Pre-operative Instructions for General Anesthesia

  1. The night before surgery eat a light, easily digestible meal, consume no alcoholc beverage and retire early.
  2. A responsible person MUST be present during your appointment and is needed to drive you home after the operation. Under no circumstances should you plan to drive an automobile the day of surgery.
  3. Patients under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  4. Wear comfortable, loose fitting short-sleeved clothing, no jewelry.
  5. You should not have anything to eat or drink (not even water) for a minimum of 6 hours before your appointment.
  6. If your dentist or physician has prescribed any medication for you, you may take them as prescribed with a small amount of water.


Home Care Following Surgery


  1. Swelling/Bruising. Swelling and/or bruising is to be expected following surgery. To help control this, apply an ice bag to the operated side of the face for 20 minutes; remove for 20 minutes. Repeat this alternating procedure during the first day. To be most effective, the application of ice packs should begin as soon as possible. It is usual after removal of wisdom teeth to have a decrease in mouth opening, and this resolves over 1-3 weeks. If bruising ocurs this slowly resolves over a period of a few days to a week. Should your swelling increase after 1-2 weeks, contact your oral surgeon.
  2. Rinses. Do not use a straw or rinse the mouth the day of surgery as the blood is in the process of clotting.
    Beginning the next day, rinse the mouth gently using up to a full glass of very warm water, in which a half reaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of baking soda have been dissolved. This is important both for healing and hygienic purposes. For extensive surgical procedures these rinses should be repeated every hour the first three days. After that, six times daily will suffice. If the extractions were routine, rinsing the mouth after meals will suffice. Commercial mouth rinses (Cepacol, Lavoris, hydrogen peroxide, etc.) may also be used three times a day to keep your breath fresh and sweet. Resume regular oral hygiene (tooth brushing and flossing) as soon as possible.
  3. Pain. The amount and duration of pain one should expect are very unpredictable. Most pain after surgery can be managed with ibuprofen 600mg (Nuprin, Advil, Motrin IB) taken three times a day continuously for the first three days after surgery. If you are having more pain than can be controlled with ibuprofen (or similar medications) or with the prescription you may have received, it would be best to call the office during regular office hours if possible. There can be muscle discomfort after surgery, which limits your mouth opening for 1-3 weeks. Hot packs and ibuprofen 600mg three times a day can help with the tightness.






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