Diet
- Your child may not be interested in food right away. This is normal. Do not force foods. Encourage cool clear liquids.
- Offer soft, bland foods for 24 hours, as tolerated. No hot soups or liquids. No spicy or acid-type foods such as taco sauce, spaghetti sauce, orange juice, etc.
- No drinking with a straw, it will cause bleeding.
- No vigorous rinsing (salt water/mouthwash).
- Resume normal diet when child is comfortable and healing is taking place.
- Food Suggestions: Jell-O, ice cream, yogurt, milk shakes, cereal, rice, macaroni and cheese, pancakes and syrup, eggs, mashed potatoes, ground beef and pureed table foods. Foods can be room temperature or cold.
Oral Hygiene
- You may start brushing your child’s teeth tomorrow. Use a gentle brush. The gums could be sore.
- Your child may complain of feeling numbness. Remind your child not to bite the numb areas: lips, cheeks, tongue.
Activity
- Your child may be sleepy today. They may wake cranky or upset/irritable. This is normal. Quiet activity only today. Your child may be dizzy. Stay close by and assist as necessary. Your child can resume normal activities tomorrow.
Pain and Discomfort
- Every child’s response to treatment is different. Usually Children’s Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen will help to stop or prevent pain. Give pain medication according to the age and weight of your child, as recommended on the bottle. Give pain medication before the numbness wears off— don’t wait for the pain to start. If your child is having a lot of pain, you can alternate Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen. Give one and then 3 hours later give the other. You can continue to alternate these medications as long as your child is having a lot of pain.
Bleeding
- It is normal for some bleeding to take place when a tooth is extracted. Children often drool after dental treatment. They may not want to swallow their own saliva. If they drool, the fluid should be pink. Bright red fluid could mean your child is bleeding. If bleeding continues, use a gauze or cloth to apply pressure to the bleeding site. Biting on a moistened tea bag also helps stop persistent bleeding.
- A cloth-like medicine, called Surgicell, is usually placed in the hole where a tooth has been extracted. This medicine helps form a good clot. It dissolves all by itself. It is dark in color and it shrinks within a day. If it comes out, is lost, or even swallowed, it is okay. There no need to replace it. It only has to be in place for a short time to form a good clot for healing. If stitches are used, they will dissolve in 1 week and usually do not need to be removed by the doctor.
When to call the doctor
- Call with chills or fever (temperature over 101F).
- Children will sometimes have nausea and vomiting after anesthesia. Call the doctor if your child has nausea and vomiting more than a couple of times, or if you are unable to get your child to keep down any fluids.
- Pain not relieved by acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
- Bleeding not controlled by pressure to site.
Follow up
- Call the dentist office for follow up appointment as instructed by doctor.
