Before Intravenous Anesthesia Sedation

Food/Drink

You may not have anything to eat or drink 8 hours before your surgery. This includes food, milk, mints, candy, cough drops, coffee, tea, juice, soda, and any daily medications unless instructed otherwise by Dr. Smith. A small amount of water is okay to drink up to 2 hours prior to the scheduled surgery. Life-threatening vomiting during the procedure may occur if these instructions are not followed.

Transportation

A responsible adult must accompany and transport you home from surgery. Also, a car is required to be on the premises the entire length of your appointment. Please make sure this person knows they are required to stay at our office the entire time you are in surgery. If you are dropped off or your ride leaves prior to the procedure starting, we may need to wait until they return or reschedule the surgery.

Rescheduling

If you are feeling sick or are unable to make your appointment and need to reschedule, please contact our office 24 hours prior to reschedule or cancel. This allows us time to try to fill that appointment with another patient. If there are multiple reschedulings or cancellations and it seems to be a chronic problem, we may need to have you seek care elsewhere. This is not our intent, and we will do what we can to accommodate your schedule.

Late Arrivals

We will call you two days before your surgery in attempt to confirm your appointment time. The time listed on your appointment card is your arrival time. Any late arrivals are subject to Dr. Smith’s and Dr. Stern’s discretion if your surgery will proceed or need to be rescheduled.

Hygiene

Please brush your teeth prior and bathe/shower. This will reduce the risk of infection.

Smoking

No smoking 12 hours prior to surgery due to possible anesthesia risks.

Clothing

Please wear comfortable clothing for your surgery. Do not wear shirts with tight-fitting long sleeves, as we may need to access these for monitors and IV insertion. Please remove contact lenses and any ear, oral, or facial piercings. Please remove all makeup before arriving at our office.

Keeping Extracted Teeth

We do not generally give teeth to patients after they are extracted because they are considered medical waste and can be a health risk to the patient.

Diabetics

Do not take insulin the morning of your surgery. Take your usual dose of Lantus® the evening prior to surgery. If you take NPH, then take ½ the usual dose the night before surgery. Non-Insulin Diabetics — no glyburide, metformin, or other oral diabetic medication the day of surgery.

High Blood Pressure/Heart Meds

If you take high blood pressure or heart medication in the morning, take them with a small amount of water two hours prior to surgery, unless told otherwise.