We understand that extractions can be scary for little ones. Pulling your child’s tooth is always the dentist’s last resort when restoring their smile. Our compassionate team and variety of sedation options are here to make your child’s extraction as painless as possible, so they can get back to thriving health.
Removing a tooth is the last option on our list, not the first. A tooth that can be saved with a filling, a crown or a pulpotomy should be saved, because a natural tooth holds space and guides the permanent tooth beneath it better than anything we can put in its place. When extraction is genuinely the right call, though, delaying it usually costs your child more discomfort and more appointments.
The common reasons are decay that has gone too far to restore, an infection that will not resolve with treatment of the tooth, a fracture from a fall or sports injury that leaves nothing solid to build on, and a stubborn baby tooth that has not made way for the permanent tooth pushing in behind it. Sometimes extraction is part of an orthodontic plan — a severely crowded arch, or a baby tooth removed deliberately to let a permanent one come in straighter. In those cases the decision is made with Dr. Tiffany Lu, our board-certified orthodontist, rather than in isolation.
The area is numbed thoroughly before anything happens, and we do not start until your child is comfortable. Most baby-tooth extractions are quick — pressure and movement rather than anything dramatic — and children are often surprised afterward at how little there was to it. For an anxious child, a long appointment or several teeth, we will talk with you about sedation options, including nitrous oxide, and which one suits your child's age, health history and the work planned. Nothing gets decided on the day without you.
The first day does most of the work. Keep gentle pressure on the gauze until bleeding stops, stick to soft, cool food, and skip straws, spitting and anything vigorous — suction disturbs the clot the site needs. Numbness lingers for a while after the appointment, and children who cannot feel their lip or cheek will chew it without noticing, so watch them until sensation returns. Use whatever pain relief your dentist recommends for your child's age and weight, at the intervals given. Call us for bleeding that will not settle, swelling that worsens after day two, fever, or pain that is getting worse rather than better — those are worth a phone call, not a wait-and-see.
If a baby tooth comes out well before the permanent tooth is due, the teeth on either side can drift into the space and leave the permanent tooth with nowhere to erupt. That is what space maintainers are for, and whether your child needs one is part of the same conversation as the extraction rather than an afterthought. For a permanent tooth lost to injury, the plan is coordinated with orthodontics from the start.
Wisdom teeth are the most commonly extracted teeth, with more than 10 million wisdom teeth being pulled every year.
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Free nitrous oxide with treatment
If fear is keeping you or your kiddo from scheduling an appointment, we’re delighted to offer FREE nitrous oxide with your child’s treatment! Laughing gas can help them relax during their extraction and then resume daily activities with a smile.
See real patient success stories.
Removing a tooth that cannot be saved ends the discomfort it is causing and stops an infection from spreading to nearby teeth and tissue.
A baby tooth blocking a permanent one — or a crowded arch — can be resolved so the teeth behind it come in where they should.
The area is fully numbed, and for children who need more support we can discuss sedation, including nitrous oxide, before the appointment is booked.
Your pediatric dentist confirms the tooth cannot be restored another way, and explains why extraction is being recommended over a filling, crown or pulpotomy.
The area is numbed thoroughly, comfort options are agreed with you in advance, and the tooth is removed — usually far quicker than parents expect.
You go home with written aftercare and a number to call, plus a plan for the gap, including a space maintainer if one is needed.
Ask us to explain the alternative, and we will. A tooth that can be restored with a filling, crown or pulpotomy should be, because a natural tooth guides the permanent tooth better than anything else. We recommend extraction when decay, infection or a fracture has gone past what restoration can hold — or when an orthodontic plan calls for it.
The area is numbed thoroughly first and we do not begin until your child is comfortable. Baby-tooth extractions are usually quick. Afterward, expect some soreness for a day or two, managed with whatever pain relief your dentist recommends for your child's age and weight. For anxious children we can discuss sedation, including nitrous oxide, ahead of the appointment.
Soft and cool for the first day — yogurt, smoothies eaten with a spoon, pasta, eggs. Avoid straws, spitting, hot food and anything crunchy, since suction and debris disturb the clot the site needs to heal. Watch them while the numbness wears off, because children will chew a lip they cannot feel.
It can, if a baby tooth is lost well before the permanent one is ready — neighbouring teeth drift into the space and the permanent tooth loses its path. That is exactly what space maintainers prevent, and we will tell you at the extraction visit whether your child needs one.
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