For many of our Belmont patients, an oral surgery they receive in our office – such as a tooth extraction or the placement of dental implants – is the only surgery they’ve ever had in their lives. As such, it’s understandable that they have questions about what to expect before and after their procedure.
Fasting Before Oral Surgery Explained
Many of our Belmont oral surgery patients are curious if they need to fast before their procedure. They’ve heard of friends and family having to fast before having medical surgery, and they wonder if the same is true for a dental surgery. The answer is – it depends on your surgical plan.
When You Don’t Need to Fast
If you’re coming into our office for an oral surgery procedure, you won’t need to fast because the local anesthesia you’ll receive for the surgery doesn’t require it. In fact, our doctors encourage our Belmont patients having a tooth extraction, bone graft, dental implants placement, or other surgery to eat before their appointment, because the surgery may make it difficult to eat immediately afterwards. While some surgeries require our patients to be placed on a liquid diet for a temporary period of time, smoothies and milkshakes get old after a while. In this case, bon appetite before your appointment!
When You Do Need to Fast Before Your Surgery
Surgeries That Require Fasting
Sometimes, our patients require more involved surgeries than we prefer to handle in our dental offices. This might include:
- Performing multiple surgeries in one surgical setting that will take several hours to complete
- Performing a necessary surgery on someone who is immunocompromised and needs to be in more of a hospital environment for their procedure
- Performing oral surgery on a Belmont patient who has dental anxiety, and desires IV sedation for their procedure
Our doctors don’t perform IV sedation for any procedures. When IV sedation is in the best interest of our patients, we coordinate with other dental providers and hospitals in our area so the IV sedation can take place in the safest environment possible.
How IV Sedation Affects Eating
IV sedation puts you completely asleep for your procedure, so you will be completely unaware of the surgery as it takes place. The sedatives used for IV sedation may also cause some patients to become nauseated or even vomit. While rare, there is a complication for IV sedation called aspirating. This is when a patient vomits and inhales the material into his or her lungs, which could cause serious complications.
Avoiding Aspiration With an Empty Stomach
While aspirating may sound scary, the good news is it can be entirely avoided. The patient going under sedation simply needs to refrain from eating or drinking anything 12 hours before their procedure. By having a completely empty stomach, you’ll have no stomach contents to vomit, and no material for your lungs to aspirate.
Learning More About Oral Surgery
If you’re a dental patient who’s been told you need a dental surgery, our doctors at Dental Restorative Group are happy to help. Whether you’ve been referred to our practice or are looking for an oral surgeon on your own, simply call us to schedule an appointment at (617) 489-1470.
Related Reading
- 5 Safe Foods to Eat After Oral Surgery
- 6 Oral Hygiene Tips After Oral Surgery
- Is Oral Surgery Safe When Taking Blood Thinning Medication?
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to fast before oral surgery?
It depends on your surgical plan. For procedures performed in our office with local anesthesia, fasting is not required. Fasting is generally needed only when IV sedation is used, or when your surgery takes place in a hospital or similar setting.
Should I eat before a tooth extraction or implant placement?
Our doctors encourage patients having a tooth extraction, bone graft, dental implant placement, or similar surgery under local anesthesia to eat beforehand, because eating may be difficult immediately afterward. Some procedures also call for a temporary liquid diet during recovery.
Why does IV sedation require an empty stomach?
Sedatives used for IV sedation can cause nausea or vomiting. In rare cases a patient may aspirate, meaning vomited material is inhaled into the lungs, which can cause serious complications. An empty stomach removes the material that could be aspirated.
How long should I fast before IV sedation?
Patients going under IV sedation are asked to refrain from eating or drinking anything for twelve hours before the procedure. Follow the specific instructions given by the provider performing your sedation, since every surgical plan is different from patient to patient.
Does Dental Restorative Group offer IV sedation?
Our doctors do not perform IV sedation. When IV sedation is in a patient’s best interest, we coordinate with other dental providers and hospitals in our area so the sedation can take place in the safest environment possible.
When is oral surgery performed outside the dental office?
More involved cases may be handled elsewhere. Examples include multiple surgeries in one setting that take several hours, procedures for immunocompromised patients who need a hospital environment, and care for patients with dental anxiety who want IV sedation for their procedure.
