After Treatment Care Instructions

Your child can eat or drink right away when fluoride varnish is placed. We recommend avoiding sticky, abrasive, and steaming hot foods to allow the varnish to continue to absorb into the teeth. Your child can brush and floss 6 hours post fluoride placement.

Your child needs to wait 30 minutes prior to eating, drinking, brushing, or flossing when fluoride gel is placed. This includes water!

Dr. Laura and Dr. Rachel want the sealants they placed to protect your child’s teeth as long as possible! In order to do that, they have to stay in place! Although your child can eat or drink right away post sealant placement, we encourage your child to avoid any sticky foods to help keep the sealant intact for the lifetime of the tooth!

When Your Child First Leaves the Office After a Dental Extraction

Your child will leave the office biting down on gauze to help the extraction site heal faster. We advised leaving this in until the bleeding has subsided (This usually takes 5 to 10 minutes). Your child will be able to eat or drink right away. However, if the lip, cheek or tongue is numb, we advise waiting for that to wear off first. During a dental extraction, the dentist places both a topical and local anesthetic. This numb feeling will wear off within the hour. Dr. Laura and Dr. Rachel advise giving your child Ibuprofen (please follow the dosing based on your child’s weight) post extraction to account for any pressure discomfort they may feel. Dr. Laura and Dr. Rachel encourage going back to your child’s regular brushing and flossing routine the same day!

The Next Few Days After a Dental Extraction

Your child should avoid salty, spicy and super-hot (to temperature) foods and drinks for the next two days. In addition, we also suggest a softer diet for those 2 days. Don’t be surprised if while your child is sleeping a little oozing occurs; we advise placing a towel down during the first night’s sleep. Don’t worry, the extraction site will heal within a few days, and the new adult tooth will come in at the appropriate time!

The topical anesthetic that was placed around your child’s tooth will wear off within the hour post treatment. Your child can eat or drink right away. We advise when composite (white fillings) are placed to avoid any sticky foods (fruit snacks, laffy taffy, etc) that could lift up the restoration.

Both the topical and local anesthetic that was placed will wear off within the hour post treatment. We advise your child to wait until the numbing sensation goes away before they eat any foods. Otherwise, they risk biting their cheek or lip. Dr. Laura and Dr. Rachel recommend that your child avoid eating any sticky foods (fruit snacks, laffy taffy, etc) that could lift up the restoration when composite (white fillings) are placed.

After treatment is completed, your child will receive oxygen for 5 minutes to allow all of the nitrous to exit their lungs. At this point the “floaty feeling and tingling fingers” many children experience from nitrous will disappear. Your child will leave the office in the same state in which they entered! They can return to school and other activities on the same day!