You’re dreading the day of oral surgery. You expect there to be some discomfort, and you really aren’t looking forward to leaving home for the trip to the dentist. You put off preparations to avoid confronting these fears. However, that’s the worst mistake you can make.
I’m Dr. Holly Gregory, a practicing dentist in Humble, Texas. I’ve helped hundreds of patients face their fear of oral surgery. I want to share some tips on how to get ready for the day of your oral surgery.
How to Prepare for Oral Surgery
Have Your Paperwork Ready
When you arrive at the dentist’s office, you’ll be nervous. The last thing you need is a stack of paperwork or, worse yet, frustrating snags with your dental insurance company. Some of the paperwork you can complete early includes:
- Insurance authorizations
- Pre-operative care instructions
- Updates to your patient information (if any)
- Release forms
A few days before your procedure, contact your insurer to make sure that the procedure is covered. Call the dental office and have any paperwork emailed to you. You can arrive for your appointment a few minutes early without the stress of facing a stack of paperwork.
While they may need some last-minute signatures, you won’t need to arrive 30 minutes early to deal with the stack of paperwork.
Make Transportation Arrangements
Because it’s often performed in-office, patients often mistakenly treat oral surgery like a routine dental exam and fail to arrange transportation. This can leave you in a post-surgical fog scrambling to call for an Uber.
You should not plan to drive yourself! Whether you’re receiving local or general anesthesia, you need a ride to and from your surgery. A week or so before your surgery, arrange for a friend or family member to be available on that day, arrive to pick you up on time, and drop you back off at home after your surgery.
Take a “Smoke Break”
I am not suggesting that you smoke before surgery. Indeed, it’s just the opposite. Smokers should take a break from smoking for at least 12 hours before your surgery and at least 24 hours post-surgery. If you rely on nicotine patches when you need to skip the smokes, have plenty on hand before your surgery!
As a dental care provider, I recommend using this “smoke break” as an opportunity to quit the nicotine habit altogether to keep a healthier mouth and increase your overall wellness.
Fasting
The length of time you must fast is determined by the type of anesthesia you’ll receive. If the dentist orders a local anesthesia, you might be able to eat a light snack the morning of your procedure. Check with your provider as this will vary.
However, I’m focusing on the guidelines for general anesthesia for this article. Plan to skip eating and drinking anything, including water, for 12 hours before your oral surgery.
This measure is taken to prevent an uncommon side effect of anesthesia called aspiration. When you’re sedated, your body’s natural reflexes that hold food in the stomach are also suppressed. This can cause your stomach contents to back up into your trachea and enter your lungs. Withholding food for 12 hours is the best prevention to avoid this rare occurrence.
Know the “Dress Code”
Oral surgery is an occasion when it’s acceptable to wear your favorite comfy sweatpants!
Here are some tips on dressing for oral surgery:
- Dress in comfortable clothing that’s loose fitting. Wear short sleeves so that the staff has access to your arm to start your IV. You can layer a zip-front hoodie and slide out one arm during cooler weather.
- Don’t wear your best clothing. While the staff will cover your clothing, there’s a slim chance of blood staining your clothes.
- Wear your glasses and skip the contact lenses.
- Skip your makeup routine. The dentist doesn’t care about your makeup, and after surgery you won’t need to worry about removing it when you return home to rest.
- If you have long hair, opt for a ponytail to keep it out of the way.
- If you wear dentures, bring your denture case.
Have Your Post-Surgery Care Plan in Place
Well before you head to your surgery, have a post-surgery care plan in place. The chances are good that you will be uncomfortable, groggy, and want to go to sleep upon return to your home. But you’ll wake up hungry, light-headed, and maybe even confused.
Hopefully, you will have lined up a friend to stay with you for a day or two to help you out. But in today’s busy lifestyle, that’s often not going to happen! Here are some things you can do to prepare to take care of yourself after surgery:
- Keep a family member on speed dial in case you need a prescription picked up.
- Have some soft foods made, such as gelatin, broth, or applesauce.
- Purchase some protein drinks to nourish your body.
- Have any necessary medications pre-measured and packed in pill boxes.
- Plan a couple of days off work to recover. It can take up to 48 hours for anesthesia to completely leave your system.
Having oral surgery can be scary. However, you can diminish some of the stress by carefully preparing for the day of surgery as well as a couple days thereafter.
Author:
Dr. Holly Gregory is an oral surgeon and practicing family dentist in Kingwood, Texas area. The Texas native holds a deep commitment to patient education and wellness. She enjoys writing guest posts to keep the public educated on dental issues. When she’s not at the practice, Dr. Gregory enjoys playing with her two children.