16 Dec Losing Baby Teeth in a Healthy Way
Baby teeth (also known as deciduous teeth) are your child’s first twenty teeth and most children start losing them around their 6th birthday as they’re replaced by permanent teeth. If your child is losing their baby teeth too early,
be sure to see a pediatric dentist to address the issue. Nevertheless, when baby teeth start to fall out for the first time (even at the right time) it can be stressful for you and your children. To help relieve any of those concerns, we’ll be talking about some things you should and shouldn’t do when your children start to lose their baby teeth (and permanent teeth come in).
Things not to do
- Something from a cartoon or TV – Lots of popular media show people doing radical things to remove their baby teeth. Tying their teeth to a toaster and throwing it over a ledge, tying their teeth to a door and slamming the door, etc. It’s best that these practices are kept in the cartoons as they are dangerous and potentially harmful to your children.
- Remove a tooth loosened from an accident – If your child had a fall or some other accident that caused a previously secure tooth to become loose, don’t remove that tooth. Instead, see a pediatric dentist. Baby teeth play an important role in the growth, development, and eruption of the permanent teeth. Consequently, you never want to remove a tooth that wasn’t loosened by natural causes.
- Remove a tooth with excessive force – Baby teeth that are ready to be removed will come out with minimal effort, a mild tug or pull on the tooth at most. If a small amount of force doesn’t remove the tooth, don’t be concerned, it just isn’t ready.
Things to do
- Reassure your kids – As mentioned above, it can be scary for children when they first start losing their baby teeth. As their parent, you can help relieve some of their stress by reminding them that losing baby teeth is a perfectly natural process that all kids experience.
- Encourage your kids to work on loose teeth – The most natural and healthy ways to remove a loose tooth are for kids to work on it with their tongue and eat food. Many kids lose baby teeth when they bite into a hard food or are chewing.
- Visit a pediatric dentist – If your child has a loose tooth that’s painful or a tooth that’s been loose for several months, take him/her to a pediatric dentist. A qualified pediatric dentist has all the skills and knowledge needed to alleviate any pain your child is feeling. Additionally, in some cases, a pediatric dentist is needed to remove loose baby teeth that won’t come out naturally.
If you have any questions about losing baby teeth or are searching for a pediatric dentist in the Allen, TX area, please call 972-727-0011 to make an appointment with Dr. Lisi or Dr. Alina at Kids Pediatric Dentistry