What to Expect

Procedure Day

    • You will come directly up to surgery center and check in with the front desk.
    • After check in, one of the pre-op nurses will call you and your child back to the children’s pre-operative area to start the surgery process.
    • Your child will change on the stretcher provided.
      • **Please bring a change of clothes and underwear just in case the child has an accident during the procedure
    • The nurse will talk with your child about what they are going to do. They usually check vital signs on a child (Blood Pressure, Pulse, Pulse Ox, and Temp) then allow the child to watch movies or play a game so the child is comfortable. We always suggest to the parents to bring their favorite DVD if they have one, along with anything they keep with them for comfort (a toy, lovey or blanket works well)
    • During that time the nurse will ask the parents some questions regarding his/her health history to make sure we have the correct information.
    • After the nurse is done admitting her, the anesthesiologist will come over and introduce his/her self. They will explain to the parents how the anesthesia process works and answer any questions the parents might have.
    • Usually about 20-30 minutes prior to the child going into the OR, the nurse will give the child liquid VERSED, which is a calming medicine. They usually try and mix the medicine with a cherry flavor, so hopefully the child will take it without difficulty.
    • Prior to going into the OR, the surgeon will come out, introduce themselves and explain and/or answer any questions about the procedure to the parents.
    • Once they are ready for the child to go into the OR, they usually will transport them on the stretcher to the OR.
    • As they are in the OR, the child then is given a mask over their face with anesthesia gases for them to breathe, and they are usually sedated within 5-10 seconds. We call this “blowing up the balloon” because there is a colored bag on the machine that moves in and out as the child breathes in the gases.
    • After your child is asleep, they will then start an IV.
    • After the procedure is completed, they are recovered in our “quiet room.”
    • The recovery nurse will monitor your child’s vital signs, and usually bring the parents back within a few minutes of the child reaching the recovery room.
    • Children sometimes will wake up very restless. This is because they are nervous and “feeling weird” when coming out of anesthesia, not because they are in pain.
    • Usually the child is given some pain medication during the procedure through their IV to help with after the procedure, along with the Dentist injecting local numbing medication to the site (if needed).
    • Once he/she is calm and her vital signs look stable, they can have something to drink, their IV will be taken out (which will not hurt), and they can go home. The child will probably be in recovery from 30-45 minutes.

Postoperative Instructions

    • Post operative instructions will be reviewed with you prior to your child’s discharge.
    • These instructions usually include no straw usage, no hard food or gummy or sticky substances as it can pull the caps off of the teeth.
    • You should progress your child’s diet slowly to ensure they can tolerate what they are eating- anesthesia sometimes affects patient’s stomachs adversely
    • Make sure you wash your child’s teeth and mouth with a soft cloth frequently to keep them clean and begin brushing as soon as tolerated.

Items to bring the day of surgery  

    • Your child’s medical insurance cards
    • Your picture ID
    • If your child is a foster child or adopted, you will need to provide documentation of this upon arrival at the center. This would include any court paperwork issued to you.
    • A toy, doll, lovey or blanket that makes your child feel secure in their surroundings
    • A favorite DVD or movie for the child to watch upon coming into the surgery center.
    • A book or laptop for yourself while your child is in surgery since it is a state requirement that one parent stay on-site at all times while the child is in the facility.
    • PLEASE REMEMBER- make all arrangements possible to keep any other children at home during the time your child needs to have her procedure. It is often difficult for other children to sit in one place.