The thought of sedation or surgery can be intimidating for some people. Here at the Oral and Facial Surgery Institute, we can assure you that there is nothing to worry about, as you will never be left with any unanswered questions regarding sedation or your wisdom teeth removal. Here are some sedation tips to ease your fears.
PRE-SURGERY INSTRUCTIONS
There is nothing worse than going into surgery not knowing what you need to do to prepare for it. When you schedule at our office, you will be given sedation instructions twice. Once when scheduling your appointment, and the second time at your confirmation call. Here is how to prepare:
- Nothing to eat or drink for eight hours prior to surgery.
- Must have a responsible driver to drive you home after surgery.
- Remove any nail polish on the first two fingers on each hand.
- Take any daily medications with a tiny sip of water in the morning.
- If on a blood thinner please notify us prior to your appointment (it may affect scheduling).
- If you were sent with a blue referral card, bring that with you.
- Payment is due at the time of service.
- We do offer our paperwork online, feel free to fill it out beforehand or come in five minutes early to fill it out in office.
POST SURGERY INSTRUCTIONS
Don’t panic if you have never taken care of someone or yourself after sedation. We will make sure that you or your driver fully understand our at-home care instructions. And don’t forget, we are just one call away if you have any other care questions.
- When you leave our office, you will be biting down on gauze. You will also be sent home with extra in a baggie. Change the gauze as needed every 20-30 minutes until it is a light pink color. That indicates there is mostly saliva and that the bleeding is slowing down.
- You will be sent home with an irrigating syringe to be started on the third day after surgery. Make sure you stick the entire tip into the site to flush out all of the food. If not, it can lead to swelling and infections. Continue this until the holes are entirely healed.
- Rinse with Peridex mouth rinse in the morning and evenings.
- Take the antibiotic prescribed to prevent infections.
- Eat soft foods for a few days such as yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, or soups (anything that is soft enough to mush with a fork).
- Avoid straw use for three days.
- Use ice packs on and off for 20 minutes at a time to help with swelling.
Healing
You will want to get as much rest as possible post-procedure. Most people are feeling back to normal in 3-7 days as long as the above rules are followed.
If you have an active lifestyle, you will want to rest for at least three days. After which you can resume normal activity as long as you are feeling up to it.
Contact us today at 435-628-1100 to set up an appointment!