Do you have children at the age of losing their baby teeth? Your kid might have complained about a loose baby tooth. You may be confused about how to handle the situation. Cheer up! It is normal for the baby’s teeth to become loose when they are about to fall out. However, kids’ dentists advise that parents or older siblings shouldn’t pull baby teeth.
Usually, baby or milk teeth fall out to allow the adult teeth to grow. Besides guiding the emerging adult teeth, they support the development of the jaw and other facial features. Removing a baby tooth before it is ready to fall out can lead to dental issues like crooked teeth. Don’t pull a loose baby tooth. At the right time, it will fall out on its own.
Why Baby Tooth Can Become Loose
Injury can cause your child’s baby teeth to get loose. Children may fall or hit their teeth while playing. If such happens, contact the kids’ dentist. A pediatric dentist will examine your child’s teeth to detect if there is any damage or infection. An injury can cause damage to the underlying permanent tooth.
Besides, baby teeth can get loose when they are about to fall out. Most children lose their baby teeth between the ages of 6 and 8. However, loss of baby teeth can start as early as 4 years in some children. The baby teeth will fall out in the order they erupted: first to grow, first to fall out. It may take months for a loose baby tooth to fall out.
Can You Assist Your Child To Pull Out A Loose Baby Tooth?
Dentists of pediatric dentistry of Weston also advise that temporary teeth should not be pulled out. However, you may hasten the falling of a loose baby tooth. Encourage your kids to wiggle their loose baby tooth with their tongue or clean fingers. Dirty hands may introduce harmful organisms into the mouth which may result in infections.
If a baby tooth is already loose, chewing crunchy foods can help loosen it more. Allow, your child with a loose baby tooth to chew foods like carrots and apples. They can further loosen the tooth. When the tooth has become quite loose, further wiggling can cause it to fall out. It can also fall on its own.
It will be easy to pull out a baby tooth when it has become too loose and ready to be removed. Hold the tooth with a little piece of gauze and pull it. Then, press the gauze on the gum until it stops bleeding. If the baby tooth is ready to fall out, the bleeding wouldn’t be much. You have to make sure that a baby tooth is quite loose before attempting to pull it out.
If a baby tooth is not extremely loose, a child will feel pain when it is touched. The roots of the tooth have not completely dissolved to allow it to fall out. In such a situation, it is not safe to try and pull the tooth out. Besides, a loose baby tooth will fall out on its own when it becomes quite loose.
Dangers of Pulling Baby Teeth Too Soon
Pulling your child’s loose baby tooth before it is ready to be taken out, can lead to tissue damage. The placement of adult teeth will be altered. As a result, the emerging adult teeth may be crooked or their alignment affected. Also, pain and infection will occur when you pull a loose baby tooth too soon.
It is better to allow a loose baby tooth to fall out on its own. If you are bothered about how long the loose teeth will remain in your child’s mouth, consult a pediatric dentist. The health professional will determine whether or not the teeth are ready to fall out. A pediatric dentist can also advise you on how to help your child hasten the tooth loss process.
Your child may swallow a tooth if it falls out unexpectedly. There is no cause for alarm if it happens. However, there is a need for a medical emergency if a child chokes on a fallen tooth. Sometimes, an emerging adult tooth will rapidly push a baby tooth against the lips or gum. It is not likely to cause any significant difficulty. However, you can seek the help of an orthodontic if you are bothered about it.
What You Should Do If Your Child’s Baby Tooth Gets Knocked Out
Naturally, children lose their baby teeth. The tooth loss process may take weeks or even months to be completed. However, the situation is different when a child loses a tooth unexpectedly due to trauma or injury. Often, children get their baby teeth knocked out or chipped. If it happens, consult a pediatric dentist to avoid problems in the future.
Try to stop bleeding immediately after a baby tooth gets knocked out. Apply pressure on the affected part of the gum using a clean washcloth or gauze. Then, visit a dentist without delay. However, you should visit the emergency room right away if it appears that your child has oral and facial injuries too.
Try to stop bleeding immediately after a baby tooth gets knocked out. Apply pressure on the affected part of the gum using a clean washcloth or gauze. Then, visit a dentist without delay. However, you should visit the emergency room right away if it appears that your child has oral and facial injuries too.
Besides, you should see a pediatric dentist if your child’s baby tooth gets knocked loose by trauma or injury. Your dentist will examine the tooth and even conduct an X-ray to determine the extent of the damage. Your child may be placed on a soft diet for some days to allow the loose teeth to re-implant. If the tooth is very loose, a kids’ dentist may recommend pulling it out.
Conclusion
When an adult tooth is fully developed and about to break out, the loose baby tooth will fall out. If you pull the baby tooth out too soon, the permanent tooth may not be ready to erupt. It may not have completed its developmental process. The space it would have occupied will be left vacant for weeks or even months.
Children’s jaws experience constant growth until their late teens. If a permanent tooth has not erupted, adjacent teeth may drift into its space. Eventually, the permanent teeth will break out in the wrong location. Misaligned teeth can lead to speech problems and others. Allow your child’s baby teeth to fall out on their own to avoid such issues.