Eating and Drinking Before Dental Sedation
Eating and drinking instructions- one of the most important safety parameters for anesthesia provision is following appropriate guidelines for eating and drinking. Failure to properly follow these guidelines can result in a catastrophe for the patient during anesthesia. The challenge with restricting eating and drinking is the time of the procedure. Everyone wants the early morning case as it is typically the most convenient for the patient and easiest to restrict food and fluids. Obviously, it is impossible to only see patients first thing in the morning, so it becomes necessary to schedule patients at different times during the day.
Eating and Drinking Before Dental Sedation
With the revision of guidelines for eating and drinking, this really does not become such a problem as it has been in the past. If the patient has a feeding tube, it will be important to discuss with our office appropriate guidelines with respect to administering anything to the patient before the appointment. The current guidelines recommend the following:
Eating: no solid food, semi-solid food or any type of dairy product should not be consumed less than six (6) hours prior to an appointment
Drinking: clear liquids (water, juice, Pedialyte, Gatorade, soda) can be consumed up to two (2) hours prior to the appointment
If you have an appointment at 11:00 AM- food would have to be consumed before 5:00 AM and fluids could continue until 9:00 AM. Now, it may be impractical to eat before 5:00 AM, but it would be fine to drink as much clear liquids up to 9:00 AM
If you have an appointment at 2:00 PM- food would have to be consumed before 8:00 AM and clear fluids could continue until Noon. So, it would be fine to have breakfast before 8:00 AM and drink clear liquids until Noon.
Questions:
Feel free to call your dentist’s office with questions regarding eating and drinking. Especially if you have preexisting conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes.
DENTAL SEDATION SERVICES
At Dental Sedation Services, we provide high-quality, advanced dental anesthesia services to general dentists and dental specialists in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the New York metropolitan area. The anxiety that many patients experience when receiving dental care is significantly reduced when treated in a familiar environment. Our office-based anesthesia services make dentistry more accessible and affordable, while offering patients the convenience of receiving comprehensive dental care in their own dental practice. For more information, you can contact us at (732)986-3690, or visit our website.