A tooth is loose - what to do and can it be saved?

How to understand that a tooth can be removed

Baby teeth begin to loosen at about 5-7 years of age.
A loose tooth can cause a lot of trouble for a child. The difficulties are mainly related to eating. With a loose tooth, it is difficult to eat solid foods, for example, raw fruits, vegetables, crackers, etc. Sooner or later, the baby tooth will fall out as it is replaced by a permanent tooth. Many people force this process, since a loose baby tooth is a source of discomfort in the oral cavity, which they want to get rid of as soon as possible. But how to pull out a tooth at home, and is it worth doing it yourself? A reasonable solution to this issue is to consult a doctor. But in practice, few people go to dentistry to remove a baby tooth. Therefore, if you decide to remove a child’s tooth yourself, then make sure it can be done.

First, examine the child's oral cavity using artificial light. Make sure there is no swelling in your mouth and your gums are a healthy pink color. Also make sure that the child does not have caries or other dental diseases, chips or cracks. If you find any, consult a doctor and give up the idea of ​​removing them yourself.

The most important condition for removing a baby tooth is its mobility. If it wobbles slightly, then it’s too early to tear it. You can remove it when it is very loose. When you wiggle your fingers, you should be left with the impression that the tooth is being held on by one string. If the range of movements is insufficient, then persuade the child to be patient until the right moment arrives.

When all your teeth are loose – what to do?

In cases where there is mobility of almost all the teeth in the mouth, it is necessary to urgently contact a dentist so as not to lose them. A comprehensive examination will help identify the cause of mobility and, if possible, eliminate it. To limit mobility and prevent further loosening and loss of teeth, the dentist will perform splinting. Further treatment tactics will depend on the cause of mobility and its degree - most often such mobility is provoked by periodontitis or periodontal disease, so it is necessary to eliminate these diseases whenever possible.

It also happens that the lower front teeth become loose, what to do in such a situation? Find out whether the patient suffers from bruxism (uncontrollable grinding of teeth during sleep), since this pathology can cause just such mobility.

Is it appropriate to rush to remove baby teeth?

The baby tooth falls out as it is replaced by a permanent one. When it comes out, the latter puts pressure on the base of the baby tooth, which leads to its loss. This process takes about a week. At the first stage, the ligaments that hold the tooth in the socket become thinner. In most cases, this process is painless. The range of mobility increases day by day until the tooth falls out on its own.

Dentists recommend not to rush into removing baby teeth. You should not interfere with the natural process laid down by evolution. There are four reasons why rushing to remove a baby tooth is not advisable:

1. The baby tooth acts as a barrier to oral microorganisms . Thus, it protects soft tissues from bacterial infection. In addition, when removed there is a risk of microorganisms entering the bloodstream.
2. Formation of the correct bite . If baby teeth are removed incorrectly, the risk of developing a malocclusion increases. When physiological processes occur in a timely manner (including the appearance of molars), the likelihood of developing a defective bite is reduced. Think about this if you are concerned about how to pull out a baby tooth at home.
3. Fear of the dentist . The child will have to go to the dentist in the future. If the removal is accompanied by anxiety and fear, then in the future the child will experience anxiety before visiting the dentist.
4. Overgrowth of gums. If the baby tooth has not yet fallen out, this indicates that the process needs additional time. This means that the tissues are not yet ready to replace a baby tooth with a permanent one. As soon as a baby tooth falls out, a permanent tooth immediately appears in its place. And if a baby tooth is removed too early, the gums will overgrow during this time. In this case, the permanent one will have to break through the overgrown gum.

As you can see, the rush to delete is often inappropriate. If you have any doubts about this, consult your doctor.

In what cases should you not pull out a child’s tooth yourself?

If the gums are dense and the tooth cannot be loosened, there is no point in experimenting. Artificial intervention can injure the oral cavity. Part of the dental crown may remain in the gum, and this is fraught with serious consequences. In addition, suppuration, swelling and redness in the area of ​​the baby tooth are dangerous. Here you cannot do without consulting a dentist.

In any case, before pulling out a child’s tooth and relieving him of pain, it never hurts to consult a pediatric dentist. The specialist must confirm that the tooth needs to be removed. In modern medical offices, baby teeth are removed without pain - this is much less traumatic from a psychological point of view for both the child and his parents.

Is it possible to remove baby teeth yourself?

In most cases, children cope with this problem themselves when the tooth is sufficiently loose. In this case, there is no need to use excessive force to remove it.

It takes up to 6 days from the moment of loosening to falling out. A loose tooth brings discomfort to the child, preventing him from eating solid food. Therefore, when the tooth is already loose enough, children (or parents) remove it on their own. In other cases, “independent activity” in this matter is inappropriate.

When NOT to do this

There are a number of circumstances under which you should not pull out a child’s tooth at home. Let's look at typical cases when this procedure cannot be done at home:

• Psychological unpreparedness . Children are afraid to take such a step. This should not be treated with disdain. What seems like a trifle to adults is a tragedy to a child. These are emotions and strong experiences from which it is better to protect the child. If you notice that the child does not give in to persuasion, then you should not insist on your own. Moreover, such a procedure cannot be carried out by force.
• Acute and chronic pathologies . If the child has any acute or chronic diseases, then the procedure should be postponed or abandoned altogether. In the presence of other diseases, the removal of a baby tooth sometimes results in the development of serious complications. Only a competent doctor will be able to assess the risks and perform the procedure without complications for the child’s health.
• Hemophilia . This is a rare hereditary disease in which blood clotting is impaired. People with hemophilia are at risk of losing too much blood even from minor injuries. For this reason, a banal tearing procedure leads to large blood losses.
• Increased body temperature . The procedure is undesirable at elevated body temperatures. Even if the cause of such a symptom has not been established, the procedure should be postponed until the temperature returns to normal.
• Infectious pathologies of the oral cavity . We are talking about pathologies such as gingivitis, stomatitis and others. The danger of unauthorized removal in case of an infectious lesion of the oral cavity is the risk of introducing infection into the bloodstream.
• Inflammatory pathologies of the oral cavity . You should postpone tooth extraction if there is swelling or redness of the gums, cheeks and mucous membranes.
• Affected teeth . If the tooth that is to be removed is affected by caries, then this should only be done in a dental setting. Also, self-removal should be avoided if there are cracks or chips in the enamel.
• Painful tooth . This problem should be dealt with by a dentist. Self-removal in this case often leads to complications.

You should also refuse to remove it yourself in cases where you are not confident in your own abilities. If you have never pulled out a baby tooth before, then you should not experiment. During the removal process, something can go wrong and this will lead to undesirable consequences. In this case, it is better to entrust even a very loose baby tooth to a professional who will do this without harming the baby’s health.

How to pull a tooth at home without pain

Proper preparation should be made before beginning the removal procedure. Let's look at the important preparatory steps before this procedure:

• Assess your capabilities . Proceed with the procedure only if you are confident in your abilities. If in doubt, consult a doctor. This also applies to the child. If he has a strong fear of this procedure, then it is better to take him to the doctor.
• Examine the oral cavity . Carefully examine the oral cavity for swelling, redness, as well as carious lesions and other dental diseases. If you find any, consult a doctor and do not do anything on your own.
• Check tooth mobility . Be sure to check how flexible the tooth is. If the amplitude of loosening is insignificant, then postpone the procedure until later. We remind you once again that the tooth should wobble as if it were being held on by a string.
• Prepare your tools . Later we will talk about how you can pull out a tooth at home, and what tools and things you will need for this. Prepare them in advance so that the necessary items are on hand. Prepare a small container for your child to spit into during (or after) the procedure. You should also have an antiseptic on hand.
• Have a conversation with your child . Talk to your child about this first. Tell him that the procedure is painless, so there is nothing to be afraid of. Remember that if the child twitches or acts up during the procedure, there is a high risk of incorrect tooth extraction.
• Feed the baby . After removal, it is not recommended to eat for 2-3 hours. Therefore, it is advisable to feed the child before the removal procedure.

Now let’s look at five ways to pull out a child’s loose tooth.

Method No. 1 - gradual loosening

This is the simplest and most effective way that the child himself can cope with. You don't need any improvised means for this. Gradually loosen the tooth until it falls out.

In this case, it is important to ensure that the child’s hands are clean. So before you start loosening, wash your hands with soap and water.

Method number 2 - solid food to help

Another simple way to quickly pull out a tooth at home without pain. Give your child solid food - juicy apples, dried apples or crackers. Within the first minutes, the child will feel the tooth falling out. The important thing here is not to swallow it.

Method number 3 - removal with thread

An old-fashioned method that has not lost popularity to this day. Wrap the loose tooth with floss and tie the other end to the doorknob. Then sharply pull the door, after which it will “fly out”.

If pulling a tooth with a doorknob sounds archaic to you, you can do this procedure without a door. To do this, simply pull the thread sharply. The important thing here is to pull the thread upward. If you pull to the side, you risk damaging your gums.

Method No. 4 - removal using medical gauze

Pre-moisten the gauze in an antiseptic solution. Then grab the tooth with gauze and slowly rock it. If you see that the tooth is loosening well, then it is better to pull it out in one sharp movement. In this case, removal will be painless.

Method No. 5 – tooth extraction at the dentist

The surest way not to harm your child is to see a dentist. The doctor will examine the oral cavity and take into account all the circumstances. This is the most reliable way from the point of view of the child’s health.

Simple tips

• If the tooth is very loose, offer your child an apple or carrot. While chewing, it may fall out on its own. The main thing is that the baby is not afraid of blood. Dryers or crackers are not suitable for this purpose: they are too hard and can injure the gums.
• You can pull out a tooth with a thread only if it is very loose. The thread is tied around the base, closer to the root. The tooth is pulled out with a sharp movement in the direction opposite to the jaw. Dentists do not recommend this method at home, since there is a risk of damaging the gums and leaving debris in it if you pull the tooth in a different direction, and from a psychological point of view, this is quite traumatic.

Stopping bleeding after removal

After a baby tooth is removed, there may be some bleeding. It can be stopped by applying turunda from a bandage to the wound. This stops the bleeding within 1-3 minutes.

If the bleeding does not stop within 30 minutes or more, you should consult a doctor. Medical help should also be sought in cases where complications occur. For example, these are swelling and redness of the gums, suppuration, infection, as well as remaining fragments of teeth in the gums.

“A new tooth is shaking” is really not always a reason to panic

During the period of change of bite, which starts at the age of 5–6 years, children's baby teeth begin to loosen. Following this, permanent ones appear who will have to faithfully serve the matured child throughout his life. The process of eruption of molars has its own characteristics.

• First, the dental crown appears, and the root that holds it in the jaw bone remains incompletely formed at this point.
• Therefore, for some time (usually no more than a year), a molar that is not firmly fixed can actually wobble slightly, and then it will strengthen naturally.

By the way, it is useful for adult dental patients to know that normally all permanent teeth have so-called physiological mobility. Our teeth are fixed in the bone alveolus with the help of a ligamentous apparatus, periodontium. Periodontal tissues perform shock-absorbing functions, evenly distributing the mechanical chewing load over the entire dentition and preventing the destruction of individual teeth under the influence of fairly serious chewing pressure. Few non-specialists know that with the help of the chewing muscles, our jaws can develop a force of up to 300–400 kg, depending on the consistency of the chewed products.

But if a mother notices that a child of 8–10 years old has a permanent tooth loose, the mobility is pronounced and accompanied by pain, the gums are swollen, and the child is also capricious and refuses to eat, it is necessary to urgently go for a consultation to pediatric dentistry. It is better to play it safe and exclude pathological mobility in order to prevent the possibility of premature loss of a tooth.

How to keep teeth healthy for adults

Changing teeth occurs only once in a lifetime. Permanent teeth require special care, since once they fall out there will be no new ones. To ensure your teeth last as long as possible, doctors at the Center for Israeli Dentistry recommend adhering to the following rules:

• Visit your dentist twice a year for a checkup.
• Get timely treatment for caries and other dental diseases.
• Brush your teeth twice a day.
• Limit the consumption of sweets - the main factor in the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity.

And remember that gum and dental diseases are easier to treat in the early stages. Therefore, at the first symptoms, immediately seek help from a doctor.

If teeth are removed too early

Pulling out is considered premature when there is more than a year left before the natural change of teeth. In this case, the “neighbors” manage to occupy the vacated space, and there is no space left for the eruption of the future molar, incisor or molar.

As a result, the likelihood of developing a malocclusion . It is possible that you will have to wear braces as a teenager. Therefore, there is no need to rush to pull it out. The operation is only permissible if there are medical indications for its implementation.