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What to eat after tooth extraction?


alisoncooks
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Oldest DD is having 4 permanent teeth removed on Tuesday. ? (She has extreme crowding/impaction/small jaw, and this is an initial step in the braces process.)

What sort of foods should I have on hand for her? Applesauce, ice pops...? If you have had a child go through this, how long was their mouth tender? How soon before they ate normally? Our regular dentist is doing the extraction, not an oral surgeon.

(If you are opposed to tooth extraction, please do not respond. I'm only looking to hear from those that can share experience.)

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My DD had all 4 of hers removed at the same time, too. She was very sore and took painkillers for about a week. I kept ice cream, popsicles, jello, whatever cold soft foods sounded good to her. At first, she wanted stronger flavors to get rid of the taste in her mouth. 

Remember, no straws. So no milkshakes or smoothies unless she drinks them or (gently) uses a spoon.

GL to your dd. Our regular dentist removed our dd's, too, and let me watch. I found it very interesting because the dentist explained what he was doing. DD, though, didn't like hearing his descriptions. 

Edited by wilrunner
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Yep, DD, now 21, had 4 baby teeth and 2 adult teeth removed at about age 12 due to extreme overcrowding. Her dentist did refer her to an oral surgeon who recommended general anesthesia as the adult teeth were deeply impacted. She came through easily and was only really unhappy the first day or so.  My advice would be to set nutrition aside for a couple of days and provide whatever soft foods your DD finds comforting/soothing.  Warm custards, cold ice cream, etc. It's been a long time but I seem to remember that DD was ready to start eating more substantial foods in just a few days.  Anything hard/crunchy should wait until after the follow up visit, usually about a week later.

Good luck!

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ice cream!  (the cold actually helps with swelling.)  no milkshakes that use a straw.  (sucking is bad after tooth extractions.)

soft foods that don't require a lot from teeth.

mashed potatoes.

how long depends upon age/jaw development.  I was13?14?.  my jaw didn't want to open for at least a week.  my brother was 15/16, hardly bothered him.

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Dd had 4 wisdom teeth removed 3 weeks ago. All were bony impactions. She hurt for 2 weeks. Hope your kiddos are easier. 

Echoing no straws, cold things are good, and stay ahead of the pain. 

Don't syringe-rinse for a couple days until the clots form. 

Heat, after 24 hours, really helped the swelling. 

Dd's favorite thing was mashed potatoes, made with almond milk. 

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Thanks for all the great ideas!  There were some foods I hadn't thought of. 

I'm hoping the extraction won't be difficult - the teeth being removed aren't impacted so maybe that makes a difference. DD has her first PE class of the semester 3 days afterward...it sounds like I should start prepping her for the possibility she won't be up for it...

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 I  had some teeth extracted so the Orthodontist had room to move teeth around. And, then, when he finished he suggested that I have my Wisdom Teeth removed at my convenience, because if I didn't, he more or less guaranteed me it was going to be extremely uncomfortable, so I had those removed one Xmas vacation.

In my memory, yes, very soft foods and there were cans of a liquid drink that I drank, for at least several days, after my Wisdom Teeth were removed by an Oral Surgeon.

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Ds had four teeth extracted by a regular dentist at about the same age.  The dentist didn't use any sedation, not even nitrous oxide.   They were baby teeth, so I thought they would come out easily.  They did not. Ds was super stoic, didn't cry or squirm or even wimper.  But it was extremely traumatic for him, and for me (I was watching).  The dentist had to throw the weight of his whole body against the pliers to get the teeth loose, tugging back and forth and back and forth on each tooth.  Each one made a loud popping sound when it came loose.  They weren't impacted, but they still had roots. Afterward, ds's mouth was packed with cotton, and there was blood all around his mouth, and we had to stop at the pharmacy to get his pain meds (we live in the country, so I couldn't take him home first).  Ds needed the bathroom, so he had to come in the store with me, and he was very concerned that everyone was looking at him with all that bloody cotton in his mouth.  (They weren't, and it didn't look that bad, but in his traumatized mind, he looked and felt like a hideous monster).  It's been almost 10 years, but ds still remembers it as one of the worst experiences he ever had (right up there with getting stitches in his face after being hit by a rock).

If I could do it again, I would have taken ds to an oral surgeon, and at least had ds consciously sedated, or even put under a general anesthetic. And I would have picked up his pain meds before the procedure, or made other arrangements so that he didn't have to wait for them.  I am not against extraction.  But I'd encourage you to ask a lot of questions about the procedure itself, conscious sedation, prescriptions, etc.  

This doesn't answer your initial question about what to expect in the day(s) afterward, but I honestly don't remember that part.  

Edited by Suzanne in ABQ
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11 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

Thanks for all the great ideas!  There were some foods I hadn't thought of. 

I'm hoping the extraction won't be difficult - the teeth being removed aren't impacted so maybe that makes a difference. DD has her first PE class of the semester 3 days afterward...it sounds like I should start prepping her for the possibility she won't be up for it...

Check with the dentist about PE. My child was restricted from doing anything that raised her heart rate for 24 hours and it was only one tooth. The mouth bleeds a lot and very easily.

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Today's dentist visit went very well. They did use nitrous oxide.  DD says it wasn't stressful or traumatic; she did say that her jaw was sore from the force but that has faded...and that the sound of the tooth coming out was gross. She's not got much pain right now, but we're staying on top of the Tylenol. The dr restricted physical activity for just today, but said PE on Friday is fine if DD is up to it. 

So far, she has eaten: ice cream, yogurt, pudding, and jello. I've got a smooth baked potato soup in the crockpot, which she may eat for dinner.  

Thanks again for all the food ideas!  (Now I just need to figure out how to keep younger DD out of the treats, lol. She's "sympathy eating" alongside her sister.) :)

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2 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

Today's dentist visit went very well. They did use nitrous oxide.  DD says it wasn't stressful or traumatic; she did say that her jaw was sore from the force but that has faded...and that the sound of the tooth coming out was gross. She's not got much pain right now, but we're staying on top of the Tylenol. The dr restricted physical activity for just today, but said PE on Friday is fine if DD is up to it. 

So far, she has eaten: ice cream, yogurt, pudding, and jello. I've got a smooth baked potato soup in the crockpot, which she may eat for dinner.  

Thanks again for all the food ideas!  (Now I just need to figure out how to keep younger DD out of the treats, lol. She's "sympathy eating" alongside her sister.) :)

 

I'm so glad it went well for your dd.  I've been thinking about her.  Thanks for the update.

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