Pre-Surgical Care

Being prepared for your surgery is one of the best ways to ensure your entire experience is a positive one.

General Pre-Surgical Instructions

Unless you receive different instructions from your oral surgeon, keep the following in mind:

Do not eat or drink anything (including water) for eight hours prior to your appointment. If you take medications, you should take them with a small sip of water no later than three hours prior to your appointment.
A responsible adult must accompany you to the office, remain in the office during the procedure, and drive you home.
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing with sleeves that can be rolled up past the elbow.
Remove contact lenses, dental prosthetics (dentures), and jewelry.
Do not wear lipstick, excessive makeup, or nail polish on the day of surgery.
Fill any prescription pain medications and antibiotics before the day of your surgery.
If you have an illness such as a cold, sore throat, or stomach or bowel upset, please notify the office.

Be sure to talk to your oral surgeon if you currently take medications that contain aspirin, Advil, Motrin, Aleve (naproxen), ibuprofen, or Tylenol (acetaminophen); or anticoagulants such as Coumadin, Plavix, Lovenox, and Heparin.

CANNABIS (MARIJUANA) USE- PATIENT EDUCATION

Research indicates that Cannabis use before surgery can make anesthesia less effective and negatively impact the functioning of the heart, nerves, and lungs (the cardiovascular, nervous, and respiratory systems). Being honest about Cannabis, frequency of use, and mode of ingestion (smoking, edibles, vaping, etc), along with a complete health history and prescribed medications, can help enhance patient safety. For your safety, the doctor may recommend that you stop using Cannabis for a period of time prior to your scheduled surgery.

Specific risks of Cannabis use before surgery with anesthesia include:

An increased heart rate and high blood pressure (hypertension), including drops in blood pressure (hypotension) when transitioning between anesthesia stages.
Airway irritability, including an increased risk of airway inflammation, leading to the tightening of the muscles that line the airways (bronchospasm), and tightening of the throat muscles (laryngospasm).
Increased secretions which contribute to airway obstruction and an increased risk of food and fluids entering the airways and lungs (aspiration).
The need for higher and more frequent doses of sedatives, due to Cannabis’ ability to desensitize certain receptors, potentially interfering with their effectiveness and increasing the risk of anesthesia awareness and patient recall if sedation is not sufficient.
Slow and shallow breathing (respiratory depression), if combined with opioids (e.g. Oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and tramadol), or benzodiazepines (e.g. Xanax, vallum, klonopin).

Cannabis use after surgery may interfere with the healing process, ;ead to a delayed recovery with more pain and complications, especially if your treatment includes extractions and/ or implants Our doctors here ask patients to refrain from all Cannabis use at least 72 hours before your scheduled procedure.