Childhood Tooth Extraction: Causes, Procedure, and Aftercare

Hearing your child needs to have a tooth extraction may concern you as a parent. You may wonder why it’s necessary. You might be curious to know what happens during the procedure and what you can do before and after to make the process as easy on your child as possible. At Ponte Vedra Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontist, serving Ponte Vedra, Florida, and the nearby region, we take every step possible to ease your child’s mind, we’d also like to take a moment to ease yours.

Reasons for a Pediatric Tooth Extraction

A pediatric dentistry specialist may recommend your child undergo a tooth extraction if he or she has a severely decayed tooth that can’t be salvaged with a filling or cap. A dentist in Ponte Vedra may also recommend a tooth extraction if your little one sustained an injury that caused extensive damage or trauma to a tooth.

Sometimes, a childhood tooth extraction is recommended if your child has baby teeth that haven’t fallen out yet, and they’re crowding your child’s adult teeth. This protects the other teeth from damage and prevents your child from needing braces in the future. Braces and teeth extraction may go hand-in-hand for a child. This is because your child might have crowding that makes it difficult for an orthodontist to place braces due to a lack of space. The tooth extraction can allow the dentist to place the braces without a problem.

Procedure

First and foremost, the pediatric dentist will evaluate your child’s teeth. Usually, this consists of the dentist taking an X-ray. A special type of X-ray may be requested if the Ponte Vedra dentist is evaluating your kid’s teeth for braces.

Evaluation

If the dentist decides removing your child’s tooth is the best option, the practitioner will discuss the benefits of tooth extraction. The dentist will schedule a future visit for the procedure. At this appointment, the dentist will determine what type of anesthetic your child will need.

With simple extractions, a local anesthetic is usually enough. However, if your child has any type of mental or mood disorders or has an extreme fear of the dentist, the practitioner may recommend IV sedation. This type of anesthetic is also recommended if your child has a tooth that’ll be difficult to extract, particularly, one that may require the dentist to remove a portion of the gum tissue. Laughing gas, also known as nitrous oxide, could also be a solution in this case.

At this time, the dentist will let you know anything you and your child need to do to prepare for the extraction.

Day of the Extraction

On the day of the extraction, your child will first be given the type of anesthetic you previously discussed. Then, the pediatric dentistry specialist will use a tool known as an elevator to lift the tooth. Sometimes, the dentist will surgically remove some of the gum to remove the tooth.

Finally, the dentist will use a pair of forceps to grip the tooth and pull it from the socket.

Your child may receive a few stitches to help with the healing process. The dentist will position a piece of sterile gauze to help the bleeding stop.

Aftercare

Before you leave the office, the dentist will let you know how long the gauze should stay in place and any safety measures you should help your child follow. For instance, you don’t want to have your child rinse his or her mouth for a designated period after the procedure. After this period, you’ll want to have your son or daughter rinse their mouth out with warm salt water routinely to keep the area clean.

The dentist will let you know what your child can use for pain, such as acetaminophen and an ice pack.

The practitioner will also educate you on what you can expect while your child’s socket heals, such as when the blood clot will form and the importance of it remaining intact there. The dentist will also inform you about the signs of a dry socket and infection. That way, you can monitor your son or daughter carefully for complications.

Contact Ponte Vedra Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

Our dentist in Ponte Vedra provides children with the option of an extraction when no other choices are available. Whether a removal is needed to get braces, due to a lack of space, or because the tooth is damaged, our experts can recommend your best course of action. The procedure is rather simple, and we take every step possible to prevent problems and keep your child content. Contact us today for an appointment.