WHEN SHOULD A CHILD'S TOOTH BE EXTRACTED?
Usually, we expect that baby tooth or milk tooth would fall off for the adult teeth to come in. However, the regular teeth growth occurrence can be disrupted by some other dental issues, thereby causing your child’s baby tooth to get extracted without falling out naturally.
At Toothtown of Greeley, we often advise parents on safe steps to take when a dental problem occurs with their child’s teeth and provide good dental treatment.
Tooth extraction is a dental treatment that involves the total evacuation of damaged or decayed teeth or teeth. Most dentists search for other dental treatments to preserve the patient’s tooth, especially the adult tooth. However, if other dental treatments are not effective, tooth extraction is often the last resort.
Extracting a damaged tooth can save you from various dangers. So it’s okay to look at the positive area of tooth extractions.
It might look like teeth extraction is not needed for children with milk teeth since they would fall out naturally. The truth is, keeping damaged milk teeth can disrupt teeth growth in children and cause other dental infections. The good news is that as a parent, you are not alone in this. Your dentist is going to see that your child’s dental health is safe. Seek pediatric dental care for your child if a dental problem arises at any time.
Why Your Child Might Need A Tooth Extraction
As explained earlier, dentists often recommend tooth extraction as a last resort when other dental treatments are effective. There are various reasons why the dentist might recommend tooth extraction for your child.
Cracked or Broken Teeth:
A child’s teeth can get broken or cracked due to accidents or while eating hard foods and other dental issues. The dentist might recommend that the broken tooth be removed since the tooth would fall out anyway. Removing the broken tooth would prevent further dental problems from arising.
Dental Infection:
Suppose you haven’t been taking your child to the dentist for a regular dental checkup. In that case, your child’s dentist might not detect dental infections until the infections start to trigger obvious symptoms, including teeth aches. If the dentist has tried various dental treatments that don’t require removal of the teeth all to no avail, the dentist might have to remove the teeth to prevent the infection from causing more trouble.
Wisdom or Impacted Tooth:
To avoid crowding or impacted tooth, tooth extraction might be the best option to create more room for teeth to grow out freely, especially if your child’s jaw structure is too small for adult teeth to grow out.
Braces:
Braces are orthodontic treatments that are often used to set the teeth aright or straighten the teeth. The dentist might advise that some teeth be extracted if there is not enough room for the braces to be placed.
How Do I Prepare My Child For Tooth Extraction?
You have to see a qualified dentist first. Our pediatric dental care office in Greeley, CO, is one of the best places to take your child for tooth extraction. Next, you have to make your child understand the kind of dental procedure they are about to receive to stay prepared and ready. You can do this by taking them to the pediatric dentist before the scheduled day of treatment.
Furthermore, tell them about the importance of the treatment. Tooth extraction is a simple and beneficial treatment. Note that your child is getting a tooth extraction for the protection of their oral health. Next, follow all the instructions given to you by the dentist before and after the tooth extraction process.
How Do Dentists Take Kids’ Teeth Out?
For children, the tooth extraction process might be a bit difficult, and this is because most children might get scared or tense. Firstly, the dentist would try to ease the child’s fear by proposing friendly conversations with the child and making the child feel comfortable. Then, a dental x-ray would be carried out on the child’s teeth.
The dentist would inform the child’s parent about sedatives that can make the procedure faster and easier. Also, anesthetics and sedatives are used to prevent pains and discomfort that your child might feel during the procedure.
After the area has been anesthetized, the dentist will use various dental tools to perform the teeth extraction.
How do you take care of a child after a tooth extraction?
After your child’s teeth have been extracted, the next step is tooth extraction aftercare.
Your dentist would place a clean gauze on the affected area after the tooth has been extracted to stop the bleeding.
The dentist would then educate you on taking proper care of your child’s teeth to prevent infections from getting into the extracted tooth’s space.
After the tooth extraction, you should only give your child soft foods for the next couple of days. Always disinfect and clean the extracted tooth’s area. If you observe that the site is not healing after a week, you can take your child to the dentist for a dental checkup.