Your child must have an empty stomach on the day of surgery. The fasting rule is No food or liquids (including water) for 8 hours before the procedure. It is very important that your child adheres to the fasting rules or the appointment may be canceled. The reason is this: under general anesthesia, the food contents in the stomach may come up the esophagus and into the mouth, then get aspirated into the lungs. This is a very rare but serious and preventable complication.
We recommend your child not to eat or drink for 8 hours before the surgery. However, if their surgery is late in the day they may eat/drink as the table indicates.
Please refer to the following:
| Food | Example | HRS |
|---|---|---|
| Clear Liquid | Water, apple juice, soda, Pedialyte, popsicles, Kool-Aid | 3 |
| Human Milk | Human breast milk | 4 |
| Milk | Cow, formula | 6 |
| Food | Toast, cereal, orange juice | 6 |
| Meal | Meats, eggs, french fries, fatty food, proteins | 8 |
One of the dental assistants, with whom your child may already be familiar, will take your child back to the treatment room, then a cherry-flavored mask is placed on his or her face. Anesthetic gas is turned on, and within a few nice deep breaths, your child quickly drifts off to sleep. An IV is started after they are asleep and so your child will not see the needle. A breathing tube is then placed into the nose to help them breathe during surgery. Your child is kept asleep the entire time during the surgery, and prior to waking up, the IV and breathing tubes are removed.
Our policy is NOT to have parents in the treatment room. It is up to the anesthesiologist on the day of service to make the determination. We prefer that you are not there – here’s why:
The medications used are very modern, super short-acting anesthetics that wear off very rapidly. The wake up process usually takes only 10-15 minutes. As soon as it is safe, we ask you to come be with your child as they are waking up.
Children may wake up grumpy and tearful after surgery. This is NOT because of pain, but because they may feel disorientated or dizzy. This may be the first time they have ever felt like this, and they are often confused. As they are awakening, it is best to talk to them and re-assure them you are at their side. Luckily for all involved, this grumpiness only lasts 5-10 minutes then goes away…..but unfortunately comes back when they become teenagers and seems to never go away 🙂
Once awake, your child can eat immediately upon returning home. Start with liquids and then reintroduce soft solid foods.