Tooth extraction is one of the oldest procedures in dentistry. If previously it was practically impossible to pull out a tooth without blood and pain, today dental offices have all the necessary medications and instruments to make this procedure quick and painless for both children and adults.
You can pull out a tooth both in the clinic and at home, but it is important to understand that the procedure involves surgical intervention and is risky for those who do not have special knowledge. There are many indications for tooth extraction, but the main one is the replacement of baby teeth or a chronic infection that destroys the root and permanent tooth, and harms the entire oral cavity. Many patients come to us because of pain in the area of their wisdom teeth. In many cases they are also removed.
Content:
- Causes of the anomaly
- What does a “shark” smile lead to?
- When to see a doctor
- When to hesitate to see a doctor
- How is the treatment carried out?
The situation when a molar has erupted, but the milk tooth is in no hurry to leave its place, dentists call a “shark” bite. This is due to the fact that sharks also have units arranged in two rows. In humans, such an anomaly does not look aesthetically pleasing at all. Parents usually get very scared when they see a “double” smile on their child. Should I be concerned if a tooth comes out but the baby tooth does not fall out, and what could this lead to? Let's figure it out together.
Importance of baby teeth
By the age of three, all milk teeth have already erupted, and the process of resorption of their roots begins. Preparations for their replacement begin. The importance of baby teeth in the correct development of the bite and the eruption of permanent teeth is great. It is these temporary teeth that set the location and direction of growth for the molars that replace them.
As a result, premature loss of a temporary tooth causes irregular, chaotic growth of teeth and malocclusion. The consequence of this can lead to dental disorders. Thus, early removal of baby teeth should only be performed for very compelling reasons.
Causes of the anomaly
If the permanent tooth is erupting but the baby tooth has not fallen out, it can be assumed that the child is not eating enough solid food. With a deficiency of chewing load, the roots of temporary units are in no hurry to dissolve.
The diet of modern children is indeed too “gentle”, one might even say refined. It consists of products that have undergone step-by-step heat treatment. Chewing them requires almost no effort.
If parents think that children need to be given soft and thoroughly steamed food, then they are mistaken. To change teeth in a timely manner and form a correct bite, you need to eat a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, and other foods that require careful chewing. Then the problem of preserving primary canines, incisors and molars for too long will not arise.
Another possible cause of the problem described is the presence of scars on the gums. If in the first years of life the baby has undergone dental surgery or received a serious injury, a burn to the oral cavity, scars may form on his gums. They consist of very dense connective tissue that prevents teeth from erupting.
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.
What does a “shark” smile lead to?
Should you be scared if a new unit comes out, but the milk unit does not fall out? This situation should alert parents. Double dentition can lead to problems with articulation and diction. Then the child will have difficulties with the correct pronunciation of sounds and words.
Also, many patients with the described anomaly have difficulty eating food - they feel uncomfortable biting off hard foods, and when chewing them, small particles often get lodged under the gum. This means that the child will get used to swallowing poorly chewed food. This leads to disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, including flatulence and abdominal pain.
It happens that children who have double units in several places at once begin to lose weight. This is again due to improper chewing of food. During a meal, they swallow large pieces and because of this they swallow a lot of air. Therefore, they often have the illusion of satiety - a feeling of fullness when very little has been eaten.
Among the dental complications caused by untimely change of units:
- caries;
- inflammation of the gums;
- deposition of a large amount of soft plaque.
Therefore, you should not put off visiting the dentist. The doctor will conduct an examination and decide whether to remove the extra unit.
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.
When to see a doctor
Doctors believe that a “shark” smile can last up to two to three months, then it is necessary to take action. If the baby tooth does not fall out within the specified period, it needs to be removed. If you do not do this, the complications described above may occur.
But what’s even worse is that the child’s bite may be disrupted. The permanent unit will take the wrong position or be at the wrong angle. Then you will have to correct its position using plates or braces, and this is always difficult and time-consuming.
It is important to know! If a permanent tooth has come out, but the baby tooth has not yet fallen out, you can monitor the situation for several weeks. It is important to ensure that the child carefully maintains oral hygiene. If after two or three months nothing has changed, you need to make an appointment for your baby to see a dentist. But this recommendation is relevant only if the little patient is not bothered by anything and does not complain of toothache.
When to hesitate to see a doctor
If a “shark” problem appears and the child complains of pain, the gums are inflamed, swollen, you need to immediately get dental care. Also warning symptoms are:
- bad breath;
- bleeding of the affected gums;
- separation of pus in the area of inflammation;
- severe discomfort while chewing food.
You should not wait a day if the child has a predisposition to malocclusion, for example, if he has previously undergone treatment for malocclusion or one of the parents wore braces. In all these situations, removal should be carried out as soon as possible. This measure will be a good prevention of possible complications.
Preparing a child for tooth extraction
Before pulling out a child’s tooth, it is important to carry out psychological preparation - explain in a calm voice the essence of the procedure and its purpose, emphasizing that it is not painful and quick. You can come up with a fairytale story about the milkman's journey or tell that mom and dad also had their temporary teeth pulled out.
You also need to ask the child to swing the tooth as much as possible with his tongue - this will make it possible to quickly pull it out of the gums. When the milkman wobbles, its short nerve endings are torn off or pulled out of the canals, so there is no pain syndrome.
How is the treatment carried out?
When choosing treatment tactics, the dentist takes into account:
- how old is the patient;
- how long ago the permanent unit emerged;
- how much the molar crown appeared;
- what condition is the milk unit in;
- does the child have any complaints;
- general condition of the dentition;
- the patient has a predisposition to dental anomalies.
After conducting an in-person examination, the dentist decides whether to pull out the interfering tooth or leave it and wait until its roots resolve on their own. In the first case, local anesthesia is administered and removal is carried out; in the second, the doctor tells you when the baby needs to come for a second examination. Thus, if you deal with the problem of a “shark” smile in a timely manner, it will not cause negative consequences.
Removable dentures
For centuries, dentists have been solving the problem: if there is no root, how to make a tooth? The first option, which has been around for thousands of years, is removable dentures. They were found during excavations of Egyptian tombs and in the territory of the Mayan Indians, so this is one of the most ancient methods of restoring teeth.
What are its advantages? Firstly, it is fast - making a prosthesis takes from 3 to 7 days, depending on the complexity of the work; secondly, it is inexpensive compared to bridges or implants. Modern materials for removable dentures make it possible to create structures similar to natural teeth, but they still have disadvantages:
- service life even with careful care is about 5–7 years;
- constant risk of prosthesis falling out and the need for additional fixation;
- the prosthesis does not stop bone atrophy;
- does not allow the chewing load to be evenly distributed;
- sometimes causes diction defects;
- there is a risk of allergies to acrylic, nylon, silicone and other materials.
Removable prosthetics are now being used if there are absolute contraindications to the installation of bridges or implants, or as a temporary measure while the patient waits for a permanent prosthesis to be made.
