Post Operative Info

Following your child’s dental procedure, there are steps you can take at home to ensure proper recovery. We will review these tips during your visit, but for your convenience, we’ve also listed them here. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to reach out to our team at Little Lion Dental Clinic.

After Local Anesthesia 

Local anesthesia usually numbs the tongue, teeth, lips, and nearby tissues. After bringing your child home from a procedure that involved local anesthesia, please remember the following:

• Monitor your child closely for at least two hours after the treatment.
• Remind them that their face is numb and they should avoid chewing, scratching, or sucking on the affected area to prevent irritation or injury.
• Restrict your child to liquids and soft foods until the numbness wears off.

After Tooth Extraction

“Your child has had a local anesthetic for their dental procedure, please follow “After Local Anesthesia” care instructions. 

• Make sure your child avoids biting, sucking, or rubbing their lips while numb. Supervise them until the anesthesia wears off.
• Do not allow your child to rinse their mouth for several hours.
• Keep your child from drinking carbonated beverages or using a straw on the day of the surgery.
• Instruct your child not to touch the empty socket with their fingers or tongue.
• Some blood-tinged saliva is normal, but prolonged bleeding is not. If bleeding continues, press gauze or a wet tea bag over the socket and have your child bite down for ten minutes. If bleeding persists, contact our office or go to the nearest emergency room.
• For pain relief, use a children pain killer  according to the child’s age and weight. Follow any prescribed medication instructions on the bottle.

After Stainless Steel Crowns or Zirconia Crowns

“Your child has had a local anesthetic for their dental procedure, please follow “After Local Anesthesia” care instructions. 

• Eating sticky or chewy candy can dislodge crowns. If a crown comes off, call to schedule an appointment and bring the crown for re-cementing.
• Gum soreness may persist for 2-3 days.
• Continue brushing teeth and gums as usual. Good oral hygiene will help extend the crown’s lifespan.
• For pain relief, use a children pain killer  according to the child’s age and weight. Follow any prescribed medication instructions on the bottle.
• Contact the office if you have any questions.

After Fluoride Therapy

Today, a fluoride varnish was applied to your child’s teeth. This treatment provides fluoride and a protective coating for the teeth. For optimal results, please follow these guidelines:

• Avoid brushing or flossing for at least 4-6 hours.
• If possible, wait until tomorrow morning to start brushing and flossing again.
• Stick to a soft food diet for the remainder of today.
• Refrain from consuming hot drinks and products with alcohol (such as certain beverages and oral rinses) for the rest of today.

Your child will be able to feel the varnish on their teeth. Once brushing or flossing resumes, the varnish will gradually come off over the next few days.

After Dental Sealants

• Prevent your child from eating ice.
• Avoid sticky, chewy, and sugary foods like caramel, taffy, and tough fruit chews such as Starburst or roll-ups.
• Encourage good daily oral hygiene.

After  Space Maintainers

• Keep your child away from sticky, chewy, hard, or crunchy foods like gum, caramels, Milk Duds, licorice, gummy bears, jelly beans, beef jerky, nuts, popcorn, ice, hard candies, jawbreakers, and corn on the cob.
• Remind your child not to pull on or poke the wire(s).
• If the space maintainer becomes loose or breaks, contact our office for an evaluation and to determine if the appliance needs repair or replacement.