Being a parent is one of the most rewarding and often thankless jobs any person can have.
You get to watch a miniature version of yourself grow up right before your eyes. There's really nothing else like it in the world.
You do your best to nurture and guide them and give them the tools and lessons they will need to turn into well-adjusted adults.
And then before you know it, they are all grown up, living lives of their own.
And then you have grandkids, and you get to do it all over again.
But before all of that happens, you get to witness countless other milestones with your children, one of them is losing their baby teeth.
You spend years keeping those teeth strong and healthy, only to watch them fall out one by one.
To some parents, the idea of pulling out their kid's teeth brings a lot of excitement.
They've watched the videos online of all of the creative ways other parents have pulled out their kid's teeth, and they can't wait to make a video of their own.
As much as we enjoy those videos, those methods aren't always safe, and some issues can arise from that type of removal.
In the article below, we will discuss the best ways to remove your children's baby teeth and how to keep their new teeth healthy.
Table of Contents
Although generally harmless and natural, a loose tooth can cause your child pain and discomfort.
You may have the urge to pull it out, and your kid may want you to, but there are a few reasons that might not be the best idea.
You need to pay close attention to which teeth come loose first. The first teeth to come in are usually the first teeth to come out.
So the front teeth should almost always come out before the back teeth.
There's always a chance the loose tooth is caused by damage to the tooth, like if your child was hit in the mouth or took a nasty fall.
If one of the back teeth are loose before any front teeth have come out, or you're concerned the tooth is loose for reasons other than natural causes, you should consult your dentist.
You also need to be sure you don't pull the tooth too early.
Your child's primary teeth will help guide in their adult teeth.
If you pull the tooth too soon, it can affect the placement of their adult teeth.
And don't pull it if it is causing your child pain. If the tooth isn't ready to come out, it will still be connected to nerves and can cause a good deal of pain if you pull it.
You want to keep things as natural as possible when you pull your kid's tooth.
So you don't want to attach it to an R/C car, a doorknob, or a tee-ball.
In this situation, you want to do as the cavemen did.
The first thing you need to do is monitor the tooth as soon as your child mentions that it's getting loose.
Some kids might get a little anxious or frightened about having their tooth pulled, so be comforting.
Don't tell them you're going to tie their tooth to your muffler and take off down the driveway.
Your kid will actually do the bulk of the work.
Once they realize they have a loose tooth, they will spend a lot of time wiggling it with their tongue or fingers, making it fall out in a less intrusive way.
Biting down on something hard like an apple can also do the trick.
If the tooth seems like it could fall out at any second and you want to go ahead and remove it, use a piece of gauze to hold to tooth and wiggle it back and forth until it comes out.
You shouldn't have to use much force at all, so don't force it out before it is ready.
And remember, every child is different.
If there are ever any concerns with how long your child's baby teeth have been in their mouth, a quick trip to your dentist will determine if any of them need to be pulled.
Many parents think that since baby teeth are just going to fall out anyway, you don't need to take as good of care of them as you would adult teeth.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
When you take care of your child's baby teeth and gums, you are setting them up for a lifetime of healthy adult teeth as well.
Baby teeth are obviously going to fall out, but your kids will have them for about 10-12 years.
That's a long time to have those teeth and not take care of them.
Taking care of your child's baby teeth will set them up for the future, but they also need healthy teeth to enjoy the first part of their life as well.
Here are a few things you can do to make sure your child's baby teeth stay healthy:
Using a Nerf gun to pull your kid's tooth might make a good YouTube video, but it isn't always best for the health of their teeth, both the one that needs to be pulled and the adult tooth coming in.
Baby teeth will guide the adult teeth in, so if the teeth are pulled too soon, you are risking the chance of them coming in misaligned.
If the tooth is pulled too soon, it can also cause a great deal of pain for your child.
In almost every situation, the tooth will fall out on its own, and it won't need any help from you or your drone.
If you are ever in doubt whether or not a baby tooth needs to be removed, just speak with your dentist and they will let you know the best course of action to take.
To speak to a dentist today, contact the team at Hylan Dental Care by clicking the button below.
