My 5 year old daughter just lost her first tooth a couple of months ago, and has one more that is loose. Her permanent teeth have tried to come in, but there was not room yet, so they are coming in behind the baby teeth, and crooked. We have tried wiggling the loose baby tooth, but it isn't budging. Our dentist advised us to have her baby tooth pulled (under nitrous oxidide) to make room. Has any one else had this experience? Is nitrous oxide safe for kids? What can I expect?
Thanks to every one for your feedback. Its nice to hear from people have been through it. You had a wide range of responses - some said leave it alone, and others said get it out now.
We listened to our dentist, who recommended she work it more to try to get it out, but then to go to a different dentist who used nitrous oxide if it wasn't out in a week. It wouldn't come out because it was wedged against the new permanent tooth behind it, so we ended up at the other dentist. Although I prepared my daughter for what to expect, she balked at the last moment and would not even take the nitrous oxide. Probably because she didn't know this new dentist. We didn't push her, and that dentist said it was just hanging there and would probably come out on its own.
Sure enough, a week later she was eating an apple and it became very loose, just hanging there. It wouldn't come out on its own, but we were finally able to pull it at home with a minimum of fuss. Much ado about nothing, huh? I guess everything is an issue when it's your first child.
Thanks again for your support.
Hey D., don't worry, my son had the exact same thing and it went fine. The little baby teeth popped right out no problem and the ones coming in behind moved forward into place in just a couple of weeks. Good luck.
Been there, done that. My now 17 year old had this done about the same age as your daughter. She was very much a worrier and we actually gave her a small dose of valium (dentist prescribed) before going in that morning. She did fine having the teeth pulled (two of them). She ended up having 2 more baby teeth pulled a few years later, to make room for crowded permanent teeth. This worked very well for her, giving her mouth time to grow before the other permanent teeth came in.
By the way, as a teen, when she needed braces, she needed a few more teeth pulled. Her mouth just never grew enough to hold all those big permanent teeth. The orthodontist says she should have room for her wisdom teeth whenever they decide to come in.
If you trust your dentist and know him/her to be competent, you should have no problems with this procedure.
Hope this helps.
My 11 yr old daughter had this done about a yr ago. They pulled 5 of her teeth at the same time to make room for her permanent teeth that were already there. Other than being numb for a couple of hours, she had no problems. They used the nitrous oxide on her. Remember that nitrous oxide is also known as laughing gas. Also, if it weren't safe for kids, they wouldn't be using it. It's better to do this now when it's just a couple of teeth instead of when she's older and they would have to pull more.
My son is 6 years old & had the same problem. His two bottom teeth were loose but his permanent teeth had come in already behind them. We called the dentist several times & they & even took him in once. They assured us that it would be fine & they were right. His teeth finally came out & it almost looks as if his permanent teeth have moved forward. They never suggested pulling them so I'm not sure about the nitrous oxide. Hope this helps.
J.
The same thing happened to my Daughter. Pull them ASAP. Her tongue will push them into place. Novicane and gas are what she had. The gas is safe but make sure she is in a kids dentist. Good luck Barb
My 5 year old daughter has the exact same thing!!! I've heard it's very common... The two loose teeth are hanging on by threads of steel while the two new ones crowd in behind... She looks like a shark with two rows of teeth!
I don't want D's first visit to the dentist to be trauatic and involve teeth pulling, you know? So, I asked a good friend, who's daughter had the same thing and her dentist numbed around the loose tooth with something like Orajel and it came right out - no fuss or tears.
I trust my friend completely and she has recommended Dr. Jenkins in Durham (also a mother of her daughter's school friend). We're scheduled to go on the 20th. If you want I can let you know how our visit goes...
.
We've had to have 2 baby teeth pulled. A massive pain, but they wouldn't come out & my daughter didn't trust me or hubby to get them out. Pain of any sort isn't her thing. One of the baby teeth really hung up the ortho Phase I, and now that she's finished w/ Phase I, and we finally got the silly thing pulled, the permanent is not moving forward as quickly as the front tooth did that was blocked by the baby tooth. A full stinkin' year of making that permanent incisor wait in he back, may require it to be pulled forward in Phase II of Ortho...Yipee! what's another $2K?/;(((
Get it pulled by a child friendly DDS. Get some referrals & prepare your kiddo ahead.
Good luck!
D
You need to get the baby tooth out. My son has the same problem and he is now 10. He has even had the permanent tooth push the baby tooth forward where its root was totally exposed in the gum. We have to go in every few months to have a baby tooth extracted. Laughing gas is fine. Especially if you have a child that gets upset easily. I'd also get her into an ortho after she has lost a few more teeth. They can start moving the permanent ones to make room for the others.
My now 18 year old had this done at 6. They didn't have her numb good and didn't give her nitrous oxide so it was a traumatic experience for her. Make sure they do give her something and get her good and numb and she will be fine. My daughter still doesn't like going to the dentist because of this.
Maybe get a second opinion from a dentist who specializes in pediatric dentistry. They will come out anyway, and, unless it's a matter of not being able to afford it, I'd say get them out and let the new teeth have the room they need to grow straight. Just keep consults with the dentist and get orthodontic braces if indicated. We couldn't afford them with our first couple kids (although they both NEEDED them), and we got them for the youngest first, as her problems were the most obvious. They did a MAJOR improvement on her whole jaw, upper teeth, etc!! Wish we could've done same for the others when they were still growing . . .
As a kid I had some teeth pulled for the same reason, and it was fine. I was old enough that they didn't put me out for it, but it didn't hurt at all either. When I was younger, I had some fillings done, and I remember being put out for that. If you don't make a big deal of it, chances are your kid won't either. Kids take cues from parents, and if Mom is freaking out, kid will too. If Mom is sympathetic yet strong and courageous, kid will be too.
