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Local
Anesthesia | Discomfort
| Fillings or Crowns
| Nerve Treatments
| Sedation | Extractions
LOCAL
ANESTHESIA If your child has received numbing
medication for his/her dental care, the lips/tongue/cheek may be numb for
up to two (2) hours afterward. Please observe them carefully and
discourage touching, sucking, or chewing on the numb areas. These
activities can severely damage the lips; when they
are allowed, lips take a week or so to heal. Only very soft foods
and liquids are recommended if your child is hungry. After, the two
hours have passed, any food except sticky, hard foods are allowable.
Youngsters generally do not like
the feeling of anesthesia and often tell parents it hurts, but they do not
know any other way to express the ballooning, tingly feeling.
DISCOMFORT
If your child complains of discomfort after the dental appointment, please
give your child Motrin or AdviI (ibuprophen) by weight recommendations on
the bottle if your child can tolerate this medication. Otherwise,
Tylenol is an acceptable alternative. It may take up to an hour for
discomfort to be alleviated after taking
the medication. If discomfort is severe or
persists,
call our office and a doctor will be paged by the answering service.
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FILLINGS
OR CROWNS If your child has received fillings or crowns, you
can USUALLY expect numb lips.
Occasionally, children have gum sensitivity or
redness
after white fillings or stainless steel crowns are placed. Drizzling
Benadryl elixir on the gum tissue can
help alleviate the sensitivity reaction. If necessary, applying the elixir
for several days can make your child more comfortable.
NERVE
TREATMENTS If your
child has had a nerve treatment, please review discomfort instructions, if
necessary. Usually, children are more
comfortable
after nerve treatments than adults are.
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SEDATION
Your child's "balance" will be "off", so activity
should be closely monitored for four (4) hours. For this reason, we
advise NOT sending them
back to school. Please choose activities which do not require gross
motor skills and hold hand. while walking to avoid stumbling or falls.
Watching movies, coloring,
reading or being read to, etc. are good choices for activities. Do NOT
allow your child to overheat.
EXTRACTIONS
If your child has had a tooth (or teeth) extracted, they will
almost ALWAYS have numb lips. Avoid forceful spitting, use of
straws, pacifiers, bottles, and drinking of carbonated or hot beverages as
these cause prolonged bleeding and/or pain. Oozing may be normal for
a day or two. Cooler, foods are recommended as they help stop
oozing, swelling, and pain. Quieter activities without overheating
are better for several days if at all possible.
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