When Would Your Child Need A Tooth Pulled?
You know that you'll inevitably have to deal with your child's baby teeth coming out, and maybe you're not looking forward to it. As celebrated as this milestone is, it still involves pain and anxiety for your kid, especially if the child has to have teeth pulled instead of letting them fall out naturally. Not every child has to have teeth pulled, and each child will have their own specific schedule, for lack of a better word, in terms of when teeth come out. It helps to have a better idea of what might require that the child's tooth come out at the dentist's office.
Loose Baby Teeth
Loose baby teeth usually come out on their own, and you don't have to help them come out. If the loose tooth appears to be causing a problem, like making it hard for the child to eat or making you fear that the child will swallow it in their sleep, contact your child's dentist. You might think paying for an appointment is a waste of money because you could pull the tooth yourself, but you risk damaging the child's gums and creating an environment that is infection-friendly. If the tooth is really causing a problem, have the dentist look at it.
Impacted Baby Or Adult Teeth
Sometimes the adult teeth that are waiting below in the child's gums are not perfectly aligned with the baby teeth above them. That means that if one baby tooth falls out and the adult tooth tries to erupt from the gums, it will be blocked by another baby tooth. In that case, the baby tooth blocking the adult tooth has to be pulled. Dentists can see these adult teeth in the gums on x-rays and can see if they are impacted, or otherwise blocked, from coming up.
Wisdom Teeth
When older kids start having their wisdom teeth erupt, some will experience pain and others won't. Removing a wisdom tooth depends on how it's growing; the teeth can grow normally, grow at an angle that interferes with the child's bite or with their cheek, or become impacted and need to be surgically removed. Your child should have x-rays done first, and then the dentist can assess whether or not to leave the wisdom teeth in place.
It never hurts to give the dentist a call if you suspect a problem. If baby teeth are not coming out easily or creating other problems for your child, call your pediatric dentist for advice. For more information, contact a company like Rabel Family Dentistry.
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