One of the nerve-racking experiences for your little one is having their teeth extracted. If not done by an experienced pediatric dentist in Greeley, it can be a very traumatic experience for them. Even though our dentist does it at our kids’ dentistry near you, there’s a high chance that it might not be an experience that they’d look forward to.
However, tooth extraction for kids is done as a last resort. When our pediatric dentist in Greeley has exhausted all the other options and your child’s tooth cannot be salvaged, then extractions are inevitable.
So, the important thing after a tooth extraction is caring for the wound to ensure that your child doesn’t develop complications. Therefore, our kids’ dentist has prepared for you some nuggets of wisdom that can help you and your child have an easier time after the procedure.
Before your kid leaves our office, our dentist will place gauze at the extraction to control the bleeding and promote quick blood clotting. Your child should bite down the gauze for at least 45 minutes after the procedure.
When you remove the gauze and find there is some bleeding, you can fold a clean gauze, dampen it with warm water, and place it at the extraction site. Then, tell your child to bite down the gauze for another 30 minutes. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, call our dentist.
Clotting is an essential step in the journey to recovery since it forms a protective barrier at the extraction site.
It is usual for your kid to have some inflammation or bruising that may cause their gums to swell. So, using icepacks or a cold compress may provide relief from the pain and reduce the swelling. You can place it on your child’s face for 15 minutes and then remove it. Then, place it back after 15 minutes. Follow this procedure for about 2 hours.
The swelling should go down after 48 hours, so there will be no need for the icepacks from the third day.
Resting is crucial for healing. Therefore, monitor your child and remind them not to overexert, which might result in increased blood flow in the extraction site. Also, strenuous activity might cause dislodging of the blood clot. Our dentist recommends that your child rests for at least 48 hours after the extraction.
In the same breath, elevate your child’s head using a pillow while they are sleeping. Also, ensure that they don’t sleep on the side where their tooth was pulled.
After an extraction, there is some prescription medication that your child will receive. This might include some anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers. Taking these drugs will ensure that the extraction site heals as expected.
After removing the gauze from your child’s mouth, they can start taking lukewarm, cold drinks and soft foods such as yogurt and ice cream, but do not give them carbonated drinks and solid foods after an extraction. You can ease them back to solid foods at least three days after the extraction.
Also, ensure that your baby takes plenty of fluids. Monitor them while eating and ensure that they are not chewing on the side where the tooth was pulled.
Your child should still maintain a high level of dental hygiene to reduce the risk of infections at the extraction site. However, supervise them when they are brushing their teeth and ensure that they avoid brushing close to the extraction site for at least 24 hours.
They can resume brushing and flossing their teeth as usual after 24 hours. But they should do it gently, avoiding the extraction site. Then, let them use warm, salty water to rinse their mouth gently.
There’s a high probability that your child might be tempted to poke the extraction site since the space feels foreign to them. Therefore, ensure that they don’t use their tongue, finger, or toothpick to poke the site. Poking the site can dislodge the clot; therefore, impeding the healing process.
When you give your child drinks, don’t let them use straws. The suction will easily dislodge the clot and can lead to further complications such as a dry socket.
Swishing water in the mouth and then spitting it out can also dislodge the clot. It can also cause bleeding, irritation, and a dry socket.
It may seem as though there are tons of things you need to look out for to help your child heal. But remember that it is just for a short while. In most cases, healing will take 7 – 10 days for simple extractions and roughly three weeks for surgical extractions.
Feel free to contact us at ToothTown of Greeley if you need children’s dentistry.
Our pediatric dentistry office in Greeley, CO proudly serves the infants, kids, and teens from our community and nearby areas
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