reserved for the more serious operations that there is a chance of death involved. I don’t think an average wisdom tooth extraction would warrant this. You could ask the Priest for a blessing before surgery but i highly doubt he would give the full sacramental anointing of the sick.

God bless!

 

[Linusthe2nd]

Hello. I went to the dentist last week, and I found out that I will have to have two wisdom teeth removed within the next few months. I am not yet Catholic, but have been baptized. May I receive an Anointing, along with Confession preceding the Anointing? Maybe even Viaticum?

Also, if I could, would Confirmation be part of the last rites?

God bless you for answering my question.

No, not unless you have a dangerous medical condition that would indicate that having two teeth removed would endanger your life. Final Anointing is meant for the seriously ill or injured or the very aged.

Linus2nd

 

[bben15]

Thank you all for the replies. I read an article where Father Z said that someone who will be under general anesthesia, even if the surgery is minor, should receive an Anointing. Of course, he also mentioned that some other priests may disagree.

 

[twopekinguys]

Thank you all for the replies. I read an article where Father Z said that someone who will be under general anesthesia, even if the surgery is minor, should receive an Anointing. Of course, he also mentioned that some other priests may disagree.

Most surgical deaths are attributed to complications of anesthesia.

Our parish priest agrees with Fr. Z. If you’re under a general, you should be anointed.

Our priest also has a good saying…“It is only minor surgery if it is happening to someone else.”

Good Luck!!

 

[SecretGarden]

I think it depends on the priest. I had an asthma during the mass once and after it, the priest gave the anointing of the sick to me. I had another case in a different parish where the same problem arose and this priest didn’t. He knew of my history of respiratory problems therefore he knew I had it under control. Speak with your priest and see what he says. I think wisdom teeth extraction is different compared with a simple tooth extraction because it requires more work, and a longer recovery. It took me a good week to recover from my dental surgery.

 

[Gorgias]

Final Anointing is meant for the seriously ill or injured or the very aged.

Yet, he didn’t ask about ‘final anointing’ (presumably, you mean ‘last rites’); he asked about the ‘anointing of the sick.’ Clearly, viaticum would be inappropriate, but especially if there’s anesthesia involved, an anointing would not be out of the question…

 

[Bergon]

Hello. I went to the dentist last week, and I found out that I will have to have two wisdom teeth removed within the next few months. I am not yet Catholic, but have been baptized. May I receive an Anointing, along with Confession preceding the Anointing? Maybe even Viaticum?

Also, if I could, would Confirmation be part of the last rites?

God bless you for answering my question.

You clearly have little faith in your dentist’s abilities if you think he’s going to possibly kill you.

What you describe is the Last Rites. Of course, you can go to confession at any time. Viaticum is for those who are dying.

I do not want to become engrossed in an argument about anointing. The rubrics in the relevant liturgical book speak for themselves. No, you shouldn’t be anointed.

Confirmation isn’t part of the last rites but if you’re baptised and in danger of death a priest can confirm.

Good luck anyway. I went today - hate going:sad_yes:

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Thank you all for the replies. I read an article where Father Z said that someone who will be under general anesthesia, even if the surgery is minor, should receive an Anointing. Of course, he also mentioned that some other priests may disagree.

I agree that one should have the anointing before undergoing general anesthesia. However, unless there is a major problem, wisdom teeth are usually removed under a local anesthesia, for which I would not get the anointing.

 

[Sunbreak]

Ask the priest about it. It used to be that annointing of the sick was associated with someone who was about to die. Now it is given in other circumstances to people who are ill or will have surgery.
I think for some people, removing wisdom teeth is a simple procedure. Sometimes it is more complicated. People think dental work is no big deal, but it can be. I almost choked on a crown that the dental assistant was fitting on a tooth. It slipped out of her hands and down my throat near my windpipe. She stood back looking horrified and did nothing while I sat up, coughed as hard as I could and finally was able to dislodge it and cough it out.

 

[Yarb]

Thank you all for the replies. I read an article where Father Z said that someone who will be under general anesthesia, even if the surgery is minor, should receive an Anointing. Of course, he also mentioned that some other priests may disagree.

Does “general anesthesia” mean you’ll be unconscious? I know there are some types of anesthesia that render a person lethargic and stupid for a couple of hours but the patient remains conscious.

 

[bben15]

Does “general anesthesia” mean you’ll be unconscious? I know there are some types of anesthesia that render a person lethargic and stupid for a couple of hours but the patient remains conscious.

Yes, I will be unconscious.

 

[Joannm]

I am not a doctor/dentist, nor do I play one on TV, but there are different kinds of anesthesia. The kind they use in dentistry, as far as I know from experience, is what is called twilight. It is not administered by an anesthesiologist but by the dentist. You are partially unconscious but you do not remember any of the procedure. When I had my wisdom teeth cut out this is what I had. It was an IV and as soon as they stopped the IV I became aware again while still in the chair and they were taking the cotton out of my mouth.

Now general anesthesia is what you would have in a hospital or ambulatory surgery center. A few years ago I had ambulatory surgery. They began with an IV of what the anesthesiologist called a cocktail (later I found out this is what Michael Jackson OD on). It prepares you for the anesthesia that knocks you unconscious. When I went into the operating room they put a mask on me and I must have gone out in like 3 seconds. Then I think they put something else in the IV. It took me maybe a half hour to wake up after the surgery in the recovery room.

I didn’t even think to get anointed for the dentist, but sure did for the other surgery since that type of anesthesia is more dangerous, as was the type of surgery.

 

[CB_Catholic]

For those who do not consider general anesthesia as serious enough to warrant the Sacrament of the Sick, as a Recovery Room nurse, let me assure you that lethal complications can and do occur during and also after general anesthesia. They may be infrequent, but no one should undergo surgery without being aware that complications do occur, or assume general anesthesia is not serious. And especially do not assume that they do not occur in young and previously healthy individuals.

I had the Sacrament before I underwent surgery and would do so again.