Instructions Before Surgery

When preparing for your upcoming surgery, the following instructions may be helpful. These are only general guidelines  for your safety and preparedness. We may have already reviewed some specifics for your particular situation or we may have more details for you at the time of surgery. In any case, we encourage you to feel comfortable calling our office even if you have last minute questions. By getting your questions answered, you will be more at ease and your procedure
will go more smoothly. Our staff is available to help you at 309-663-4577 or (217) 367-6149 during regular business hours.

Exercise Before Surgery

When Dr. Noraian performs surgery, safety is fundamental to his treatment protocol. While exercise is important to your overall health, immediately before surgery it will excite your metabolism causing you to require more medication. Dr. Noraian understands your need to exercise and asks that at a minimum you refrain from exercising for at least one day before surgery and at least three days after surgery. After this four day window, you may resume your exercise program slowly. Please be advised that while exercise may make your surgical procedure more difficult, it is great for healing. An energetic metabolism helps the healing reactions in the body. If you are not exercising regularly, it may not be appropriate to start a new exercise program around the time of your surgery.

Medications Before Surgery

If any pre-operative medications have been prescribed for you, please take them as directed or bring them with you to your appointment as directed. If you require antibiotic premedication, please take it as directed prior to surgery.

Make Sure Dr. Noraian Knows What Medications You Are Taking

Please do not stop taking any of your medications without consulting with us first. If your medications have changed since your consultation appointment, we would appreciate knowing about these changes prior to surgery so that we may help you better prepare. For example, if you have been directed to start taking something as simple as a daily aspirin, Motrin or Advil, these common over-the-counter medications may affect how your body will control your bleeding. If we have a chance to know about these changes, we may still be able keep you on track for your surgical appointment. Being proactive about any medical changes will allow us time to get in touch with your physician, if necessary, so that Dr. Noraian may provide your dental care in a safe and timely manner.

If You Take Blood Thinners

Not all procedures performed by Dr. Noraian create bleeding problems and not all blood thinners may compromise your ability to have a procedure. Regardless, if you are taking Coumadin, Plavix, Aspirin or any other blood thinner, please let Dr. Noraian know. Occasionally, a simple blood test may be coordinated with your physician, so you may avoid having to make any changes to your blood thinners. Let Dr. Noraian know what you are taking to help keep treatment within an appropriate window of safety.  

If You Have Diabetes

Managing your diabetes is as important to Dr. Noraian as it is to you. One of the best ways to avoid a low blood sugar while you are at a dental office is to book your appointments after mealtimes. Hence, scheduling as the first appointment in the morning or first appointment after lunch will give the best chance of avoiding a low blood sugar if you appointment runs long or your are having a surgical procedure.

What To Bring To Your Surgical Visit

We keep the office cool, so please dress warmly. We even provide blankets if you need them. You may bring your iPod or MP3 player with you if you like. If you need to bring a phone to the office, please silence it so as not to be disruptive during your procedure.

What to Eat Prior to Surgery

If you are having conscious sedation,  do not have anything to eat or drink after midnight the night before your surgery and please read the next section “If You Are Requesting To Be Sedated.” Otherwise, it is advised for you to have a good meal prior to surgery for the following reasons:

1. You may not wish to eat after having your mouth worked on, so you will have something on your stomach to help keep you satisfied.
2. If you are having a procedure before your meal time, you will not be at risk of low blood sugar during the procedure.

If You Are Requesting to Be Sedated

Most of Dr. Noraian’s procedures may be accomplished with local anesthetic, which is temporary numbing of the area where the surgery will be performed. This method has the simplest recovery and will allow you to drive home on your own. The area receiving the anesthetic will feel fat, but not look fat, and the numbness wears off in 1 to 8 hours after surgery depending on what type of anesthetic has been used and the speed of your metabolism.

For shorter procedures, you may also request nitrous oxide sedation, sometimes referred to as “gas,” in addition to your local anesthetic. Nitrous oxide may only be used for patients who are not pregnant, so if there is a chance that you are pregnant, please let Dr. Noraian know. Nitrous oxide provides the benefit of reducing your perception of time and is easily reversed so that you will be able to drive home after the procedure.

For longer procedures, you may also request conscious sedation, also known as I.V. sedation, in addition to your local anesthetic. There are several requirements for this procedure including:

1. You must not have anything to eat or drink after midnight the night before the procedure - not even a cup of coffee. If you take daily oral medications, you may take them with one small sip of water. Even though the sedatives are relaxing, taking your blood pressure medication with a sip of water will help keep your blood pressure under control during the procedure.
2. You must have a driver to and from the appointment who will understand the post-operative instructions we will be giving to you orally and in writing. It is ideal to have this person or someone else who will check on you after the procedure.

We arrange for special nursing staff to assist with sedation cases. So if you are not compliant with these requirements and your case has to be cancelled, you will forfeit your $250 deposit for your sedation case and incur another sedation fee when you reschedule.

Post-Operative Care

In order to evaluate your progress and healing, Dr. Noraian and his staff will see you for post-operative checks on a schedule that is appropriate for your procedure. In most cases, after surgery we will also look forward to seeing you back for periodontal maintenance or cleaning, and an examination of tissue maturation at the appropriate interval for your procedure. We do our best to coordinate these appointments with you when your treatment is booked so please remember to have your calendar handy to help us work efficiently with scheduling your appointments.

Allergies

Please alert the office to any allergies or sensitivities that you might have to antibiotics or any other medication.

Medications to Be Prescribed

Typically, you will be prescribed any medications that Dr. Noraian determines to be necessary. Please take all medications as directed until gone. Any tablets prescribed by Dr. Noraian are advised not to be taken on an empty stomach, as nausea may result. Please take these medications with at least a full glass of water. For women taking birth control pills, be advised that antibiotics may interfere with their effectiveness and alternative forms of birth control may need to be considered.

Food Suggestions

When preparing a post-op menu, please consider some of the following choices:

A good rule of thumb is to avoid using straws after surgery as the suction may disrupt the wound, affect healing and cause bleeding.