How to Prepare Your Teen for a Surgical Tooth Extraction

Surgical tooth extractions, mainly wisdom tooth removals, are a rite of passage for many older teenagers today. But, just because surgical tooth extractions are common doesn’t necessarily mean your teen is prepared.

You can help your teenager get ready for their surgical tooth extraction by educating them about the procedure and prepping your home for their recovery. At Pioneer Dental Group, our dentist, Dr. Behzad Binafard, and team of dentistry specialists offer oral surgery in our comfortable Norwalk, California, office.

We use sedation dentistry, state-of-the-art equipment, and the latest dental protocols. In addition, we educate parents about how to prepare teens for their surgical tooth removal. That means less stress for both you and your child and helps ensure a safe and comfortable experience.

Today we're covering the main things you need to do to prepare your child for their oral surgery, and how you can do them successfully.

Explaining the need for tooth extraction

Many teens may feel apprehensive about their surgical tooth extraction. But, that’s often due to a lack of knowledge about what it involves and why it’s necessary. Dr. Binafard and our team explain what you and your teen need to know ahead of the procedure, which makes it much easier to understand and prepare.

One of the big reasons that having an extraction as a teen is so important is that it can save your teen a lot of pain and trouble as an adult. For instance, removing wisdom teeth as an older teen or young adult is ideal because the teeth are less set-in at that stage of life.

As the years pass, roots grow stronger and deeper and the jawbone thickens. So, if your teen needs an extraction as an adult, it’s a much more complicated procedure with more discomfort, slower recovery, and increased risk of complications.

As a teen, recovery is much easier. In fact, most teens can return to school in 3-5 days, though full healing can take up to a week or two. You can help smooth this recovery process by prepping your home.

Prepping your home

For at least a few days after a surgical tooth extraction, your teen needs to eat a soft diet. That doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy food, though. We recommend that parents ask their teens what sounds good to them and stock the house with those foods ahead of time. Some foods that are safe to eat after a surgical tooth extraction are:

Soup
Pudding
Oatmeal
Ice cream
Cottage cheese
Yogurt
Applesauce
Well-cooked noodles, such as ramen noodles
Scrambled eggs

Most beverages are okay to drink after a surgical tooth extraction, but tell your teen they can’t use a straw. Straws can accidentally break open a healing blood clot or stitches.

For the first few days, your teen may feel bored since they can’t resume their regular activities just yet. Make sure they have entertainment options, including books, games, access to streaming services, and other activities they can enjoy at home.

This helps the early recovery fly by and makes the whole process easier. Knowing they have plenty to do and lots of free time may even make your child look forward to recovery.

At Pioneer Dental Group, we’re ready to partner with you to make your teen’s surgical tooth extraction easy. Call our office or connect with us online to plan your teen’s recovery now.