Before IV Anesthesia

At Commonwealth Oral & Facial Surgery, we realize that having any surgery can be stressful. Our desire is to have your treatment progress as smoothly as possible. These instructions provide some general guidelines with regards to pre and post-operative care; your doctor may give you additional instructions as well. Thank you for choosing Commonwealth Oral & Facial Surgery.

Before Anesthesia Instructions (PDF)

Do not eat or drink anything for six (6) hours prior to surgery.

PLEASE make plans in advance to have a responsible adult come with you on the day of surgery. They must remain in the office during the entire procedure and stay with you the rest of the day to help you with medications, eating and drinking and applying ice packs.

IT IS IMPORTANT that patients be supervised for an appropriate amount of time following sedation in order to ensure that they remain safe in the post-operative period. Standing and sitting up too quickly following surgery can also result in dizziness. Risk of falling is increased and could cause unnecessary injury.

You will be sleepy/tired for several hours after your surgery and unable to drive. Under NO circumstances should a patient drive the day of surgery or participate in any important decisions.

PLEASE wear loose-fitting clothing so that we can easily place a blood pressure cuff and other monitoring devices. (Short sleeve shirts, sweat pants and gym shoes are always good choices.)

PLEASE brush your teeth before your appointment. It will help reduce bacteria in your mouth.

Activity

Unless told otherwise, avoid vigorous physical activity for three days following your surgery. Physical activity increases your blood pressure, which could cause an increase in your swelling, pain, and bleeding. You may gradually increase your activity, such as jogging or tennis as your recovery progresses.

Please have a cold ice pack(s) prepared ahead of time to help reduce swelling after surgery. For example; a frozen bag of peas works just as well as a cold ice-pack(s).

Diet

Items to have on hand ahead of time! It’s recommended you have clear liquids, such as coke, ginger ale, apple juice, Gatorade or broth. You should eat only soft food for the fi rst day depending on the type of surgery you have: for example, soups, smoothies, eggs, mashed potatoes and meatloaf are fi ne. It’s recommended you do not eat hard, crunchy or very chewy foods, such as European breads, pizza crust, steak or jerky, nuts, or popcorn.