Around 6 years old, children lose their baby teeth to make room for their permanent teeth. Getting to this developmental milestone is a huge milestone in your child’s life and one you should celebrate!
It is common to wonder if you should assist your child in shedding his or her teeth – or allow nature to determine when it is time for each one to retire. We at Las Vega Pediatric Dentist are more than happy to answer all of your questions!
Pulling out a loose baby tooth is easy if you know what to do:
Loose baby teeth: what should you do?
When a tooth first loosens up, you shouldn’t pull it out – no matter how tempting it might be. When a baby tooth becomes loose, it can be more difficult for your child to eat and speak properly. Consequently, you may conclude that pulling it out is in your child’s best interest.
As one might imagine, the old trick of tying floss around one’s loose tooth and slamming the door should be experienced by every child at least once. However, it turns out that pulling out loose teeth can actually be harmful – and pretty painful, too.
There are many reasons why a tooth might become loose; it’s not just caused by the fact that it’s time to erupt. When the tooth becomes loose after an injury, and you pull it out, it could be painful, cause excessive bleeding, and possibly cause permanent damage to the teeth.
You should let nature take its course and decide when your child’s tooth is ready. Even if you don’t want to remove the loose tooth (until it’s fully ready), you can support the process and encourage the loose tooth to fall out!
Baby tooth removal: how to do it
Let’s look at nature’s process for ejecting baby teeth first:
- The underlying permanent tooth begins to grow, loosening the baby tooth above.
- While pushing the baby tooth upward, the permanent tooth begins to absorb the root of the baby tooth.
- Six months after the baby tooth falls out, the permanent tooth will have absorbed the entire baby tooth root.
- Baby teeth are held in place by the gum tissue only once they have been pushed out of the gums. When a baby tooth begins to emerge, it is held by the gum tissue.
Whenever a tooth can be rotated nearly 360 degrees without pain, it is ready to be removed. When you apply very gentle pressure, you can try to remove the tooth. You can try these tricks to help your child stop pulling his tooth if he is in pain:
- Bite into an apple with your child. An apple will probably pop your tooth out with the pressure needed to bite it!
- You can try brushing and flossing your child’s teeth to encourage the tooth to fall out!
- If your child asks for help removing a tooth and is not in pain, the American Dental Association suggests you wash your hands, place a paper towel over the tooth, and gently squeeze it. When the tooth is ready, it will pop right out!
When a tooth is 100% ready to leave the mouth, it should have a little bleeding and should not be painful to remove.
After removing a baby tooth, how to handle the tissue left behind
Occasionally, your child may be left with a piece of gum tissue hanging after the baby tooth has been extracted. In most cases, this condition does not require treatment.
You should not try to pull the gum tissue out of your mouth. If the healthy gum tissue is left behind, it can cause pain and be dangerous. It is recommended that the piece be left to fall off on its own. To keep your child’s gums healthy, you can do your best to make sure they brush and floss their teeth twice a day.
By eating, brushing, and flossing normally, the gum tissue should be able to separate itself! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you think the gum tissue hangs around for too long or you think it is bothering your child. As your child reaches each milestone, we’re here to support you! We can arrange for you to see one of our experienced pediatric dentists, who will be able to provide you with the best advice.
Loose baby teeth? Here’s how to fix them.
Your questions are important to us, and we want to help you and your child understand the options available! Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.
Our Weston Milne and Spencer Wiring team are here to help guide you and your child. We provide children and teens with kinder, gentler dentistry. Our goal in our office is to help your child establish and maintain a positive association with dental care, and we do everything we can to create a pleasant, supportive, and fun environment for them.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment with the kid’s dentist of Las Vegas.