Oral Surgery: Do I need to avoid certain medications?

Patients facing oral surgery will want to do everything possible to ensure an uneventful procedure and subsequent recovery. Therefore, you may need to discontinue certain medications prior to your procedure if they might contribute to excessive bleeding or interfere with healing.

Some Medications Can Interfere With Oral Surgery

Whether you are having dental implants placed, wisdom teeth removed or jaw surgery to correct a malocclusion, you will want to take steps to avoid excessive bleeding during the procedure or anything that can disrupt the healing process afterward. Certain medications can contribute to this, including:

• Certain supplements, including fish oil and St. John’s Wort
• NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen
• Some arthritis medications

Some other medications, like blood thinners and bisphosphonates, may also warrant special consideration. Your oral surgeon will discuss this with you in greater detail at your initial consultation.

At that consultation, your oral surgeon will review your medical history with you, including all medications that you take. At that point, the surgeon will give you specific instructions of which medications to pause, when you should stop taking them and when you can resume.

If you are advised to discontinue any prescription medications, you should notify the prescribing physician as well.

Other Steps To Prepare For Oral Surgery

In addition to planning to stop certain medications, you will need to take other steps to prepare for your oral surgery.

• Prepare for sedation, which may involve fasting for a specified amount of time or taking an oral medication prior to the appointment.
• Arrange for a responsible adult to bring you to and home from your appointment.
• Fill all needed prescriptions, such as painkillers and antibiotics, in advance.
• Gather all of the supplies that you may need, including sterile gauze and ice packs.
• Make sure to have soft foods on hand so that you’ll have plenty to eat after your procedure.

If you have any questions about any aspect of preparing for your surgery, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time. One of our friendly, knowledgeable staff members will be happy to give you any information you need for a successful procedure.