This only applies to patients who are scheduled to be sedated for the surgery.
Nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery. This includes water, gum, candy, breath mints, smokeless tobacco, etc. If surgery is to be performed in the afternoon, then the patient should have nothing to eat or drink for at least 6 hours before the surgery. If you do not follow these instructions, your surgery will be canceled. If you fail to tell us that you have not followed these instructions, you are putting your life at risk!
A responsible adult must accompany the patient and remain in the waiting room for the entire time of the planned surgical procedure. If you are a patient under the age of 18, you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. This person must be able to drive since the patient will be unable to drive for at least 24 hours after the anesthesia or sedation. The patient must have an adult stay with them at all times for the first 24 hours after surgery.
Please arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled surgery time. Some procedures may warrant you arriving up to one hour early.
Prior arrangements should be made so that the patient may refrain from any work, travel, or physical activity for at least a 24-hour period following surgery. Many surgeries will require a longer recovery period than 24 hours.
Any medications that are normally taken should be taken with a sip of water unless otherwise instructed by the doctor, preferably at least 2 hours before surgery time. It is very important that certain heart and blood pressure medications be taken before surgery. Not taking these types of medications can sometimes increase your risk for surgical complications and can result in your surgery needing to be postponed.
Loose clothes should be worn to facilitate the starting of an intravenous line to administer the sedation or anesthetic and also facilitate the placement of monitoring equipment. Flat, comfortable shoes should be worn. Short-sleeved shirts are preferable.
Contacts should not be worn on the day of surgery. Jewelry and makeup should also not be worn on the day of surgery.
IV sedation may need to be postponed if you have a severe head cold, significant sinus infection with drainage, or high fever. If you feel really “sick,” sometimes you will not heal as well after surgery. Please call our office to discuss any illness you may develop close to your scheduled surgery date.
While taking antibiotics, birth control pills may become ineffective. Extra precautions should be taken while you are on antibiotics.
We ask you to please leave all personal belongings, including cell phones, in the waiting area during your surgery. Also please note, cell phones are not allowed to be used in the operating room after surgery as this disrupts the discharge process and can compromise patient care.
DENTAL IMPLANTS PATIENTS ONLY: You will need to cleanse using the antibacterial soap Hibiclens before surgery. Please wash your face the night before and the morning of surgery. Please clean around behind your ears and down your neck. Please also use the Hibiclens to shampoo your hair the morning of surgery. Do not get the soap in your eyes.
