Summer Time Fun – Gearing Up For Tooth Extractions!

While there probably is no perfect time for getting tooth extractions taken care of, summer can be a great option. The busyness of school and other activities often slows down and summer usually allows for more flexibility in your child’s schedule.

You might find your child’s not too excited about extractions, after all summer is supposed to be a fun break. That is true, but as with most kids and tooth extractions, kids are usually quick healers and ready for fun after just a day or two of taking it easy. 

Prepare For Extraction!

One of the best ways for something to go well is to have a plan and to be prepared. There are a few things that you can do to help your child have a successful tooth extraction experience. Here are some things that can help your child’s wisdom tooth extraction to be a smooth sailing experience:

• Talk to your child and surgeon about sedation options. Is your child nervous about dental procedures? Are your child’s wisdom teeth impacted? If so, it may be beneficial for your child to have general anesthesia for their surgery.
• Have appropriate soft and cold foods in the house for after surgery. Popsicles, smoothies, chicken broth, and applesauce are some great choices. 
• Schedule the procedure for a time that your child can relax and take it easy for a few days. Doing too much too soon can cause the clot to come out and dry sockets to form which can be painful. 
• Have your child gather a stash of good movies and books to enjoy for the few days after their wisdom teeth procedure. 

The Procedure

Wisdom tooth extraction is a relatively quick process. Your child’s surgeon will review their medical history and administer anesthesia. That could be local anesthesia, nitrous oxide, or general anesthesia depending on what is best for your child. 

Usually in less than an hour all 4 wisdom teeth are out and your child is recovering in the room from anesthesia. If your child had general anesthesia, they will need to have someone to take them home following their surgery as they will be groggy and tired and unable to drive. 

The Healing Phase

Following surgery, the healing phase is usually a few weeks long when the tissue and bone are recovered from the surgery site. This healing phase can vary from person to person but usually within 3 days, most people are able to return to work and school as long as they don’t have strenuous, physical labor or exercise that is required of them. 

If your child plays sports, asking their surgeon when they can safely return to these activities is a good idea. Jumping into too much activity before the surgery site and clot are healed may result in a dry socket. Dry sockets can be painful so making sufficient time for rest is a good idea. 

Once And Done

When it comes to extracting wisdom teeth the one good thing is that once it’s done, it doesn’t have to be done again. The human body typically heals quicker at younger ages than it does at older ages so having these teeth removed as a teenager is usually a better option than when fifty or sixty years old. 

The other benefit of having them removed at younger ages is that the less developed the wisdom teeth roots are, the easier the teeth come out. 

Do you have a teenager that is off school and home for the summer? We suggest having their wisdom teeth evaluated and seeing if now is a good time to have them extracted. Give us a call and we schedule your child for an evaluation or if your child is coming in for a preventative checkup soon, this can also be a great time to ask about their wisdom teeth!