GENERAL ANESTHESIA AT ALBERTA SURGICAL CENTRE

To proceed with surgery a pre-operative medical must be received by our office no later than 2 weeks before the scheduled surgery date. The medical is valid for 90 days from the date it is completed by your child’s physician. Once we have the medical your child can be placed on a cancellation list if you wish. If we do not have the medical by the two-week deadline, your child’s appointment will be rescheduled.

The Day of Dental Surgery

NO FOOD OR DRINK: For the safety and wellbeing of your child while under general anesthesia they must have nothing to eat or drink after midnight. This includes gum, candies and mints. If your child does not have an empty stomach, their surgery may need to be rescheduled. To manage this requirement, we suggest extending your child’s bedtime, providing a meal or snack as late as possible before bed and allowing your child to sleep in on the day of surgery.

Hygiene: The day of surgery or the night before your child should have a bath or shower, including hair wash.

Clothing and Comfort: Dress your child in comfortable clothing. Nail polish, contact lenses and jewelry should not be worn. If you need to put your child’s hair back, use barrettes, but do not put it in a ponytail as your child’s head must lay flat. Feel free to bring a favourite cuddly toy or blanket for comfort.

Operating Room: These rooms are restricted areas. One parent is allowed to enter the operating room with your child while the anesthetic is being administered. Once the child is asleep, you’ll be directed back to the waiting area. An IV will be started to give fluid and medications and a tube will be put in the airway to keep your child’s breathing passage open and deliver anesthetic gases and oxygen.

Recovery Room: When the procedure is finished, your child will be taken to the recovery area. A nurse will bring you to the recovery room as well so you can see your child. Children often wake up from anesthetic crying and struggling which is normal. This is not due to pain, but is related to disorientation your child may experience which passes in about half an hour.

A bruise or discomfort is normal on the hand, upper arm or thigh where the IV was. Your child’s eyelids, lips and cheeks might be puffy after surgery which will disappear in about 24 hours. You may also see little red dots on the sensitive skin on the eyelids, nose and cheeks cause by the removal of tape placed over the eyelids. These red dots will go away in 7-10 days.

Please do not hesitate to contact our office at (780)428-7761 with any questions or concerns following your child’s dental surgery. We are here to help.

Post Operative Instructions Following Pediatric Dental Surgery

• Activity: your child should refrain from engaging in vigorous physical activity for the next 24 hours. I encourage parents to keep their child on the couch, in front of a TV, or busy with books/video games during this time. If your child is feeling nauseas, be cautious with TV or video games as these activities can exacerbate nausea and vomiting.

• Hydration: please keep your child well hydrated over the next 24 hours. Start basic – clear fluids. This will aid in your child’s recovery and prevent dehydration.

• Diet: your child’s stomach will likely be unsettled from the general anesthetic. Again, start basic – clear fluids, popsicles, Jello, clear chicken broth are good choices. As your child’s stomach improves (over the next 3-4 hours), you can gradually increase the richness of the diet to include dairy, eggs and grease.

• Oral Hygiene: avoid brushing or flossing your child’s teeth for the next 24 hours. Your child’s mouth is healing, and aggressive brushing or tangy toothpaste will likely make him or her more upset.

• Pain Control: your child received pain medication similar to Advil through his or her IV. This, in addition to local anesthesia (described below), will keep your child comfortable in the immediate post-operative period. Advil/Motrin (ibuprofen) and Tylenol (acetaminophen) are typically adequate for pain control into the evening. Please follow the nurses’ recommendation to ensure that you are timing these medications appropriately. 

• Local Anesthetic/Freezing: if local anesthesia was used during your child’s surgery, the “freezing” sensation will last 2-3 hours following the surgery. Be sure that your child does not accidentally bite or chew his or her lip, tongue and cheek. If your child is hungry during this time, offer foods that do not require your child to chew.

• White Filling(s): white fillings can result in a certain amount of sensitivity to cold, hot and/or pressure 24 to 48 hours after placement.

• Silver Filling(s): keep your child’s diet soft for the next 24 hours. Your child should avoid foods that are hard or crunchy such as popcorn, nuts or seeds. Flossing should be done carefully, making sure to pull the floss out from between the teeth instead of moving it up and down.

• Stainless Steel Crown(s): keep your child’s diet soft for the next 24 hours. Furthermore, avoid foods that are sticky such as bubble gum, toffee, fruit rolls or sticky candies. Flossing should be done carefully, making sure to pull the floss out from between the teeth instead of moving it up and down. Bleeding, gum redness and tenderness around the crowns is completely normal and should resolve in 48 to 72 hours. If a crown becomes loose or falls off, please phone the office as soon as possible to schedule an emergency appointment. Please save the crown and bring it with you to the appointment.

• Extraction(s): stitches were placed to control bleeding in the immediate post-operative period. These stitches will dissolve typically in 5 days but may fall out tonight. This is OK. If bleeding is heavy, have your child bite down on the gauze for at least 10 minutes directly over the extraction site(s). Change the gauze as often as necessary. If you run out of gauze, a damp washcloth can also be used instead. Light bleeding is normal for up to 24 hours. Swelling and tenderness is also normal, and should resolve in 48 to 72 hours. Your child should avoid using straws and sucking or spitting for 3 days after surgery, as this could increase bleeding and delay healing. Keep your child’s diet soft for the next 5 days and gradually increase the firmness of the foods as tolerated.

Please do not hesitate to contact our office at the (780)428-7761 with any questions or concerns following your child’s dental surgery. We are here to help.