Please read several days prior to your scheduled surgery.

1. If You Are Having General Anesthesia

If you are going to sleep for surgery, for your personal safety on the day of surgery, please remember...

• No food or drink 8 hours before surgery. (You will need a very small amount (tablespoon) of water for any pre-medication that is given to you.)
• Wear loose, comfortable, two piece clothing and short sleeves.
• Remove fingernail polish on the right index finger.
• Remove contact lenses prior to surgery.
• Remove heavy makeup and jewelry.
• At the time indicated, take all medications that are given to you -- follow all of Dr. Doucet's instructions.
• If antibiotics have been prescribed and the recommendation is to "take with food" -- for this time only, take the antibiotic without food prior to surgery as instructed.
• If you normally take heart medications or blood pressure medications near the time your surgery is scheduled -- take them at least 2 hours before surgery with as little water as possible.
• Have a prearranged ride home by car, because you cannot drive yourself during the 24 hours after surgery, you can not take BART or AC Transit.

2. Getting Ready for Surgery

• Have any prescriptions filled before surgery day and follow the instructions on the bottle.
• Arrange for a ride home by car after surgery if you are having General Anesthesia.
• Have an ice pack available in your freezer.
• Stock up on your favorite soft foods.

3. Consent

• When you arrive at our office on the date of surgery, you will be asked to sign a consent form if you have already met with Dr. Doucet.
• Make sure that you have expressed all of your concerns and that we have addressed them.
• Make sure that you have disclosed all of your health history.
• If you are a minor (under 18), your parent or guardian needs to sign the consent form and health history.

4. Diet After Surgery

After surgery you may be taking pain medications, and during this time you have something in your stomach before you take your pain medication. Many patients want to know what is best to eat during this period. You will want only a soft diet, nothing hard or crunchy. This following is a list of foods that our patients have told us "hit the spot" throughout the healing time:

• Mashed Potatoes
• Pasta
• Yogurt
• Ice cream
• Cooked vegetables
• Soups
• Blenderized foods such as shakes and smoothies

5. Recovery Time After Surgery

We find that many of our patients do not realize that they will need to give themselves time to recover. You may need a little time off after surgery as well as time to come back for a postoperative visit if Dr. Doucet indicates that it is necessary.

Postoperative Instructions and Information for Our Patients

1. Gauze packing in mouth may be removed about 40 minutes after surgery. If bleeding persists, replace the gauze packs by folding a piece of gauze into a small roll and placing it over the extraction site, biting down firmly for 30-40 minutes. Some bleeding is expected for the first 24-36 hours after surgery. If bleeding persists or is excessive, clean out any large blood clots which have collected beyond the surgical site with moist gauze or cloth, then place a moistened teabag for 30 minutes. If bleeding continues after this, please notify our office.

2. Do not spit or use a straw or rinse your mouth for 24 hours after surgery. If there is something in your mouth like bloody saliva, don't spit it out but "drool" it out into a basin or sink for the first 24 hours. The day following surgery begin warm saltwater rinses 6 or more times a day (use only 1/4 teaspoon salt per glass of warm water). continue the saltwater rinses for at least 1 week.

3. Place an ice pack on the face over the surgery area the day of surgery and the day after surgery. The ice should be applied for 10-20 minutes at a time., this will help reduce the degree of swelling. Swelling is normal after surgery: It often becomes more evident two days following the day of surgery and will gradually subside during the next several days.

4. Pain after surgery is normal and is usually most severe for the first few hours after surgery. As soon as you get home, get something to eat. Take your pain medicine (1 to 11/2 tablets) before the sensation of numbness is gone. This should be repeated as needed for pain every 3-6 hours. Patients should completely use up antibiotics unless otherwise instructed. (i.e., Take the "full course".)

5. Since anesthetics and pain tablets make most people unsteady or dizzy, patients should be careful when getting up and moving about.

6. A reasonable diet must be maintained -- even on the day of surgery. Try yogurt, pasta, fish, eggs, mashed or baked potatoes, cooked soft vegetables, tamales, soft meat, stews, soups or milkshakes. Patients should avoid hot liquids for 12 hours after surgery. Lukewarm foods and liquids are OK.

7. For constipation, take your laxative of choice.

8. It is possible that a few days after surgery a severe earache and throbbing of the side of the jaw may develop. If this should happen, a patient may take the pain tablets as directed on the bottle until it is convenient to come in to the office. This condition is probably irritation of the bone in one of the sockets and delayed bony healing.

9. Infrequently a patient may find that after several weeks swelling may suddenly recur. This may be an infection. The patient should call the office and make an appointment to be seen.

10. Most stitches will dissolve within a few days to a week.

11. SORE ARM may occur for a few days or longer where intravenous anesthesia has been administered.

12. NAUSEA: Try a carbonated soft drink. If that fails, go to a pharmacy and purchase a small bottle of Emertol and follow the directions. If that does not work, please call our office.