Pulling Parents' Teeth

Can I do dental treatments on my parents?

Shalom! 

Thank you for your question. 

It is generally forbidden to perform a medical procedure upon one’s parents lest one cause them to bleed or otherwise wound them in any way. To do so is a serious violation of the mitzva of kibbud av va’em. Wounding a parent is so severe a transgression that the punishment for doing so was death in ancient times, as it says, “One who strikes his father or his mother will be put to death.” This includes merely bruising a parent! There were sages of the Talmud who would not even let their children remove a thorn or splinter that was embedded in their skin, lest doing so cause them to bleed. 

We see from here that children may not serve as their parents’ doctors or dentists, as such treatments generally include some measure of “wounding,” such as administering an injection when needed. In the case of a dentist, even a routine teeth cleaning or flossing can cause bleeding. Consequently, it is forbidden for a child to perform such procedures on a parent. There are also those who will not give their parents a haircut lest they unintentionally scratch or wound them in the process. 

In the event that there is simply no one else available to perform a needed medical procedure on one’s parent, one would be permitted to do it if the parent so requests. 

 Sanhedrin 84b; Leket Yosher 2:37; Rambam, Hilchot Mamrim 5:7; Rema, YD 241:3; Minchat Chinuch 48; Aruch Hashulchan, YD 241:6; Minchat Yitzchak 1:27.