Hello Moms and Dads,
My DS, just turned 12, has an appt with an oral surgeon on Wednesday for an extraction of his last, and stubbornly remaining, baby tooth to move his orthodontia along. I am confident in the surgeon and feel that my DS is in good hands.
My question is this:::should i be concerned about altering his diet at all while he heals and, if so, can anyone make any food suggestions? He is very tactile, especially when it comes to "saucy" foods, i.e. anything with a slippery or slimy texture. The child has never eaten a piece of pizza or a bite of mac n cheese in his life. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much and happy back to school season. :-)!! S.
I believe your son won't require any special foods. My brother had two baby teeth pulled as a kid and afterwards he had a full meal at Friendly's. I am actually surprised the dentist is not taking out the baby teeth. It is not suppose to be a big deal at all. Best of luck!
Just think soft. Ice cream, pudding, jello, anything he likes that doesn't require chewing for the first day or so. He doesn't want to move his jaw too much. That will be painful.
He gets to eat what he wants for the next few days...
He doesn't need anything special. It will be healed in a day or 2. A baby tooth will not leave a gaping hole. He can chew on the opposite side. Unless he has developmental issues, 12 is certainly old enough to let you know if he has concerns or discomfort.
He will be OK. My son had a couple of baby teeth pulled out last year (@12); it is not that bad. He just needs to drinkmostly fluids and soft meals (yogurts, ice cream,etc) nothing too hot for about 2 days or so, and nothing to hard or crunchy for 3 days. Now, ask for a second opinion before pulling out any baby tooth, many times it is not necessary at all. I had an experience before with my youngest and was sent to an oral surgeon, I asked for advice somewhere else, and he didn't need, in first place, an oral surgeon(very expensive), and he didn't need to have a baby tooth pulled out. Seriously, even tough it is not a big deal, it is worth to skip medical/dental things that are totally unnecessary, and sometimes more money for dentist/doctors'pocket. Again, ask for a second opinion.
is the adult tooth already coming in? (my daughter's adult teeth came in "behind" her baby teeth... so they never got loose and had to be pulled, but the adult tooth was right there to move into place)
If so, you need to do NOTHING different after the first day or so. The mouth heals REALLY quickly. But really - he could chew on the other side of his mouth until he feels like he can chew on the side where the tooth was pulled.
For example - aforementioned daughter had FIVE baby teeth pulled IN ONE SITTING. Two on right top / two on left top / one on left lower. She was back to eating regular food with NO PROBLEM within two days. She just had to be careful and not eat anything "pointy" - like chips or nuts for a few more days. But a hamburger and fries? no problem.
Now - if the adult tooth is NOT coming in - you need to ask the oral surgeon if he needs to avoid sucking... like using a straw (hopefully he doesn't smoke!!!!!) Sucking after a tooth is pulled can cause what is called a "dry socket" which means the suction causes the blood clot to dislodge. It's not dangerous.... but it's painful.
Why is he such a picky eater? Does he have a sensory issue? Or has he been catered to?
I would take this opportunity to make sure you let him know that he needs to just go on as normal once the novacaine wears off. This is how children learn to adapt.
