Pleasanton Dentist Dr. Richard Howes dds - Can I pull my Child's Loose Tooth Out

Whether to pulls a child’s loose tooth out or not is really up to the discretion of both parent and child. Some children are reluctant to have a parent get anywhere near a loose tooth, while others are eager to have the tooth pulled and out of their mouth. This is especially true in cases where the tooth has been hanging there by a thread for a week or more. However, before deciding on whether to pull a loose tooth out or not, there are some things to consider.

To Pull or Not to Pull
Losing one’s teeth is a rather big deal for a child. Many children love to compare tooth loss stories and show off their gummy smiles. For a child, this indicates the first real change from childhood into a more grown up stage of life. While parents may be sad for the loss of their little baby (in terms of age, of course, they’ll always be your baby!) the child often feels exceedingly excited about the change. Because of this, dental professionals encourage parents to allow their child to pull any loose teeth. Not only does this give the child control over when the teeth come out, but it allows for pain control (which is extremely important).

This leads us to our second point. Sometimes a tooth, even if hanging by a thread, isn’t quite ready to come out. This occurs when the tooth is still attached by a root. If you were to pull this tooth out, it may hurt very bad, and it may also cause damage to the mouth. If the child pulls the tooth, or at least attempts to, they are in charge of the pain, and able to stop if the pain is too much. As we all know, pain is a built in protection system, and this built in off system can help the child to know when the tooth is truly ready to come out. Failure to heed this system can lead to infection. While not all teeth that are yanked out with a root still attached have problems, this act does leave the root exposed, and this increases the risk for infection. So, before pulling the tooth yourself, suggest that your child try to pull the tooth. This is not only empowering, but will also help in the health and safety aspect of it.

If the child insists that the parent pull the tooth, there is a right way to do it. Don’t tie a string to it and slam the door shut, don’t even simply grab the tooth and yank it. Instead, use a tissue and grab hold of the tooth. Once you have a nice hold on it, slowly twist the tooth. This will ease the child into it, and give them a chance to protest if the pain is too great. It will also ease the tooth into working its way out. Twist until the tooth falls out. If it doesn’t come fairly easily, you may want to give it another day or two.

source: http://www.teethcenter.com/can-i-pull-my-childs-lose-tooth-out/
by Teeth Center Staff

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