Why are you assuming that the hospital scene will be frightening? My granddaughter finds the equipment and the rooms exciting. She wants to try out all the things that the doctor will be using on her. Her pediatrician lets her do that. Yes, he may be frightened at being in a place he hasn't been before and when he's in pain. Your calm reassuring presence will help with that. We cannot always protect our loved ones from pain. In this instance we know that this surgery is happening so that he will feel better after the pain is gone. Focusing on the positive aspects will help you help him be more calm.
My granddaughter, at 4, was hospitalized after being seen in the ER with an asthma attack. I was allowed to stay with her the entire time
(She had been to a different ER a couple of times before that and never seemed fearful.)
In the hospital I was always with her. I slept on a rollaway. She was fine. She did crawl into bed with me sometime during the night. When the nurse saw us she smile. Family involvement is encouraged now a days.
Staff was very supportive of both of us. She was in the Peds section. I don't know if your grandson will be in Peds but even if he isn't I've noticed that hospital staff are really tuned into kids; sometimes more than adults.
I've had several surgeries as an adult. The last time was about 5 years ago. When I recovered from the anesthesia I didn't even remember being in the recovery room. I woke up in the ICU and was transferred to a room within an hour because I was alert. I was also pain free. The pain came later. They have tremendously effective drugs now.
You might be less anxious if you talked with the surgeon about his experience in this sort of situation and how you can help your grandson. A nurse may be better able to help you know how to deal with your emotional reaction to his surgery.
I'm also a grandmother and know that often grandparents are left out of the process. If the parents have already been given this info perhaps they could tell you what the surgeon said. Or give him/her permission to talk with you.
If he's in good health, except for a problem with his teeth, being small in size may not affect the surgery. He is small enough that I wonder if he's in poor health. I do wonder if his really small size is related to his need for surgery and so there are other health issues. If he's not feeling well he will continue to be cranky and complaining but perhaps more so than at home. His pediatrician or surgeon should be able to talk this over with you.
Most doctors want to help parents understand what will be happening and aleve their anxiety as much as possible.
As Julie has said, a very important part of this process is for you to be calm and positive about the experience when you're around your grandchild. If you view hospitals as scary your grandson will pick up on your anxiety. Also, don't tell him things such as "this is going to hurt" ahead of time. The staff will tell him if something is going to hurt and give him information at the most helpful time. They know how to do that. You're there to be reassuring: not the person who brings bad news. You're there to be your grandson's support person which means that you help him deal with his needs without getting yours mixed up with his.
He needs to feel that you are confident that he is in the right place having the right thing done and that everyone involved will be OK. I've seen kids relaxed until their parent's walked in with fear on their face and tears running down their cheeks. Remember kids who have no previous negative experience with hospitals will most likely not see them as fearful unless they've been told by action or facial expression and tension that the hospital is a fearful place.
This must be painful for you, especially if you're not his main caregiver and are getting information second hand. I'm glad that you are asking how to help your grandson.
Perhaps one thing that you could do to reassure yourself about the hospital is to visit it. With permission, you may be able to see where your grandson will most likely be before and surgery. If he wants to know about the hospital you could then tell him that you were there, and you think it's a great place for him to be right now.