Extractions
Care After Fillings:
We used a local anesthetic to thoroughly numb the area we treated. This numbness in your child's lips, teeth and tongue might last for several hours after the procedure. To avoid damage to your tongue and lips, your child should avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off.
Bleeding will be controlled prior to your child's dismissal from the office. Some additional oozing from the extraction site should be expected for several hours. If an unusual amount occurs, place a tight pad of cotton gauze firmly over the site and have your child bite down or hold in place with pressure for 10 minutes. Repeat if necessary.
1. Do not rinse the area for four hours.
2. Keep your child from picking at the socket with tongue or fingers.
3. A soft diet may be best for 24 hours, but allow your child to resume a normal diet as soon as they would like.
Most children tolerate a regular diet quickly.
4. Continued heavy bleeding, swelling, or pain should be reported immediately to our office.
If your child has received a local anesthetic, the numbing feeling is often a puzzling or curious or unpleasant sensation for a youngster. Please take care that your child does not bite, suck, scratch, or chew their lips, cheek or tongue. If they do, it will hurt when the numbness goes away and you may notice that their cheek or lip is swollen and the tissue is white.
Prevention is priceless as there is no good treatment for this kind of tissue damage. Ibuprofen and Tylenol will help with the pain and it will heal in a week or two. We will give you some cotton rolls for your child to bite to prevent this from occurring. The child should be watched closely for approximately two hours or until the numbness is gone.
What if my filling hurts?
It's normal to experience some sensitivity to heat, cold and pressure after your appointment. Expect your child to have some soreness in their gums for several days. Rinsing with warm salt water can help to alleviate discomfort and swelling. Dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water, and then have your child gently swish the water around the tooth and spit. If the soreness or sensitivity lasts for more than a week, please call our office.
Do I have to be careful with my fillings?
White fillings set completely immediately after they are placed, so as soon as the numbness from the anesthetic subsides.
If your bite feels uneven, or if you have any questions or concerns about your child's new filling, be sure to give us a call.
POST OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS AFTER RECEIVING A STAINLESS STEEL CROWN
Your child has had one or more teeth restored with stainless steel crowns. The cement which holds the crown on the tooth requires approximately twelve hours achieving its final set. Therefore, only soft foods should be chewed with the newly restored teeth. A regular diet may be resumed tomorrow. Stainless steel crowns may be dislodged or pulled off if extremely hard or sticky foods are chewed with them. Hard or sticky candy and all types of gum should be avoided. If is not unusual for the gum tissue around the newly restored tooth to be slightly irritated and inflamed for several days. This can be eased by using salt water rinses while the irritation persists. The area should be brushed gently today, gradually increasing to normal toothbrush pressure in a few days. If the crown is on a primary tooth, it will come out when the permanent tooth is ready to erupt. Should a crown become loose or dislodged it should be saved and you should contact the office to have it recemented as soon as possible.
Dental Emergencies & Injuries
Children under the age of 15 account for 75 percent of all lost, broken, loosened or chipped teeth, with two-thirds of tooth trauma occurring outdoors. Advances in dental care have greatly increased the odds that injured teeth can be replaced or repaired, but parents must act quickly in these emergency situations. Children are exposed to all sorts of mishaps that may cause tooth injuries. Falls are the most common cause, accounting for 34 percent of all tooth traumas, followed by bike accidents at 30 percent, and sports injuries at 14 percent. The long-term prognosis for many patients is determined by the type of injury to the tooth and how much time elapses before treatment.
There are a number of simple precautions you can take to avoid accident and injury to your teeth. One way to reduce the chances of damage to your teeth, lips, cheek and tongue is to wear a mouth guard when participating in sports or recreational activities that may pose a risk. Avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels and hard candy, all of which can crack a tooth. Cut tape using scissors rather than your teeth.
Accidents do happen, and knowing what to do when one occurs can mean the difference between saving and losing a tooth.
We reserve time in our daily schedule for emergency patients. Call us immediately and provide as much detail as possible about your condition. A problem that will not disappear even if the pain subsides.
Bitten Lip or Tongue
Clean the area gently with a cloth and apply cold compresses to reduce any swelling. If the bleeding doesn't stop, go to a hospital emergency room immediately.
Broken Tooth
Rinse your mouth with warm water to clean the area. Use cold compresses on the area to keep any swelling down. Call Dr. Baldy immediately.
Cracked Tooth
Teeth can crack for many reasons ranging from long term wear and tear to an unlucky bite on a hard object. Pain will most likely occur during chewing. Sometimes the crack is visible but more often is invisible to the naked eye and even on x-rays. Dr. Baldy can test the tooth. Depending in the severity of the crack and/or symptoms, the treatment options will vary. You may need a crown and sometimes a root canal is necessary first.
Jaw-Possibly Broken
Apply cold compresses to control swelling. Go to a hospital emergency department immediately.
Knocked Out Tooth
Time is of the essence. You need to get to our office within 30 minutes. Hold the tooth by the crown (not the root) and rinse it off in water. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, gently reinsert and hold the tooth in its socket. If that isn't possible, put the tooth in a cup of milk and call Dr. Baldy as quickly as possible. Remember to take the tooth with you!
Objects Caught Between Teeth
Try to gently remove the object with dental floss; avoid cutting the gums. Never use a sharp instrument to remove any object that is stuck between your teeth. If you can't dislodge the object using dental floss, contact our office.
Toothache
Rinse your mouth with warm water to clean it out. Gently use dental floss or an interdental cleaner to ensure that there is no food or other debris caught between the teeth. Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue. If the pain persists, contact our office.
