Post-Treatment Care

Sealants

Your child may complain today of a feeling that they cannot get their back teeth together. This feeling will go away over the first 12-24 hours as their bite adjusts.  Many children will complain of an odd taste for a few minutes after sealant application. Usually a flavored drink will help to alleviate the taste.

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Your child does not need to wait to eat. The sealants are as hard as they will ever be at this time. Please have your child avoid chewing on ice chips and very hard objects such as jawbreakers since they may chip the sealant. Consuming “sticky-chewy” treats will also affect the duration that these sealants stay intact. This advice should be followed on a daily basis & not just the day of sealant placement. Your child’s sealants will be checked at all of their routine check-ups (every 6 months).

 

Fillings/Restorations

If your child received local anesthetic today, please watch them closely for chewing or biting of the lips or cheek for ~2 hours. Lip bites are common, especially if it’s the 1st time your child has had a numbing solution. If your child manages to bite or chew on the lip, cheek or tongue watch for a yellow appearance of the tissues. This yellow color implies a localized infection is present & your child may require antibiotics for this situation. Lip bites usually clear up within 2 weeks. Your child may drink right away and may eat as soon as the local anesthetic wears off.

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Pulpotomy/Pulpectomy

If the final restoration was not placed today, please be very careful that your child does not chew on sticky or hard foods until after their next appointment.

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The success of a baby tooth pulpotomy/pulpectomy depends on the severity of the inflammation in the nerve of the tooth, and the body’s reaction to the inflammation and the treatment. A Tooth may abscess with or without pain; therefore it is recommended that regular check-ups be made in order to keep the teeth under observation. It’s common to have some tenderness after nerve treatment for a few days. Motrin, every 4 to 6 hours, will help alleviate that sensitivity.

 

Stainless Steel Crowns

Please avoid eating on the tooth for one hour and stick to soft foods today such as pancakes, scrambled eggs, ice cream and spaghetti. Please keep the gum tissues around the crown very clean, and especially for the next week, please help your child to brush in this area. A little bit of gingival bleeding is very normal during the healing process.

Please avoid sticky foods such as fruit snacks, gummy style vitamins or treats, taffy, caramel...as this type of food can dislodge these crowns. If the crown dislodges call our office immediately to avoid unnecessary sensitivity.

 

Tooth Removal/Extractions

 

• Bleeding: This may occur for the first hour. Having your child bite on absorbent gauze for 20 minute intervals during that hour (ie, 3 gauze changes) will help stop bleeding & allow for clot formation.  If the gauze is removed too frequently, disruption of clot formation occurs. Removal of adult teeth warrants not using a straw, not spitting & not swimming in a public pool (due to the bacterial content).

• Diet: Once numbness is gone, your child should still maintain a soft diet (pasta, peanut butter & jelly sandwich, etc) until the child is comfortable. Popsicles are always a safe bet!

• Activity: In most circumstances, your child can resume sports activities after 2-3 hours. Again, high bacteria levels are common in public pools, so please refrain from swimming on the day of your procedure.

• Pain Control: If your child complains of soreness, children’s Motrin can be administered every 4-6 hours, as needed (dosage via your child’s weight).

• Surgical Site: Brushing the site where the tooth was removed can disrupt the clot formation, so avoid bristle contact in that area during the day of the procedure & return to normal brushing the following morning.

 

Space Maintenance

Your child may have some mild discomfort during the initial couple of days following the insertion. Your child can eat when they’re comfortable to do so & should stick to soft foods today, such as pancakes, scrambled eggs, ice cream, spaghetti, etc. Avoid “sticky-chewy” treats during the time your child is wearing ANY space maintainers as this can lead to dislodging & subsequent breakage of the retainer. If the retainer should loosen or dislodge, contact our office within 24 hours to avoid space loss. Please help your child keep the tissues around the bands very clean by assisting your child with brushing this area nightly.