Oral Surgery: From the Pre-Surgical Consultation to Preparing for Surgery Day

If you have an appointment for oral surgery, including the extraction of your wisdom teeth, you will need to prepare for the surgery in advance. These tips will help your surgery will run smoothly, and help you to understand what to expect at your pre-surgical visit to the oral surgeon.

Local Anesthetic or Anesthesia?
During a consultation visit with your oral surgeon, you will be asked what type of pain control you'd like during your oral surgery. The majority of oral surgery patients opt for anesthesia, rather than a local anesthetic, for most procedures. If your oral surgeon offers intravenous (IV) anesthesia, you will not feel pain during the surgery, be allowed to breath on your own without a face mask and most likely will not remember the surgical procedure.

Have an Empty Stomach
To ensure a safe surgical procedure with anesthesia, do not drink or eat for at least six hours before your oral surgery. You many become nauseous during the surgery if your stomach is full. If possible, try to schedule your oral surgery appointment in the morning, since it is easiest to fast overnight.

Consult your oral surgeon prior to the surgery if you take daily medicines or vitamins. Most of the time is safe to take these medications with a small sip of water on the day of your surgery.

Don't Travel Alone
If you choose to have anesthesia administered during your oral surgery, you will be asked to have an adult drive you to and from your surgery appointment. This person will be responsible for understanding oral surgery recovery instructions since the patient's judgement and coordination will be effected by the anesthesia for the whole day.

Oral surgery patients are also instructed to not care for children or dependant adults, on the same day of the surgery, since their judgement can still be impaired hours after the surgical procedure.