Post Extraction Care

Your child had an extraction completed today. 

It is important to be gentle in this area for the next few days. Avoid letting your child chew on fingers, or sharp objects like toys, sticks, or straws, and avoid spitting. 

Numbing: Your child received numbing medicine and their lip/cheek/tongue may be numb for 1-2 hours after the procedure. Please be very careful to remind your child not to bite or chew on their lip/cheek/tongue which could cause a significant injury that takes 1-2 weeks to heal.

If your child does bite and injure this area, please call the office. It sometimes helps to tell kids their lip/cheek/tongue will feel back to normal in the time it takes to watch a movie. 

Brushing: Start with gentle but thorough brushing of all other teeth tonight or tomorrow in the morning, but you do not need to brush the area where the tooth was removed (sometimes this area looks like a hole in the gums). Good brushing of the rest of the mouth removes plaque and bacteria, and it will reduce the inflammation at the gums, helping the mouth to heal and feel better faster! 

Clean mouths heal faster than those with food and bacteria packed around the teeth!

Diet: Hydration (water, juice, gatorade) or soft, blended foods are ok while your child is still numb. Avoid eating solid foods that require chewing until the lip and/or tongue are no longer numb. Then we recommend starting with soft foods for 1-2 days (jello, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, soup, smoothies, cooked noodles). After extractions, avoid biting very hard foods (chips, nuts) in this area until the gums have healed in 1-2 weeks. 

Medicine: Over-the-counter tylenol or ibuprofen is typically recommended for 1-3 days as needed for discomfort as long as your child usually is usually able to tolerate these medications. If your child has a medical condition or allergy, please reach out to us directly or talk to your pediatrician.

Bleeding: Some bleeding is normal after an extraction. Bleeding may be present after brushing, eating or sleeping. No action is needed if bleeding is just enough to be noticed on your child’s tongue or toothbrush. If bleeding is significant (and is bleeding similar to a nose bleed), a clean, damp cloth can be placed over the site and pressure held for 10 minutes (set a timer) either by biting or a parent holding firm pressure. If your child is talking or chewing on the cloth, it could make bleeding worse. Biting on a cloth or gauze for more than 10 minutes could also make bleeding worse. If the bleeding doesn't stop after 10 minutes, please call the office.  

Activity: Quiet activities are recommended for about 24 hours after a tooth extraction (board games, movies). Running around or being overly active could make bleeding worse. Most children can go to school the day after an extraction. If they received any nitrous oxide (laughing gas) at our office we had them breathe 100% oxygen for 5 minutes at the end of the appointment. This ensures there should be no effects of the nitrous oxide after their visit.

If you have any concerns, please call us at 720-678-9401.