Pediatric Health Conditions That Could Complicate Extractions

Posted on: 29 September 2020

Before a child has a tooth extraction, pediatric dental specialists need to learn as much as they can about the child's medical history. When the dentist is well-informed about your child's preexisting medical conditions, he or she can better anticipate any potential challenges that may arise during the tooth extraction. Here are some medical conditions that pediatric dental specialists should know about before the start of dental extractions.

Blood Clotting Disorders

If your child has a blood clotting disorder such as thrombocytopenia, which refers to a low platelet count, or hemophilia, the pediatric dentist needs to know. These disorders increase your child's risk for excessive bleeding both during a dental extraction and during the child's recovery period. 

If your child has a bleeding disorder, the dentist may wish to consult with your child's pediatrician or hematologist to learn more about the blood condition and to find out if the disorder is well-controlled. If the pediatrician or hematologist confirms that the blood clotting disorder is well-managed, then the pediatric dental specialist will feel more confident proceeding with the tooth extraction and any other dental procedures that may need to be performed. 

Type I Diabetes

Type I diabetes is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. It is often diagnosed during childhood, as opposed to diabetes mellitus, or type II diabetes, which is typically diagnosed during adulthood. If your child has type I diabetes, he or she may be at a higher risk for developing an infection after dental procedures such as tooth extractions. In addition, those with type I diabetes may experience poor wound healing after extractions as a result of impaired circulation.

Type I diabetics may also face a higher risk of developing oral fungal infections. If your child develops an oral fungal infection such as candidiasis, the dentist may choose to treat the infection before he or she extracts the tooth. Poorly managed diabetes is more of a risk factor in the development of dental infections and slowed healing than well-managed diabetes.

Before making an appointment with the dentist for tooth extraction, make an appointment with the pediatric endocrinologist for a checkup and bloodwork. Children with well-managed type I diabetes can safely undergo dental procedures and most of them will enjoy uneventful recovery periods. 

If your child has a blood clotting disorder, type I diabetes, or any other chronic health condition, tell the dentist. When the pediatric dentist has this information, your child is more likely to recover without incident. 

To learn more information, reach out to pediatric dental specialists near you.

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About Marcel and the Dentist

Hi, my name is Marcel. Welcome to my site! I started it to help others learn about children's dentistry. Most of us don't remember dentist trips from our early childhood. Maybe we didn't even really care about our teeth until we started losing baby teeth. In my case, I became interested in children's dentistry as a young father. When my kids were young, I was a student, and our insurance did not cover visits to the dentist. Although my wife and I tried to teach our kids good hygiene on our own, it was difficult. When we we finally able to take them to the dentist, my little girls were scared and didn't know what was going on. Luckily, they appreciate the dentist now that they are older, but their first experiences helped teach me more about the importance of children's dentistry. Hopefully you can learn from my experiences!