Tips to Prepare for Your Oral Surgery Procedure

Oral surgery can feel like a scary proposition if you’ve never faced it before, but in reality, most of these types of procedures are completed in a few hours in an outpatient setting. Patients typically resume most normal activities within a matter of days. A little preparation can go a long way in getting good outcomes following a wisdom tooth extraction, dental implant placement or jaw surgery, in addition to other procedures performed by an oral surgeon. Here are some tips to help you get ready for your appointment.

• Be sure that you fully understand and follow all pre-operative instructions: At your initial consultation, your oral surgeon will educate you on the steps that you will need to take to get ready for the procedure. For example, if you will be receiving IV sedation or anesthesia, you will be instructed to fast for a certain number of hours prior to your appointment. You may also be directed to temporarily discontinue certain medications or supplements, such as blood thinners, prior to the procedure. If you have any questions about the pre-operative instructions, please ask for clarification.
• Get your post-operative supplies and medications in advance so that you’ll have them ready to go after your procedure. Your oral surgeon may prescribe painkillers or a prophylactic antibiotic to reduce your risk of post-operative infection. If you fill that prescription before your scheduled surgery date, you won’t have to worry about slogging to the pharmacy afterward.
• Take all the steps recommended by your oral surgeon to prevent post-operative complications. Keep the surgical site as clean as possible using the recommended technique. Abstain from smoking for a period of time after the procedure (and ideally forever after that!). If you have wisdom teeth removed, avoid drinking straws until you have healed fully.

If you have any concerns about preparing for a surgical procedure in our office, we encourage you to call our team at Stonebriar Facial & Oral Surgery and ask any questions you may have. We want this process to go as smoothly as possible for you.