As a day surgery patient you will:

• Come to the hosp ital on the day of your surgery
• Arrive 3 hours before your scheduled surgery time or as directed by your surgeon's office
• Have your surgery done in the Operating Room (OR)
• Return home after your surgery

Your surgery may be cancelled if you are late. Delays in the OR may cause a change in your surgery. There is a chance that your surgery could be cancel led if there is an emergency. If this should happen, your surgeon's office will call you to arrange a new date. You may need some tests before your surgery. This will depend on your general health or the type of surgery you are having. Same Day Surgery staff will contact you to arrange your Pre Operative testing if needed.

With a general aesthetic, you will be given medication to put you to sleep for your surgery. A regional aesthetic means an area of your body is frozen. Sedation is usually given along with regional anaesthesia. If you are having a general or regional anaesthetic:

• Do not eat any food or drink any liquids including water after midnight, unless otherwise directed. Do not eat candy or chew gum after midnight
• You may take your medications as instructed by your doctor with sips of water unless you are given other directions

After a general anaesthetic, regional anaesthetic, or Intravenous (IV) sedation:

• You must have a responsible adult drive you home
• You should have a responsible adult stay with you for the first 24 hours who can look after you

For the first 24 hours after your surgery:

• Do not drive a car or operate heavy machinery for 24 hrs
• Do not drink alcohol for 24 hours or while taking pain medication
• Do not sign any legal documents or important papers for 24 hours
• You are not to be the primary caregiver to dependants for 24 hours

 

If you are taking Aspirin® (ASA) or blood thinners it is very important for you to notify your surgeon at least one week before your surgery. These medications may need to be stopped before your surgery. Bring all of your medications (including over the counter and herbal preparations) in their original containers with you on the day of your surgery.

It is best if you can stop smoking for 2 weeks leading up to your surgery date. If you are not able to do this, please do not smoke after your evening meal, the night before surgery. Smoking can cause more secretions in your lungs, and you could have problems with your breathing after your anaesthetic. Capital Health is smoke-free.

You may wear your dentures to the hospital. Just before you go the Operating Room (OR), you will be asked to remove your dentures and place them in a denture cup labelled with your name.

Bring a case to store your glasses when they are not being used. Your glasses will be taken from you just before you go to the OR. They will be returned to you in the recovery area. Do not wear contact lenses. If this is not possible, please bring your lens container and cleaning solutions. Remember to tell your nurse that you are wearing contact lenses. They must be removed before you go to the OR.

If you wear a hearing aid, bring it and a storage case with you. It will be returned to you in the recovery area after your surgery. Depending upon how much hearing loss you have, you may be able to wear it to the OR.

• You will be asked to arrive at the hospital at least 11/2 hours before your operation. Go to the Same Day Surgery Unit on the 10th floor of the Victoria Building, Victoria General.
• Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before surgery. Your surgery will be cancelled if you eat or drink after this time. Nausea and vomiting are more likely to occur during or shortly after your operation.
• Stop smoking at least 24 hours before your operation. Smoking can make your recovery more difficult and can delay healing. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the hospital grounds.
• Do not bring valuables to the hospital. The hospital is not responsible for them.
• The nurse will ask you several questions about your health and take your vital signs (temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration).
• Be sure to tell the nurse if you have any medication or food allergies.
• You may need blood tests.
• The oral surgeon will speak with you unless he/she has already done so.
• Please brush your teeth well before coming to the hospital. Do not swallow any water.
• You will be asked to change into a hospital gown.
•  Please give the nurse the name and phone number of the individual you want contacted after your operation.

 Note to those waiting: Patients who are having jaw surgery are usually in the Operating Room and recovery area for 4-8 hours. The length of time depends on the type of surgery needed. At the end of the operation, the surgeon will contact a friend or family member when asked to do so by the patient.  

Stop smoking at least 24 hours before your operation. Smoking can make your recovery more difficult and can delay healing. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the grounds of the hospital. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before surgery. Your surgery will be cancelled if you eat or drink after this time. Nausea and vomiting may occur during or shortly after your operation.

After the local anaesthetic or “freezing” wears off, you will most likely feel some pain and discomfort in your jaws. This is normal and may last a few days. You may have had some pain medication prescribed for you; take it as directed. The amount of pain you have is variable and may range from none at all to more than average. Most people are somewhere in between. Remember that the pain medication will not always completely relieve the pain. Also remember, the pain may increase on the 2nd or 3rd day after the surgery before it starts to get better.

After the teeth have been extracted, the “holes” or tooth sockets will fill up with blood and form a “clot” or “scab” just like a cut on your skin. Every effort should be made to avoid disturbing or dislodging the clots at the extraction sites. You should avoid putting your tongue, toothbrush and rough foods near the surgical area. You should avoid sucking through a straw (the sucking action can suck the clots out of the sockets and start it bleeding). Often the extraction sockets may ooze a bit of blood for the first few hours after the surgery. If you “drool” blood, it is probably mostly saliva mixed with a bit of blood. If you do think the extraction sites are bleeding excessively, follow these steps:

• Wet two-or three 2 inch by 2 inch gauze pads and roll them up into a ball
• Place them over the bleeding extraction socket(s)
• Bite on them firmly for 20-30 minutes thereby applying firm pressure on the socket
• Repeat this procedure 2 - 3 times if needed

If you have no gauze at home, you can also use the corner of a facecloth or wet tea bags. This will generally stop any bleeding. If this doesn’t stop the bleeding, call the Clinic. Do not be surprised if you see a few spots of blood on your pillow the next morning.

Swelling, at the corner of your jaw and cheeks, is normal. It will generally increase up to 2 or 3 days after the surgery before starting to decrease. Swelling can be decreased by applying ice at the corners of your jaw for the first 24 hours. A bag of ice, or frozen vegetables, wrapped in a cloth or towel can be placed on your face and jaws and held there. Generally 20 minutes on and then 20 minutes off for the first day (except when sleeping at night) helps to reduce swelling. Remember that the swelling will generally peak on the 2nd or 3rd day after the surgery.

The surgery may make it difficult to open your mouth wide for several days. Also you may have some difficulty swallowing (in the first few hours) because of the “freezing” and (over the next several days) because of discomfort and soreness. You may or may not find that this bothers you.

After the local anaesthetic or “freezing” wears off, you will most likely feel some pain and discomfort in your jaws. This is normal and may last a few days. You may have had some pain medication prescribed for you; take it as directed. The amount of pain you have is variable and may range from none at all to more than average. Most people are somewhere in between. Remember that the pain medication will not always completely relieve the pain. Also remember, the pain may increase on the 2nd or 3rd day after the surgery before it starts to get better.

After the teeth have been extracted, the “holes” or tooth sockets will fill up with blood and form a “clot” or “scab” just like a cut on your skin. Every effort should be made to avoid disturbing or dislodging the clots at the extraction sites. You should avoid putting your tongue, toothbrush and rough foods near the surgical area. You should avoid sucking through a straw (the sucking action can suck the clots out of the sockets and start it bleeding). Often the extraction sockets may ooze a bit of blood for the first few hours after the surgery. If you “drool” blood, it is probably mostly saliva mixed with a bit of blood. If you do think the extraction sites are bleeding excessively, follow these steps:

• Wet two-or three 2 inch by 2 inch gauze pads and roll them up into a ball
• Place them over the bleeding extraction socket(s)
• Bite on them firmly for 20-30 minutes thereby applying firm pressure on the socket
• Repeat this procedure 2 - 3 times if needed

If you have no gauze at home, you can also use the corner of a facecloth or wet tea bags. This will generally stop any bleeding. If this doesn’t stop the bleeding, call the Clinic. Do not be surprised if you see a few spots of blood on your pillow the next morning.

Swelling, at the corner of your jaw and cheeks, is normal. It will generally increase up to 2 or 3 days after the surgery before starting to decrease. Swelling can be decreased by applying ice at the corners of your jaw for the first 24 hours. A bag of ice, or frozen vegetables, wrapped in a cloth or towel can be placed on your face and jaws and held there. Generally 20 minutes on and then 20 minutes off for the first day (except when sleeping at night) helps to reduce swelling. Remember that the swelling will generally peak on the 2nd or 3rd day after the surgery.

The surgery may make it difficult to open your mouth wide for several days. Also you may have some difficulty swallowing (in the first few hours) because of the “freezing” and (over the next several days) because of discomfort and soreness. You may or may not find that this bothers you.