Preparing for wisdom teeth removal mostly comes down to a handful of practical steps: adjusting what you eat and drink, setting up a ride home, stocking your kitchen with soft foods, and knowing what to wear and bring on the day of surgery. Most of this prep happens in the week before your procedure, with a few key details on the morning of.
Fasting Before Sedation
If you’re receiving IV sedation or general anesthesia, you’ll need to arrive with an empty stomach. The American Society of Anesthesiologists recommends these minimum fasting windows:
- Clear liquids (water, black coffee, apple juice): stop 2 hours before
- A light meal (toast with a clear liquid): stop 6 hours before
- Fatty or fried foods, meat: stop 8 or more hours before
In practice, most oral surgery offices will tell you nothing to eat or drink after midnight if your procedure is in the morning. That’s the simplest approach. Fasting matters because sedation relaxes the muscles that normally keep stomach contents out of your lungs. If your surgeon’s office gives you different instructions, follow theirs.
If you’re only getting local anesthesia (just numbing shots, no sedation), fasting typically isn’t required. In fact, eating a light meal beforehand can help you feel steadier during the procedure.
Medications and Supplements to Pause
Blood-thinning medications and supplements can increase bleeding during and after surgery. Your surgeon will give you specific guidance, but the general timelines look like this:
- NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen): stop 7 days before
- Aspirin: stop 7 days before
- Prescription blood thinners (clopidogrel, apixaban, rivaroxaban, warfarin): stop 3 to 7 days before, depending on the specific drug
- All vitamins, herbal supplements, and fish oil: stop 7 days before
Never stop a prescription blood thinner without talking to both your surgeon and the doctor who prescribed it. They’ll weigh the bleeding risk against the risk of a clot and decide together. Herbal supplements like ginkgo, garlic extract, and ginseng can thin your blood in ways that aren’t always obvious, which is why the blanket recommendation is to stop all supplements a full week out.
Medical Conditions Worth Mentioning
Tell your surgeon about any heart conditions, especially if you have a prosthetic heart valve, a history of infective endocarditis, or certain congenital heart defects. These conditions may require a dose of antibiotics before the procedure to prevent infection of heart tissue. The American Dental Association and the American Heart Association maintain a specific list of qualifying conditions, and your surgeon will determine whether you need prophylactic coverage.
If you have a joint replacement (hip, knee, shoulder), you can probably skip the pre-procedure antibiotics. Current guidelines no longer recommend them for most patients with prosthetic joints undergoing dental procedures.
Also worth disclosing: diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, any history of bad reactions to anesthesia, and whether you’re pregnant or could be. These won’t necessarily change the plan, but they let your surgical team adjust medications and monitoring.
Stop Smoking and Vaping
If you smoke or vape, stop at least 48 hours before surgery. Smoking reduces lung capacity, which matters when you’re under sedation and breathing on your own. It also constricts blood vessels and slows healing, raising your risk of dry socket after the extraction. The same 48-hour rule applies after surgery, so plan for at least four smoke-free days total.
Arrange a Ride and a Companion
You cannot drive yourself home after IV sedation or general anesthesia. The lingering effects of sedation impair your reaction time and judgment, even if you feel mostly normal. Your oral surgery office will likely require you to name a specific person who will be present at pickup before they proceed.
Plan for that person to stay with you for the rest of the day. The NHS recommends having someone available for the first 24 hours after general anesthesia, during which you should avoid operating machinery, drinking alcohol, or making important decisions. Even with lighter IV sedation, having someone nearby for at least several hours is a practical necessity since you’ll be groggy, your mouth will be packed with gauze, and you may need help managing ice packs and medications.
Stock Up on Recovery Supplies
You won’t want to make a grocery run after surgery, so get everything beforehand. For food, think soft and cool (not hot, which can irritate extraction sites):
- Protein sources: yogurt, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, soft fish
- Easy calories: mashed potatoes, oatmeal, applesauce, avocados
- Hydration and nutrients: thin soups (lukewarm, not hot), seedless fruit smoothies
Beyond food, pick up a few things you’ll be glad to have on hand: ice packs or bags of frozen peas for swelling, a soft-bristled toothbrush that won’t catch on stitches, extra pillows or a wedge pillow for sleeping elevated, and whatever pain reliever your surgeon recommends (usually acetaminophen rather than ibuprofen for the first day or two).
Set Up Your Recovery Space
Swelling peaks around 48 to 72 hours after surgery, and keeping your head elevated above your heart helps minimize it. Stack two to three pillows on your bed or plan to sleep in a recliner for the first few nights. A wedge pillow works well if you have one. Avoid sleeping on your side, since pressure against the surgical area can worsen swelling.
A neck pillow can help keep your head from rolling during sleep. Set up your nightstand or side table with water, gauze, medications, and your phone so you don’t have to get up more than necessary.
What to Wear and Bring
On the day of surgery, keep things simple. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes with sleeves that roll up easily above the elbow (the surgical team may need to place an IV or attach a blood pressure cuff). Skip jewelry and leave it at home. If you wear contact lenses, switch to glasses since contacts need to come out before sedation anyway. Go light on makeup or skip it entirely, as your surgeon’s team monitors your skin color and oxygen levels during the procedure.
Bring your ID, insurance card, and any paperwork your office asked you to complete. Leave valuables in the car or at home. If you take daily medications that your surgeon approved you to continue, take them with a small sip of water on the morning of surgery.
The Night Before
Brush and floss thoroughly the evening before your procedure. You can brush your teeth on the morning of surgery too, just be careful not to swallow water if you’re fasting. A clean mouth reduces the bacterial load heading into surgery, which lowers infection risk.
Set two alarms if your appointment is early. Oral surgery schedules are tight, and showing up late when you’ve been fasting and have a nervous stomach is a recipe for a rescheduled procedure. Confirm your ride, set out your glasses and loose clothes, and get to bed at a reasonable hour. The procedure itself is usually 30 to 60 minutes, but the prep, sedation, and recovery room time can stretch the visit to two or three hours total.