Nervousness is very natural. Anytime a person does something they haven't done before, and don't know exactly what to expect, nervousness sets in. We understand this and have wonderful people helping you all along the way. We are happy to explain things as we go and answer any question.

Over the years we have found that just knowing that you will be sedated helps a lot. Then, after a patient has experienced our Sleep Dentistry, and our gentle caring touch, they come back the next time relaxed and confident knowing they will be taken good care of, in every way, and the nervousness about dentistry is gone.

We care about helping you feel comfortable as much as we do about doing an excellent job.

Each person is not only different...but each wisdom tooth case is different as well. Therefore it is hard to say exactly how you will feel afterwards but here are a few things to expect.

Dr. Boren will give you a prescription for pain control and send you home with cold packs to keep the swelling controlled and minimized. You need a ride to take you home and you will be a bit sleepy, and numb (usually for a few more hours) and should try and rest for the rest of that day. Resting for a day helps you heal, have less pain and feel better in many ways. We have many "tricks" and techniques to keep swelling to a minimum during the procedure as well. Some swelling is not uncommon but, with our techniques, should be minor and only for a very short duration. Most patients will have a "stitch" or two that will need to come out in 7-10 days after the procedure.

You can eat what ever you feel like eating as soon as the numbness is gone so you don't bite your cheek or tongue. We can be reached 24/7 if you have any concerns. Part of our commitment to your care.

Nearly every patient reports that they were asleep through the whole thing. Some patients remember some sounds or talking, now and then, kind of like a dream. The experience with sedation is like sleep, in that you don't remember anything and if something is remembered it has that forgetful dream-like quality to it. In short, we insure your comfort throughout the procedure. Sleep Dentistry/Sedation is very comfortable and is the safest of all the sedation techniques available today. We've done thousands of sedations and know how to keep you comfortable.

Some patients can be more worried about getting an IV than getting their wisdom teeth out. We all hate anything to do with needles. Dr. Boren has many ways to help with starting the IV and it can be done painlessly in most cases. We can help you in many ways to get through this part of the visit and you'll be surprised at how quick and easy it can be over with.

IV's are the safest way to be "put out" because the level of sedation can be controlled vastly better than with just taking pills (for example) and reversal medication can be given through the same IV that sedation medications are given.

IV sedation is a level of sedation that keeps you in a sleepy state and is often called twilight sleep. It is the safest level of sedation that is needed for tooth removal and we can't think of a patient that thought it was anything but a "wonderful way to get through it". The end result is that it seemed like it never happened. We've found that deeper levels of sedation are unnecessary and can cause complications that are unnecessary as well. We feel that the safety benefits are an important part of the whole procedure, especially because this level of sedation works so well.   For comfort and safety...we have it all.

After sedation and wisdom teeth removal, follow these tips as well as the instruction sheet, that we will send home with you, and pain, swelling and complications can be minimized or eliminated.

1. Try and relax for the rest of the day, reading, watching television, listening to music or anything that helps you keep still and lying down is great.

2. Do not rinse with mouthwashes, or even water, for the first 24 hours. After 24 hours mix 1 tsp to a cup of very warm water, rinse and then let the last of the warm salt water sit in your mouth and soak for a minute or more if possible. Rinsing after meals is important too.

3. Keep the area around the extractions clean. Many patients want to avoid extraction areas completely because it hurts and they don't want to further hurt anything or interrupt healing. Floss and brush all your teeth as usual. Dr. Boren can provide special brushes that can help clean around these areas too.

4. Use cold packs for the first day for at least 10 minutes or so every hour when possible. Besides the ice packs that Dr. Boren will give you here are some other great ice tips.

Ice towel: Wet a towel with cold water and squeeze it until it is just damp. Fold the towel, place it in a plastic bag, and freeze it for 15 minutes.  Remove the towel from the bag and use until no longer cold.

Ice pack: Put about 1.0 lb (0.45 kg) of ice in a plastic bag. Add water to barely cover the ice. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal it. Wrap the bag in a wet towel and apply to the affected area. Do not apply ice directly to skin.

Frozen Peas/Corn: a small to medium size bag can be just the right thing to mold easily to the side of the face, right where it is needed.

5. Stay on your medications as prescribed. It is a good idea to set a timer (your cell phone timer alarm is a great one) so you can stay on top of your medications.

Any other questions? We will give you contact numbers to reach us 24/7 with concerns.