My dentist suggested an apicoectomy. What is it and how should I prepare for it?

Apicoectomy is an oral-surgical procedure in which the tip of the root of a diseased tooth is removed. This is done through an opening in the bone that we drill precisely above the root tip from the vestibular side (the part of the dental arch facing the lips or cheek). The size of the opening depends on the size of the diseased tissue (root tip and surrounding bone) and on the direction or difficulty of access to the target tissue.
We perform apicoectomy when root canal treatment, for various reasons, has not been and cannot be successful. The reliability of the procedure is around 70%.
No special preparation is required. The surgeon should be informed if you suffer from diabetes, heart disease, hemophilia, epilepsy... Taking medications that inhibit blood clotting or medications used to treat cancer can also influence postoperative complications. Pregnancy is also a relative contraindication.
After the procedure, the surgical area should be cooled for some time; sometimes we also prescribe analgesics, anti-inflammatory medication and antibiotics, depending on the difficulty of the procedure and the degree of disease before the procedure.