Dentists of Columbus, Ohio and across the nation fully understand - the loss of a single tooth can have major impact on your child's oral health as well as their appearance. Dentists will use every measure to prevent tooth loss, but unfortunately there are still going to be occasions when a tooth must be extracted. The most common reasons extractions occur are for severe decay, advanced periodontal disease, infection or abscess, orthodontic correction, malpositioned teeth, fractured teeth or roots and impacted teeth.
After careful examination and treatment for the above listed conditions, your pediatric dentist may come to the conclusion that all that can be done is a tooth extraction. Don't worry! This happens, and at Worthington Pediatric Dentists you and your child are in capable hands. We'll make the process as easy as we can for your child.
Before a tooth is removed, we take precautionary steps to ensure a safe and smooth process. The pediatric dentists on staff at our Columbus, Ohio office will take an x-ray in order to understand the shape and position of both the tooth and the surrounding bone. Depending on the degree of difficulty, we may be able to take care of the extraction in-house or may need to refer you to an oral surgeon who is a specialist in tooth extraction.
After the surgery, it is normal and expected to feel a certain amount of pain and discomfort. The pain should be manageable with a pain killer and an application of ice packs to the affected area for 15 minutes at a time. A routine extraction will almost always be uncomfortable, but the discomfort should lessen within three days to two weeks.
Call Worthington Pediatric immediately if there is prolonged or severe pain, swelling, bleeding or fever.