If your child needs a tooth removed, you might be feeling a little nervous and unsure. After all, tooth extraction is a bit more involved than a dental cleaning or a filling. The mere idea of having a tooth removed from your mouth can be intimidating, whether you’re 6, 16, or 60.
The good news is that tooth extraction is rarely as painful, scary, or life-changing as patients worry it will be, especially when the patient is a child. Learning the basics about tooth extraction will give you some peace of mind, and it will also help you reassure your child as their appointment approaches.
Parents have lots of questions about pulling baby teeth safely. Here are the answers.
Common Reasons for Tooth Extractions
It’s actually fairly common for children to need a tooth, or even several teeth, pulled. Parents sometimes assume children only need a tooth removed if it breaks or is knocked loose in an accident, but the truth is more complicated. In addition to dental emergencies, there are several other common reasons a pediatric dentist may suggest an extraction. Some of these include:
1. Crowding and Orthodontic Prep
The easiest time to correct dental misalignment is often during the pre-teen years. At this age, the jaw bones are still soft and malleable, so it’s easier to shift the position of the teeth with interventions like braces or clear aligners. However, if your child’s teeth are crowded, the orthodontist may suggest pediatric tooth extraction as a part of braces prep.
Removing teeth that are overlapping or positioned behind other teeth will create more space in the jaw. Then, when the braces are applied, the remaining teeth will have more space to shift into, resulting in a straighter, more ideal smile.
2. Stubborn Baby Teeth
If your child has a retained baby tooth, which is one that has not fallen out according to the expected schedule, the dentist may suggest having that tooth extracted. This sometimes happens when the adult tooth erupts behind or in front of the baby tooth. In this case, the adult tooth fails to “push” the baby tooth out as it should. Such baby teeth can remain in the mouth indefinitely if a dentist doesn’t intervene and remove them.
Removing stubborn baby teeth helps ensure there’s room in the jaw for the rest of the adult teeth to erupt. In some cases, removing these baby teeth may reduce the need for orthodontic work later on. Plus, it will improve the appearance of your child’s smile in the short term, which has benefits for their speech, confidence, and ability to chew.
3. Infection
Baby teeth, like adult teeth, can become infected and abscessed. This can lead to a number of unpleasant symptoms, such as a toothache, pain, and pus pockets along the gumline.
An abscessed adult tooth is often treated with a root canal procedure, which removes the infected inner tissues of the tooth. Root canals can be performed on baby teeth, but sometimes, extraction is the better way to go. Your child’s dentist is more likely to recommend extraction if the baby tooth is close to falling out anyway, or if the infection is more advanced.
Once an infected tooth is removed, the infection usually clears quickly, sometimes with the help of antibiotics. It’s important to have infected teeth treated, even in children, since a lack of treatment could allow the infection to spread to surrounding tissues.
What Happens During a Tooth Extraction?
Movies and TV shows sometimes show a dentist yanking on a tooth with a big pair of pliers. Thankfully, modern extraction is nothing like this! It’s far more gentle.
In a gentle tooth removal procedure, your child’s dentist will begin by using a local anesthetic to numb the area. If your child is anxious, the dentist can also administer a mild sedative to help keep them calm. Once these medications have taken effect, the dentist will use a special tool called an elevator to loosen the ligaments that hold the tooth in place. This makes it far easier to then use forceps, which look like delicate pliers, to rock the tooth back and forth until it lifts out of the jaw.
The process of having a tooth removed won’t be painful for your child. They will feel some pressure and suction during the extraction, but no sharp pain or serious discomfort. For most kids, the biggest hurdle is nervousness, and that’s something we can manage with the proper sedatives, a calm environment, and gentle encouragement.
Recovering From a Tooth Extraction
Your child will have some minor pain following a tooth extraction, but it’s generally manageable with over-the-counter pain relievers. They’ll need to avoid overly crunchy and sticky foods for a few days, but otherwise, they can resume eating their normal diet as they feel comfortable doing so.
Oral tissues heal quickly, and this is especially the case in kids. Rinsing with salt water several times per day will help reduce inflammation and encourage healing. You may need to help your child brush their teeth for the first few days after the procedure. It’s often easier for you to do a thorough job while avoiding the extraction site since you can see inside their mouth.
How OCMD Ensures a Comfortable Pediatric Dentistry Experience
When it comes to children’s tooth extraction, Orange City Modern Dentistry makes comfort a top priority, both for the patient and for the parents. We’re glad to offer this procedure in-house because that means your child will be visiting the same office where they’re used to having dental cleanings and checkups. Our familiar environment will be less intimidating to them than the unfamiliar office of a specialist.
From the moment you enter our office, our friendly staff will help put your child at ease by engaging with them, talking about common interests, and explaining what’s about to happen in child-friendly terms. We truly practice child-friendly dentistry, and that means maintaining a space that feels warm and inviting, not cold and clinical.
Our dentist, Dr. Luis Labrada, has children of his own and has often been praised for his “chair-side manner.” He takes his time with every patient, allowing your child all the time they need to adjust their position or ask questions.
We also believe that knowledge is power, and as such, we make sure every parent is fully informed when it comes to recovery and aftercare. We’ll give you personalized instructions to help you and your child care for the extraction site. And if you do have any concerns or questions as your child is recovering, you’re always welcome to give us a call.
In the right hands, pediatric tooth extraction does not need to be painful or scary. If you’re looking for patient-centered pediatric dental care that Deltona parents trust, contact Orange City Modern Dentistry. We have extensive experience working with children of all ages, and our staff works together to make every appointment a calm and comfortable experience.