Pediatric Extractions & Wisdom Teeth in Stamford, CT

Gentle, Age-Appropriate Tooth Removal — With Sedation Options When Needed

Sometimes a tooth needs to come out — a badly decayed baby tooth, a tooth crowding out an incoming permanent tooth, or wisdom teeth that don’t have room to erupt. At Dental Care Kids, our board-certified pediatric specialists perform dental extractions for children and teens with the same unhurried, kid-centered approach we bring to every visit — backed by the full range of sedation options when comfort or anxiety calls for it. For surgical cases, we partner with Dr. Jonathan Cohen, a five-year-trained oral and maxillofacial surgeon who handles wisdom tooth extractions and complex cases for our teens.

1500 Summer Street, 2nd Floor, Stamford, CT 06905 | Call (203) 324-6171 to schedule a consultation

When a Tooth Needs to Come Out

Extractions aren’t our first choice. We always try to save baby teeth with fillings, crowns, or pulpotomies when clinically reasonable. But sometimes extraction is the right call:

Baby Teeth: - Severe decay that’s progressed beyond what a pulpotomy or crown can save - Abscess or infection that can’t be resolved with other treatment - Traumatic damage beyond repair - Over-retained baby teeth (teeth that don’t fall out on their own and block incoming permanent teeth) - Orthodontic recommendations — sometimes teeth are removed to create space for orthodontic alignment

Permanent Teeth: - Severe damage from trauma or decay beyond restoration - Impacted teeth that can’t erupt properly - Extra teeth (supernumerary) that interfere with normal dentition - Orthodontic extraction — occasionally recommended by Dental Care Orthodontics next door to create alignment space

Wisdom Teeth: - Impacted wisdom teeth that can’t erupt properly (the most common reason) - Insufficient jaw space to accommodate them - Partial eruption that leads to recurrent infection - Damage to adjacent molars from pressure or poor positioning

Space Maintainers — Why They Matter After Extractions

When a baby tooth is extracted before its natural fall-out date, the space it leaves behind matters enormously. Without that tooth holding space, surrounding teeth can drift — causing the permanent tooth behind it to come in crooked, blocked, or in the wrong position. This can lead to serious orthodontic problems later.

The solution is a space maintainer — a small appliance that preserves the gap until the permanent tooth is ready to erupt. We offer:

• Band-and-loop space maintainers — most common, attach to the neighboring tooth
• Lingual holding arches — used when multiple baby teeth are lost
• Nance appliances — for upper molars

Space maintainers are a small upfront investment that often prevents thousands of dollars in orthodontic work later. We’ll discuss the right option during your extraction consultation.

The Extraction Procedure at Dental Care Kids

Baby Tooth and Simple Permanent Tooth Extractions

Most pediatric extractions are quick — often completed in 15–30 minutes:

1. “Show, tell, do” — we walk your child through what will happen
2. Local anesthesia — the area is fully numbed
3. Optional nitrous oxide for mild anxiety
4. Gentle extraction using pediatric-appropriate instruments
5. Bite on gauze for 30–60 minutes afterward to form a clot
6. Home care review and follow-up plan

More Complex Extractions

For extractions involving: - Multiple teeth in one visit - Severely decayed or broken-down teeth - Anxious patients - Special needs patients - Very young children

We often recommend oral sedation, IV sedation, or general anesthesia for comfort and safety.

Wisdom Tooth Extractions — With Dr. Jonathan Cohen

Wisdom teeth — the third molars — usually erupt (or attempt to) in the late teens. Many teens don’t have enough jaw space to accommodate them, leading to impaction, pain, infection, or pressure on adjacent teeth.

Wisdom tooth removal is a surgical procedure that benefits from specialty training. That’s why our teens see Dr. Jonathan Cohen for these cases — a board-trained oral and maxillofacial surgeon who completed a five-year hospital-based residency at Rutgers / University Hospital (a Level One Trauma Center) and held the role of Chief Resident. He also maintains active BLS and ACLS certifications.

Wisdom tooth removal typically requires: - A panoramic X-ray to evaluate position and root development - Surgical consultation with Dr. Cohen — simple vs. impacted extraction planning - IV sedation or general anesthesia for multi-tooth extractions - Post-op recovery of 3–5 days for most teens

Having an oral surgeon within our practice means your teen stays in a familiar, kid-friendly setting rather than being referred out to an unfamiliar surgical office.

Aftercare — What to Expect

Every child heals at their own pace, but most pediatric extractions follow a similar timeline:

First 24 Hours

• Bite on gauze for 30–60 minutes to form a clot
• Cold compress on the outside of the cheek to reduce swelling
• Soft, cool foods — yogurt, smoothies, mashed potatoes, pudding
• No straws, no spitting, no rinsing forcefully — disturbing the clot can cause “dry socket”
• Age-appropriate pain relief as directed (acetaminophen or ibuprofen)

Days 2–5

• Mild discomfort is normal and should gradually improve
• Continue soft foods — gradually adding firmer foods as comfort allows
• Gentle salt water rinses after day 1
• Normal brushing around the rest of the mouth, avoiding the extraction site directly

When to Call Us

• Fever, significant facial swelling, or severe pain after day 2
• Excessive bleeding
• Signs of infection (pus, foul taste)
• The space maintainer comes loose

Schedule an Extraction Consultation

Call (203) 324-6171 or request an appointment online. We accommodate even the busiest family schedules, with evening and Saturday hours available.

Give Your Child a Smile They’ll Love

At Dental Care Kids, every visit is built around your child’s comfort, curiosity, and confidence. Our board-certified pediatric specialists and kid-loving team make dental care something families actually look forward to.

Call (203) 324-6171 to schedule your child’s visit, or reach us at frontdesk@dentalcarekids.com. We serve families across Stamford, Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, and nearby Westchester County, NY.

1500 Summer St., 2nd Floor, Stamford, CT | Evening and Saturday appointments available