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Mumbai's Only NABH Accredited Dental Clinic

Tooth extraction for Children

As dentists, our main goal is to preserve your child's natural teeth and keep them healthy for as long as possible. There are times, however, when it is in your best interest (or your child's) to have a tooth removed (extracted). However, the tooth must be extracted only if it is so badly decayed that even a root canal won't save the tooth. A tooth should also be extracted if it is crowding other teeth or fractured beyond repair. Children getting braces may need to have some teeth extracted to allow teeth to move to their proper positions.

Did you know?

Whatever the reason, tooth extraction is more often than not a very routine procedure. How straightforward this minor surgery is will depend on where the tooth to be extracted is located in the mouth, and what its roots are like.

Keep in mind that a tooth is not rigidly fixed in its surrounding bone, though that's how some may picture it. In fact, it is attached to the bone via a network of fibres that form what's known as the periodontal ligament. By carefully manipulating the tooth, we can dislodge these fibres and free the tooth without much trouble.


Frequently Asked Questions

Removing your child's tooth will be the last mode of treatment that we would undertake. The tooth will only be removed if it is so badly decayed that we cannot save it. An extraction may also be warranted if your child is going to undergo Orthodontic treatment and space needs to be generated for the permanent teeth.

Your child's case and the kind of extraction they need will determine the type of treatment. If the tooth being extracted is visible and easy to remove, we would perform a simple extraction. This merely calls for numbing the area with a local anaesthetic and gently extracting the tooth with forceps. If your child's tooth is impacted, we would have to remove some surrounding gum tissue in order to reach the tooth. To prepare your child, you should discuss the steps involved with us before the actual treatment to help ease their mind and calm their nerves.

After the tooth extraction, your child will be given a piece of gauze to bite on until the bleeding stops and a blood clot forms. Ongoing bleeding will require changing the gauze every 20 minutes until the bleedings ceases.

These are the other general instructions you would need to follow, after the extraction :

  • Give your child the prescribed medication to soothe soreness in their jaw.
  • Place an ice pack on any swollen areas for about 20 minutes to decrease inflammation.
  • Only soft foods for the 24 hours after the extraction.
  • Don't let your child spit or drink from a straw since the force could dislodge their blood clot.
  • Have your child continue their normal dental care routine, but they must brush and floss their teeth with an extremely gentle touch.
  • Tell your child to avoid brushing the area of the tooth extraction until it fully heals around the clot.
  • Call us immediately if your child experiences fever, chills, great pain, or severe swelling.
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