Like any other firsts, my daughter's first tooth extraction had been a source of my anxiety and for a time was the reason I don't sleep well at night. Apart from the thought of seeing her tooth being pulled out with all the gore that comes with the procedure, I dreaded the fact that she would be sedated. Some of the worries were:
1. my daughter has Autism and subjecting her to sedation with oral sedatives might cause her to regress.
2. I worried about untoward reactions like allergic reaction to the drug.
3. I was worried about the trauma that it might cause her. Having a tooth being pulled out at a young age might cause her long term trauma.
I did a lot of research and asking around to get myself better prepared. I actually held back a lot of times making it the reason why my daughter's tooth became painful and the extraction had to be scheduled before infection and swelling sets in. So let me share some points that I thought helped me a lot before, during, and after the procedure.
A. Find a good pediatric dentist.
Pedia dentists have a better understanding of children's behavior and will be able to deal with your children with the right amount of care and understanding. Also, they have the patience of a saint. They always encounter tantrums so you don't have to worry about your kid acting-out because that's probably what they see everyday. Most of them are specialized in dealing with children who have special needs. Make it a point to have your child's tooth checked as early as possible.
B. Prepare yourself!
You need to be physically, emotionally, financially, and mentally prepared.
You are surely going to see your kid cry and beg like never before and you would have to be emotionally stronger than ever to resist scooping them up from that dental chair and head out running. Having a bloody tooth being pulled out from my daughter's mouth felt like my heart muscles were being ripped apart!
Be physically prepared. My daughter always puts up a good fight-physical fight. So I made sure that I are a full meal, emptied my bladder, and slept at least 6 hours straight before the procedure. My daughter is 4 years old but she is very strong.
Prepare financially. Tooth extraction alone does not cost much but when oral sedation is necessary, you would have to prepare about 4,000-5,000 pesos. In our case, we spent more than 6,000 pesos for a tooth extraction and a filling. This amount did not include obtaining clearances. Before being administered with an oral sedative, the doctors need to make sure that your kid is in excellent physical health. No lung or nose congestion or fever before the procedure. Presence of those mentioned above within 24 hours before the procedure, would mean cancellation. Clearances will only be valid for 48 hours, so make sure you don't get it earlier than that.
Do not panic! After the procedure you have to be quick to identify common post local anesthesia complications such as cheek, tongue, and lip biting. We struggled more with sores in the mouth and cheek and as well as in the tongue than recovering from the extracted tooth. Expect that your child will still be groggy and will not regain balance until the medication wears off (in about 1 to 2 hours or after the 3rd pee) Make sure that you do not let your kid walk by himself/herself. He/she has to be supported and assisted at all times to avoid any injury.
Find time to know more about oral sedation or general anesthesia for dental procedures. There are cases where General anesthetics are needed for dental procedures. Oral sedation on the other hand is a pretty common procedure especially in younger and non-cooperative patients. Being sedated also makes sure that the procedure is done safely and swiftly.
Prepare your child and explain the procedure. Explain to your kid what the procedure would be and why it should be done. Some sugar-coating would not hurt and throw in some fairy stories and a bit of magic.
To date, my daughter already had tooth extraction twice and it was better the second time, It was like she was more aware of the procedure and what to expect of it. As for the regression, it did not happen-I just wasted my time worrying myself to death. She is now in Nursery at a regular school and just started with reading tutorial. I am hopeful that there will come a time when there will be no need for my daughter to be sedated during tooth extraction or for any dental procedure. I'm positive we can do it and you can do it too!
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