In the Know for You to Know

Your day is going along as usual, then you get a call from your child’s school telling you to come pick them up.

When you get to school the nurse tells you that your child has been complaining their tooth hurts and there’s a pimple on their gums.

You remember the last time they had a pimple it went away. Now it’s back and you know the tooth needs to come out.

But you thought you had more time, because you’re both not ready.

Today we’re breaking down the basics on how to prepare both you and your child for a tooth extraction.

Why Do Children Need To Have Teeth Taken Out?

Children’s teeth may need to be taken out (aka extraction) for a few reasons.

Sometimes teeth develop an infection (aka abscess) when cavities grow bigger allowing bacteria to keep growing through the tooth.

In some cases a broken tooth can lead to an infection. When a tooth is broken bacteria spreads into and through the unprotected tooth layers to the nerve (aka pulp) of a tooth. The pulp becomes inflamed, starts to die, and an infection begins.

There are other times when there is an accident and a tooth is moved out of place, which disturbs or breaks the nerve and leads to an infection.

Sometimes teeth may need to be removed for Orthodontic reasons, such as to relieve excessive crowding.

There are sometimes when a baby tooth is taking its time in falling out and the adult tooth is growing into the mouth.

Prepare Yourself

The first step is to prepare yourself. The more you know the better you can help your child.

Your child needing to have a tooth extracted is scary, for them and for you. So you’ll want to know as much as you can to make this as easy as possible for both of you.

So what do you ask?

• First, find out why their tooth needs to be removed,
• Second, ask what are the benefits of the procedure,
• Third, ask about the procedure itself; what happens and how is it done,
• Fourth, ask what your child will feel during the procedure,
• Fifth, ask if you can be present during the procedure,
• Sixth, ask how you can explain this to your child,
• Seven, ask as a pediatric dentist how they explain this to your child,
• Eight, ask how you take care of your child afterwards.

Preparing Your Child

You know your child best.

Maybe they do better when you bring things up in advance and they have time to think about it, get used to it and ask you questions.

Perhaps they’ll do better with you bringing this up as you’re going to the appointment with less time to stress.

Or maybe your child is somewhere in the middle.

Also, in addition to timing, the conversation is important.

Let your child ask their questions. Be honest that this is something they need to have done. Bring this up gently and use words that are easy and age appropriate for your child to understand.

Staying Positive And How To Respond To Your Child’s Questions About Why Their Tooth Needs To Be Extracted

When talking with your child stay positive, upbeat, and be confident. They feel confident when they see you being positive, confident and upbeat.

Let them know the tooth fairy will be making a visit. Their tooth won’t be hurting any more and they can get back to their pleasant dreams. When their new adult tooth grows in, it will be happy and healthy. They’ll have their smile back again.

Your Child’s Treatment Day

The night before is not the time to worry. Everyone needs to have a good night’s sleep.

Depending on the time of your appointment maybe you can do something fun before hand, like go to the park or the mall.

Does your child have a comfort toy or blanket? You may want to bring them to the appointment for your child to hold. Or you may want to have them on you for afterwards.

Very important, lots of hugs and hi-fives from you.

Preparing For Your Child’s Recovery

Be sure to follow your pediatric dentist’s instructions about antibiotics and pain medication.

Soft, cold foods are a good idea to have on hand. Pudding, ices, ice cream are good for right afterwards.

Tips For An Uneventful Recovery

• Eat only soft, cool, easy foods for the first 24 hours.
• No rinsing, no spitting, no drinking through straws or sippy cups for the first 3 days.
• No hot, spicy, or acidic foods for the first 24 hours.
• No eating seeds, nuts, chips, popcorn, pretzels, dry crumbly, chewy foods for the first week,
• The area will be numb from the local anesthetic. Watch your child does not bite or suck on their lip, cheek, or tongue.
• Instead of a toothbrush, use a soft wet washcloth with toothpaste to clean your child’s mouth for the first 2 days.
• Minimize swelling by applying a cold pack wrapped in a towel to the cheek for periods of 10 minutes on/10 minutes off at a time for the rest of the day after the extraction.
• Keep fingers out of their mouth and keep their tongue away from the extraction site.
• No soda.
• No sports, bicycle riding, swimming for the first 2 days.
• Follow all additional after treatment instructions given to you by your pediatric dentist.
• If your child has any complaints, there’s bleeding from the site, your child starts to run a fever, or something doesn’t look right to you call your pediatric dentist.

What To Eat After A Tooth Extraction

Eat soft, cool, and easy foods that protect the newly healing extraction site like ~

• Apple sauce,
• Yogurt,
• Mashed Bananas,
• Mashed Avocado, Mashed veggies,
• Mashed Potatoes,
• Scrambled eggs,
• Oatmeal, pastina,
• Mac and Cheese, pasta,
• Soup.

Taking It Easy After A Tooth Extraction

After the tooth has been removed, a blood clot forms in the site (aka tooth socket). The clot needs to take hold and become firm inside the socket. This blood clot plays an important part in the healing process.

A clot that doesn’t become firm will continue to bleed and disrupt the healing process. If this happens you need to go back and have the non-healing clot removed and start all over again. This is why the after care instructions are important.

Activities After A Tooth Extraction

Plan some fun activities your child will like for after their tooth extraction and those you know will help with their healing~

• Choose a favorite book to read,
• Watch a movie,
• Go out for ice cream,
• Visit Grandma or Auntie,
• Crafts, painting, coloring,
• Go to the mall,
• Screen time,
• Rest, maybe take a nap.

What To Remember

Having a tooth extracted can be an intimidating experience for both you and your child. This procedure can be made less frightening if you have a plan in place from the start.

Has your child had a tooth extracted? Do you think you were prepared for their extraction? How did you prepare your child to have a tooth removed? Tell Us, We’d really like to know! Send us an email at kidstoothhotline@proton.me Chat with us and Like Us on Facebook

More tips? We have lots. We’re here just for kids!