How is Tooth Extraction Performed in Children?

How is Tooth Extraction Performed in Children?

Tooth extraction is a procedure that is often experienced by many children at any time in their lives, be it due to decay, overcrowding, or injury. The idea of tooth removal is quite a frightening prospect to both parents and children; however, the process is safe, and it can be easily managed by seasoned dentists. At Lema Dental Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey, professionals offer treatment in a way that ensures maximum smoothness and comfort of the whole process. Let us further look into how specifically tooth extraction in children takes place, and when it is required, and, add parenthetically, what is to be done by the parents after the procedure to ensure a full recovery.

When is a Tooth Extraction Performed in Children?

Normally, a tooth is extracted from a child when other methods have not proven successful in saving the tooth. Some common occasions when a child may require a tooth extraction are as follows:

• Severe Tooth Decay: Extraction is often opted the tooth has been extensively decayed and cannot be treated by a recourse of a filling or a crown.
• Infection: The spread of infections from the root to the surrounding teeth or the jaw may call for extraction.
• Overcrowding: In the case where the child has an excess number of teeth and the permanent ones can hardly come out, the baby teeth must be extracted to create a space for the adult teeth.
• Trauma or Injury: In cases where teeth that are chipped or broken loose are caused by a trauma, those teeth may be extracted if they cannot be mended.

Before an extraction, a pediatric dentist will typically provide a complete examination of the child’s dental health to be sure of a good end result.

How Does the Extraction of a Tooth in Kids Take Place?

Child tooth extraction is a process similar to adults, but it is done with special care to make sure the child will not feel any pain unless prolonged and tranquil used during the entire procedure.  Below are the general steps that are usually followed:

• Preventing Pain During Surgery: First of all, the dentist will administer a local anesthetic to the child patient, which will thus anesthetize the area near the tooth. If it goes to the point where a child is so nervous that the dentist can hardly interact with him/her, sedation methods, such as nitrous oxide (laughing gas), can be applied to make the child more relaxed.
• Tooth Extraction: Only when the area is numbed can it be expected that the dentist will start to remove the tooth with special tools. Especially children’s smaller teeth can be removed with little to no effort. The process of tooth removal is usually followed by the dentist’s careful extraction of the tooth from the socket.
• Follow-up Care: To suppress any bleeding that might occur, the dentist, after extracting the tooth, will use a gauze pad to cover the site of removal. The child is likely to be discharged on the same day without any post-surgical complaints and return to normal activities.

In order to ensure that discomfort will be minimal, the dentist will explain every detail to the child as well as to the parent.

At What Age Can Children’s Teeth Be Extracted?

Most baby teeth are pulled when children are 6 to 12 years old. This is the period when baby teeth start getting loose and finally being removed by the body to create space for the adult ones. Though, in case a child’s tooth is causing a problem, for example, infection or its presence is postponing the coming in of an adult one, removal may be done earlier.

Most times, pediatric dentists take note of a child’s tooth growth, and extractions are recommended when and if necessary. The aim is to ensure that the child remains healthy and at the same time the permanent teeth start growing without hitches.

In Which Cases are Baby Teeth Extracted?

Even though milk teeth on their own do fall out, there are quite a few scenarios where children might need to have them extracted earlier.

• Severe Decay: If a baby tooth is deeply decayed and not repairable using a filling, extraction can be the only option to stop the infection from spreading to other teeth.
• In case there’s an infection: A kind of dental condition where the tooth is the source of the infection, then leads to swelling, pain, and possibly to the development of an abscess; such cases usually see a tooth being extracted.
• Trauma: If a tooth is dislodged or breaks to the extent that it cannot be fixed through dental care due to some accident, the tooth may have to be pulled out so that no other problems can be caused.
• Overcrowding: To have the teeth properly placed, it is one of the methods that a dentist can use some them remove other children’s teeth and leave one or two so that the permanent teeth can grow through the one or two teeth with a little help from the orthodontist.

It is a fact that the temporary nature of primary teeth allows for the replacement of these by the permanent ones. Early extractions are being done skillfully to minimize the interruption of the child’s dental growth.

What Care Needs to be Done Post-Extraction of a Tooth in Children?

Once a tooth has been removed from the mouth, the next step is to advise the child of the dentist’s aftercare instructions adequately so that the child can recover well. Here, however, are some of the things to be observed in case of a tooth extraction:

• Pain Management: The child may feel a little pain or discomfort for some time after the operation. Over-the-counter painkillers such as those containing ibuprofen or acetaminophen are effective, but always remember to adhere to the recommended dosage. 
• Eating and Drinking: A child should stay away from foods and drinks that are either too hot or too cold within the first few hours of extraction. Soft and mild foods such as yogurt and mashed potatoes are the best choices.
• Avoiding Straws: Do without straws for at least 24 hours to secure the clot that is formed in the socket from falling out.
• Oral Hygiene: While it is important to have made your mouth clean, brushing near the extraction area should be avoided for a few days for preventing irritation. The best way to keep the place clean is to do gentle rinses with warm salty water.
• Follow-Up Visit: It is possible that another appointment is scheduled with the dentist to enable him or her to see if things are working well.

If the child is taken care of properly and on time now, he or she can expect that his or her healing will be good and the risk for complications will be lessened.

FAQ: How is Tooth Extraction Performed in Children?