How long will my oral surgery procedure take?

How long will my oral surgery procedure take?

oral surgery RichmondIn the process of preparing for oral surgery, patients usually have a number of questions, such as how long the procedure will take and what to expect from the recovery period. Because there are a range of different oral surgery interventions and each patient is unique, there is no one answer to that question.

After evaluating your case and preparing a treatment plan for the procedure, your oral surgeon can give you a more precise estimate of the anticipated length of time for your appointment and how to prepare for your surgery.

Types of Oral Surgery Procedures

Depending on the patient’s needs, an oral surgeon may provide a variety of oral surgery interventions, including:

Most of these procedures can be performed in our state-of-the-art outpatient surgical suite. However, it’s important to recognize that two patients having the same type of surgery can still differ significantly in certain aspects of it. For example, one case of wisdom teeth extraction may be far more complex.

Those differences will influence many aspects of the procedure, including its duration.

Oral Surgery: What to Expect from The Procedure and Recovery

As noted above, we provide most of these interventions on an outpatient basis, meaning that patients will go home after the surgery. We use local anesthetic and often add sedation for maximum patient comfort throughout the treatment.

Some aspects of these interventions require advance preparation. For example, if you will be receiving sedation, you may need to take a pill a certain amount of time before arriving at the office or you may need to fast for up to 12 hours if you’re receiving IV sedation.

Additionally, patients who are under sedation will need to make arrangements for a responsible adult to bring them home and supervise them until the effects of sedation wear off completely.

It’s also essential for patients to adhere to the post-operative instructions provided by the oral surgeon to minimize the risk of complications. If you have any questions about these instructions, don’t hesitate to ask.

We encourage patients who are facing some type of dental surgery to consult with our team at Commonwealth Oral & Facial Surgery to plan and prepare for the procedure, including the anticipated length of time of the appointment.