Maintaining good oral health is crucial for our overall well-being, but sometimes, despite our best efforts, a tooth extraction becomes necessary. Whether due to severe decay, overcrowding, trauma or other dental issues, the tooth extraction can sound scary and daunting, especially for a child! In this blog, we will explore tooth extraction in detail, shedding light on what to expect during and after the procedure, so you can help ease your child’s worries if he or she ends up needing a tooth extraction.
Why Your Child Might Need An Extraction
A tooth extraction involves the complete removal of a tooth, which might be necessary if:
- One of your child’s primary teeth is preventing the normal eruption of a permanent tooth.
- Their tooth has suffered extensive tooth decay or trauma that cannot be repaired or filled.
- Your child is suffering from gum disease.
- The tooth is impacted.
What To Expect During The Procedure
Depending on the complexity of the case and the reasons for the procedure, a tooth extraction can be performed surgically or non-surgically. Before pulling the tooth, your child’s dentist will provide your child with a local anesthetic to numb the affected area. Stronger general anesthetics may also be used depending on their individual case. Sedation is meant to help your child feel totally relaxed and comfortable during the procedure.
In an extraction procedure, your child’s dentist will use forceps to grasp the tooth and gently move it back and forth, loosening it from the jawbone and the ligaments that hold it in place. It’s important to remember that your child will experience no discomfort during the entire process.
When the tooth is removed, your child’s dentist will often give them a gauze pad to bite down on to stop the bleeding that usually follows an extraction. Stitches, when necessary, may also be used to close the gum edges over the extraction site.
Recovery
After your child has had a tooth pulled, you can expect their recovery to take a few days as the affected area heals. Once the local anesthetic has worn off, your child may feel some discomfort which can be managed with prescribed painkillers. Some swelling and residual bleeding are also completely normal.
To expedite recovery, allow your child to spend the first full 24 hours after their extraction resting, biting down on regularly changed gauze pads and avoiding potentially damaging activities or habits such as rinsing out their mouth, spitting, drinking from a straw, eating hard foods or brushing directly over the extraction site. An ice pack may be applied to the affected area immediately after the procedure in ten-minute increments while they rest, making sure to have them lay down with their head propped up with pillows.
After 24 hours, have your child rinse out their mouth with a solution of ½ teaspoon salt and 8oz of warm water. When it comes to eating, your child should start with eating soft foods such as soup after the extraction, building up to solid foods as the affected area heals over the following days.
Contact your child’s dentist if you notice:
- Signs of infection (fever, redness, swelling, oozing)
- Nausea
- Increased swelling
We want all of our patients to feel as comfortable as possible during any dental procedure. If you still have questions or concerns after reading this blog, or if you would like us to explain the procedure directly to your child, schedule an appointment with our dental team. While we don’t recommend tooth extraction in every instance, we understand that every child has a unique oral health need, and extraction may sometimes become necessary. Discuss with your expert PDOC pediatric dentist during your child’s next appointment. Our team is here to help!
