Clear Lake Tooth Extractions for Kids

Pain, discomfort, and bleeding may be present for a few days after the procedure. Follow all of the recovery instructions given to you and make sure to provide your child with the proper dosage of pain medication according to your child’s prescription. If your child is having a baby tooth extracted, you may need to come back to our office for space maintainers to keep teeth from shifting into the empty socket and ensure that their adult teeth erupt correctly.

At our office, we offer judgment-free, compassionate care and we will always keep you and your child comfortable. With our friendly, child-focused treatment methods, sedation options, and years of experience in pediatric dentistry, you can trust us to take great care of your little one. We serve the entire Clear Lake area from League City, Friendswood, and Dickinson to La Porte, Seabrook, and Pasadena.

There are a few common reasons for tooth extractions. One of the most common is a serious cavity that’s resulted in a tooth infection. When a cavity gets deep enough, it exposes the vulnerable interior of the tooth to oral bacteria. 
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This causes the “pulp” inside the tooth to become infected. Usually, this results in a toothache, as well as other signs like the discoloration of the gums or the tooth itself. If the tooth can’t be saved with a pulpotomy or root canal, it may need to be extracted to prevent further complications.
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Oral injuries and trauma may also require tooth extractions in some cases. If one of your child’s teeth is seriously damaged by a slip and fall, an injury while playing, or a hard hit in a contact sport, it may not always be possible to save it. In some cases, pulling it and replacing it with a space maintainer or a false tooth may be the best option for protecting their oral health. 
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Tooth extractions may also be required to prepare for future dental treatments, in some cases. For example, if your child’s final baby teeth are not falling out when they’re supposed to, extractions may be recommended. 
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These situations may require your child to have one or more teeth extracted. But it’s important to understand that, even in these situations, extraction is a last resort at Big Picture Pediatric Dentistry in Clear Lake. 
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Dr. Jason Brock will always explore alternatives to tooth extraction before committing to removing your child’s tooth. Whether it’s a baby tooth or an adult tooth, preserving your little one’s tooth is always the better option if it’s at all possible.

This depends on the situation and why your child needs a tooth extraction. For example, if your child needs a tooth to be extracted for orthodontic purposes, an emergency appointment is not usually necessary, since there is no threat to their oral health. They can get an extraction whenever it’s convenient for you to schedule their appointment.
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However, if your child has a very bad toothache or has experienced dental trauma like a blow to the face while playing a sport, and you believe their tooth may need to be extracted, Dr. Jason Brock is here to help with same-day emergency dental care in Houston, Clear Lake, Friendswood, and the surrounding areas.
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If your child is in serious pain and discomfort and/or their mouth is bleeding, we recommend that you call us at (281) 461-7470 to discuss your situation with our dental team. Dr. Jason Brock can determine whether or not a same-day appointment is appropriate, and schedule your child accordingly. 
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Once you arrive at Big Picture Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Brock will examine your child’s tooth and discuss your options for saving it or extracting it. As mentioned, we will only recommend an extraction when there are no other suitable options. Saving your child’s natural tooth is always better for their oral health and well-being, and will also save you time and money in the long run. 
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First, we highly recommend sedation dentistry for your child. Sedation is a very helpful tool, particularly for younger kids. Tooth extractions are scary enough for adults, and can be really intimidating for kids.

Sedation makes everything easier. It ensures your child will stay calm and still during their appointment, feel less nervous, and can even allow them to forget the entire experience, depending on the type of sedation you choose. We offer nitrous oxide sedation, oral sedation, and IV sedation for kids at Big Picture Pediatric Dentistry, and Dr. Brock can help you choose the treatment that’s right for your little one.

Beyond this, you should make sure you stay positive when talking about your child’s procedure. Don't use words like “shot” or “hurt.” Focus on how a tooth extraction will help improve their long term oral health.
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Dry socket happens when the blood clot that forms in your child’s tooth socket is damaged, knocked out of place, or fails to form properly. Usually, this happens if your child eats hard food, sucks on a straw, or spits forcefully, dislodging the clot.

However, dry socket only happens to about 2-5% of patients, so it’s pretty rare. Your child has the highest risk of dry socket for about 3-4 days after their extraction, so make sure to follow Dr. Brock’s instructions to the letter during this time.

While your child could still damage their blood clot up to 7-10 days after their extraction, this is pretty rare in practice. After 3-4 days, significant healing will already have taken place in the socket, making it much harder for the blood clot to be knocked out of position.

Dry socket happens when the blood clot that forms in your child’s tooth socket is damaged, knocked out of place, or fails to form properly. Usually, this happens if your child eats hard food, sucks on a straw, or spits forcefully, dislodging the clot.

However, dry socket only happens to about 2-5% of patients, so it’s pretty rare. Your child has the highest risk of dry socket for about 3-4 days after their extraction, so make sure to follow Dr. Brock’s instructions to the letter during this time.

While your child could still damage their blood clot up to 7-10 days after their extraction, this is pretty rare in practice. After 3-4 days, significant healing will already have taken place in the socket, making it much harder for the blood clot to be knocked out of position.

Dr. Brock will give you a full set of instructions on how to keep your child’s mouth healthy, but here is a brief overview of some “dos” and “don'ts” that you should keep in mind after their extraction.

DO:
‍- Ensure your child bites into their gauze pack as instructed to form a solid blood clot and reduce bleeding after their surgery
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- Take all drugs provided by Dr. Jason Brock, if applicable
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- Use an ice pack to help numb the area and relieve discomfort
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- Rinse the mouth with salt water or a prescription mouth rinse to clean the extraction site. Do not let your child spit forcefully, as this could lead to dry socket
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- Come into our Clear Lake office for follow-ups as scheduled to ensure your child’s mouth is healing properly
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DON’T:
- Let your child spit forcefully or use a straw for 3-4 days. This helps avoid dry socket

- Eat solid, hard, or crunchy foods for at least a week, since these foods could damage the blood clot and impair healing

- Brush the extraction site directly for at least 3-4 days, as this can damage the blood clot

- Let your child exercise or play intensely for a few days. Heavy exertion can cause pain and discomfort

- Ignore pain that persists for more than a week. By this time, your child’s extraction site should have recovered quite a bit. Serious pain after a week should be addressed with a follow-up at Big Picture Pediatric Dentistry