Attention all parents!
If a smooth and successful recovery from a wisdom teeth removal surgery is your wish for your child, preparation is key. So, we’ve created this guide to answer your questions, give pointers on caring for your child, and reassure you that there’s nothing to worry about. Our Warren, New Jersey oral surgeons are experts in removing wisdom teeth and perform these routine procedures in our office every day.
HERE’S WHAT WE RECOMMEND YOU DO IN ADVANCE TO PREP:
Food and Drink
First off, do not allow your child to eat or drink the morning of the procedure or for at least eight hours beforehand. Pre-approved medications may be taken with a sip of water.
During the day after surgery, your child will be sore, so it’s important to have smooth, soft, and pureed foods on hand. Ice cream, apple sauce, soup, Jell-O, yogurt, mashed potatoes, milkshakes, smoothies, and oatmeal are all excellent options that usually sound palatable to patients who have just had oral surgery. Start with clear liquids and then slowly progress to soft foods as your child feels up to it.
It’s crucial that your child does not use a straw or tobacco during the first week of the healing period. Failure to adhere to this rule could result in a dry socket, a painful condition that occurs when the clot is dislodged from the extraction site. Refraining from straw and tobacco use is the number one way to avoid this complication.
Finally, do not allow your child to eat foods that can easily get stuck in the surgical site, such as granola, berries, popcorn, etc.
Transportation
Patients under 18 who come in to have their wisdom teeth removed must be accompanied by an adult of legal guardianship. We will not move forward with the extraction if your child is alone. The procedure usually takes about an hour, so please plan to stay for the duration of the time. If you are an adult undergoing anesthesia, we will not permit you to drive after your procedure, so please have an escort.
Relaxation
Stock up on movies and set up a comfy place on the couch for your child to rest the day of surgery. It’s essential that your child refrain from exercising, going to school, and doing chores or homework the first several days. Failure to rest will inhibit proper healing.
Pain Management
Your child can rest assured that they will experience no pain during surgery. In fact, there should be no discomfort or surprises during their time with us. We offer a variety of levels of anesthesia to accommodate personal preferences, and our team is trained and highly experienced with administering anesthesia.
We will send you home with a prescription for pain medications to help manage any discomfort during the recovery. However, our patients are pleasantly surprised as most experience mild soreness which is controlled well with prescribed pain medications.
Our office employs all pain management techniques to limit the number of narcotics that are prescribed, as recent studies show evidence that the combination of Motrin and Advil is a more effective pain reliever than narcotics. We administer pain and anti-inflammatory medications prior to your surgery in our office, so you do not have pain after your surgery.
The overwhelming majority of patients having all four wisdom teeth removed undergo this under intravenous sedation while asleep. Immediately after you are sedated, we administer a local anesthetic, so there is no chance you will have pain during the surgery.
Our office will supply you with an ice pack specifically made for the removal of wisdom teeth which will be applied right after your surgery in our post-operative recovery area. The ice pack will help tremendously with reducing swelling and post-operative discomfort. The application of ice 30 minutes on 30 minutes off for about 36 hours from the time of your surgery is recommended. We will also administer additional pain medications, if necessary, in our post-operative recovery on the day of your surgery.
Have more questions?
When it comes to a successful wisdom teeth removal, advanced preparation is the golden ticket. Before the procedure, we’ll provide you and your child with specific pre/post-surgical instructions so that you know exactly what to expect. You are in gentle and experienced hands with us! Don’t hesitate to call and speak with someone in our office if you have any remaining questions.
Call 908-222-7922 to schedule your wisdom teeth consultation.
To read more about wisdom teeth view our informative pages below.
- Impacted Wisdom Teeth
- Wisdom Teeth Removal
- After Extraction of Wisdom Teeth
- Cost of Wisdom Teeth removal
- Wisdom Teeth FAQ
- Why you should have your Wisdom Teeth Removed?
Posted by aswamy on Mar 1st, 2021 11:00 am
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