How to Prepare Your Child for a Tooth Extraction

No matter your age, a tooth extraction can make you a little worried. This is especially true for little ones. But don’t worry! At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, our team works hard to ensure that everyone is at ease during your child’s extractions. We want to ensure that both your child and you are prepared for the tooth extraction process, so we’ve put together a guide of what you should expect to keep you informed and relaxed.

What Is a Tooth Extraction?

Let’s start with the basics. A tooth extraction is the removal of a tooth from its socket in situations when the tooth is beyond repair. We’ll never put your child through this procedure unless absolutely necessary. We will inform you if we think that there is no other treatment that can save the tooth.

How Does an Extraction Work?

During an extraction, we will numb the treatment area to prevent your child from feeling pain. Then, we will loosen the tooth with an instrument called an elevator and use forceps to remove the tooth from the socket.

What Are the Sedation Options?

Our top priority is to ensure that your child is safe and comfortable during the treatment (and that you also feel safe and comfortable), so we have sedation and anesthesia options to help your child relax. We use nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, to make your child feel less nervous and antsy. It wears off quickly after the procedure so your child can feel back to normal sooner. We also offer oral conscious sedation for children that have more serious anxiety. With this option, your child takes a prescribed pill before the appointment. The pill leaves your child conscious but unable to experience the discomfort or fear they might otherwise. We also offer general anesthesia. This is usually reserved for oral surgery procedures, but we are happy to discuss all these options with you at length before your child’s extraction. We’ve also outfitted our office with amenities to help your child relax such as toys, books, blankets, TVs, WiFi, and refreshments.

What Is the Post-Extraction Care?

After your child’s dental extraction, we will walk you through how to care for your child so they can heal as quickly as possible. You should expect some bleeding in the beginning and can change the gauze out every 20 minutes until the bleeding subsides. Their mouth might also be swollen around the extraction area. To keep swelling down, you ice the area for about 20 minutes. If your child experiences any discomfort or pain, you can give them over-the-counter pain medication. For the first day or two after the extraction, you should give your child soft foods and don’t let them drink through a straw as this could disrupt the blood clot that is keeping the bleeding at bay.

At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry we are dedicated to providing your child with the best care and ensuring that you and your child feel comfortable and safe in our hands. Call us today to schedule an appointment if you are concerned your child might need an extraction.