Want to Help Your Child Recover from a Tooth Extraction? Follow These Tips!

One of the most challenging aspects of being a parent is that you can’t take hard experiences and discomfort away from your child. Getting a tooth extracted is one of those scenarios!  At some point, they will need to go through something difficult, but you can do your best to make the situation a little better for them to arrive at the other side of healing. How can you help your child recover from a tooth extraction? Follow these tips!

Make a Comfy Resting Spot

When the human body has experienced an injury or minor surgical procedure, I wants to divert energy and nutrients to the area to start the healing process. As a result, the body needs to rest from rigorous activities to focus every effort on recovery. Upon coming home from the procedure, establish a comfortable area like a couch or their bed for your child to sit back, nap for a little while, and generally take it easy. They should be reclined, but keep their head elevated above the level of their heart. This position will prevent blood from rushing to their head, which only makes discomfort worse. Resting like this for a few days should give their body a boost toward a smooth recovery after a week.

Manage Discomfort with Pain Reliever and Cold Compresses

Within a couple of hours, the anesthetic from the dental office will wear off, and your child may feel soreness or even pain in their mouth. Feel free to give them pain medication from the drugstore but be sure to follow the dosage instructions according to their age and weight. Another way to reduce pain involves placing a cold compress on the outside of your child’s face for about 20 minutes at a time. During this brief period, the cold temperature should not just make the area numb but also keep swelling to a minimum.

Give Your Child Lots of Fluids and Soft Foods

While they heal, your child won’t be able to have normal, crunchy foods, but they must stay hydrated and nourished to aid in the healing process. They can start drinking water and other fluids as soon as they regain feeling in their face and mouth, but do not allow them to use a straw for at least 48 hours. Suction can prematurely lift the blood clot that attaches over the site, which can lead to a painful infection called dry socket.

Soft foods like yogurt, eggs, oatmeal, and mashed potatoes shouldn’t disturb the healing area or irritate your child’s gums. Over time, you can build back to a normal diet. By the end of one week, they should be close to eating regular food, if not already there!

Maintain Oral Hygiene

Although your child will rest and slow down during this time, the bacteria in their mouth, unfortunately, will not. As a result, oral hygiene is still important to prevent cavities and other issues. When they brush and floss, avoid the surgical site during the first 24 hours, and be gentle around it thereafter. They shouldn’t rinse with mouthwash for at least 48 hours to preserve the protective blood clot.

You can’t shield your child from certain necessary life experiences even if they are hard, but you can provide means to facilitate their healing. Before you know it, they’ll be back to their normal selves!

About the Practice

Coastal Pediatric Dentistry exclusively treats patients under the age of 18. As board-certified pediatric dentists, Dr. James Forester and Dr. Natalie Vander Kam have proven their expertise through years of additional training and excel at making our young patients feel comfortable, safe, and valued. Whether the extraction is simple or requires minor surgery, we can provide the treatment your child needs in our San Luis Obispo office. Call us at 805-592-2020 or reach out to us online to schedule an appointment!