You may preregister with our office by filling out our secure online Patient Registration Form.
You may preregister with our office by filling out our secure online Patient Registration Form.
To ensure accurate and comprehensive medical care, please provide an updated medical history for the returning patient.
These instructions aim to ensure patient safety, promote healing, and prevent complications. Pre-operative instructions typically include dietary restrictions, medication adjustments, and hygiene practices. Intra-operative instructions guide the surgical team on protocols and techniques to follow during the procedure. Post-operative instructions cover care tips such as managing pain, controlling bleeding, maintaining oral hygiene, dietary recommendations, and recognizing signs of complications. These instructions are crucial for successful surgical outcomes and patient recovery.
Preparing yourself for dental surgery
If you will be having IV sedation, please make sure you follow these instructions:
Nothing to eat or drink for eight (8) hours prior to surgery.
Please take regular medications prescribed by your physician as usual with very little water as early in the day as possible, unless instructed otherwise.
Please remove nail polish or the acrylic nail on at least one finger as we will attach a sensor to your finger during the procedure to measure your oxygen level.
If you are scheduled for an afternoon intravenous sedation surgery, please get up early enough to eat breakfast at least eight (8) hours prior to surgery.
A responsible adult must take you home and remain with you following your surgery.
Wear a short-sleeve garment and please bring a blanket.
If you will be having the procedure under local anesthesia ONLY and without intra venous sedation, then you DO NOT have any food restrictions. You MAY eat and drink non-alcoholic beverages prior to surgery and drive to and from the office. We encourage you to eat a light snack before your visit.
Any aspirin, coumadin or blood thinning drug you might be taking, will be addressed on an individual basis by the doctor prior to treatment.
Please notify the doctor if you take insulin shots or have an insulin pump.
NO alcohol consumption 24 hours prior to surgery.
Take your normal prescription medication with little water, unless instructed otherwise.
Notify staff of medications that you have taken on the day of your procedure.
Prepare ice packs and have soft nutritious foods available at home.
Nutritious, easy to eat foods include: milkshakes, cottage cheese, yogurt, pasta, rice, fish, applesauce, soup, eggs, etc.
Prescriptions were sent in electronically to your pharmacy of choice at your consultation visit. Please pick them up prior to your scheduled surgery.
These GENERAL instructions are for post surgical care to minimize discomfort and address any concerns following surgery in our office.
Post-surgery care tips for the first 24 hours:
Avoid rinsing or spitting forcefully to protect the blood clot in the surgical area.
Elevate your head while sleeping and consider using a towel over your pillow to catch any drool that might contain blood.
Mild bleeding is normal. If you feel the bleeding is more than mild please call us at 916-788-1114. Prior to calling you can consider the following:
Apply moistened gauze to the immediate area with moderate pressure for 30 minutes; repeat if necessary.
If gauze is not available, place a moistened tea bag in the area and apply pressure for 30 minutes.
It is common to have discomfort for at least the first week following your surgical procedure. You will be given a prescription for anti-inflammatory medication (Ibuprofen 800mg) or prescription pain medication (Norco 5 or Tylenol # 3) to help you tolerate the pain / discomfort during the post-surgical recovery period. To avoid pain immediately after surgery, please take the prescribed anti-inflammatory / pain medication right away and take one every 4 hours on the clock only on the day of the surgery. For the following days, you MAY take anti-inflammatory / pain medication as needed every 6 hours or break the pill it in half and take only as needed. It is advisable to not take pain medication on an empty stomach.
As an alternative to prescription medications, you may take a combination of over-the-counter Ibuprofen 200mg and/or Tylenol500mg if it is agreeable to you.
Note: If you are taking the Ibuprofen 800mg every 4 hours on the day of surgery, you can take 1 Tylenol 500mg (over the counter) in between doses to prolong the action of the ibuprofen and to give a more profound relief from pain. When taking any prescribed medication containing Acetaminophen (Tylenol), i.e., Hydrocodone, or Tylenol 3, you should NOT take additional Tylenol so as not to exceed the safety level of Acetaminophen. Please contact the office with any questions you may have. Antibiotics may be prescribed along with your pain medication; it is very important to complete the entire bottle of the antibiotic.
Please alert the office to any allergies or sensitivities that you might have to antibiotics. It is advisable not to take these medications on an empty stomach, as nausea may result. For women taking birth control pills, be advised that antibiotics MAY interfere with the effectiveness of the birth control pill.
Swelling may occur following your surgical procedure and will typically increase for 2-3 days after the procedure and is typically noticed in the mornings. To minimize the swelling, place an ice pack over the outside cheek area for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off on the day of the procedure.
Avoid chewing on the side where surgery was completed for a minimum of 2 weeks. Avoid hot foods and hot liquids for 24 hours. A soft diet with foods such as cottage cheese, oatmeal, soup, eggs, yogurt, pasta, mashed potatoes, fish, casseroles, and fruits are more easily eaten. Remember, adequate nutrition is essential for feeling better as well as for healing.
Do not smoke/vape for at least 2 weeks following your surgical procedure. It will significantly slow healing and can compromise results.
Do not drink alcohol while taking prescription pain medications.
Do not rinse for the first 24 hours after surgery with water or with the prescribed mouthwash. After the 2nd day you may use the prescribed mouthwash as instructed. Repeat as necessary to help keep the dressing clean.
Do not brush the surgical site until the stitches come off (typically 2 weeks). You may resume normal brushing/flossing in other areas the following day. You can resume brushing the surgical area typically after 2 weeks taking care to be gentle.
Depending on the nature of the procedure you may have a dissolvable stitches placed and they typically dissolve in 4-10 days. If non-dissolvable sutures are used you will have a suture removal appointment in 2 weeks. If you are a patient for whom Antibiotic Pre-Medication is required, take the prescribed antibiotics 1 hour prior to your stitch removal appointment.
Should you have any questions or concerns during regular office hours, please do not hesitate to contact us at 916-788-1114 by phone or TEXT.
Additionally for non-urgent questions you can contact your doctor at his or her email address:
ash@periospecialist.org dr.yanni@periospecialist.org dr.yi@periospecialist.org