We’ve all seen variations of DIY methods when it comes to pulling loose baby teeth: the string and door slam method is by far one of the most popular (although we’re not sure why). But our team at Peter L. Thompson, DDS is here to advise against this and similarly aggressive techniques so your kiddo will have the safest and most painless tooth loss experience possible. (Growing up is traumatic enough already, right?)
Read on to learn more about the dos and don’ts of helping wiggly baby teeth make their grand exit.
All this wiggly tooth talk might have you wondering–why do we get two sets of teeth? Well, simply because baby mouths are not yet big enough to house a full set of adult chompers. So, we start out with a smaller set of baby teeth to get us through these early, small-mouthed years until our growth and development allows more space for adult teeth to make their entrance. When the permanent teeth start to come in, the roots of the baby teeth dissolve until they’re loose enough to fall out on their own.
If you ask Dr. Peter Thompson their advice on pulling a loose baby tooth, they will likely respond with, “Don’t!” If you can avoid it, it’s best to just let baby teeth run their natural course and fall out on their own—it will happen eventually, we promise!
If the tooth is not ready to come out naturally, any attempts to remove it will pull on sensitive tooth roots and cause unnecessary pain and bleeding. Pulling out a tooth prematurely can damage connective tissues and lead to infection—not to mention the traumatic experience that may create negative feelings about oral health and dental visits for the rest of their life.
However, an extremely wiggly or stubborn tooth that just keeps hanging on by a thread can be frustrating and hard to live with, and we understand why both you and your kiddo might want to expedite the process. If you both feel the tooth is ready to come out and you want to give it a little encouragement, there are some things you can do to help it along.
Encourage your soon-to-be toothless wonder to wiggle their loose tooth back and forth regularly, either with their tongue or with clean fingers. Wiggling the tooth will help loosen it so hopefully, it will fall out on its own.
If the tooth is loose enough and on the brink of coming out, eating a crunchy or sticky snack might be just the ticket. Apples and carrots are great healthy options, but if your little one is fearful and needs a little more encouragement, you can opt for a sweet treat like a popsicle (which will also help reduce pain and inflammation) or a sticky tooth trap like a chewy candy. Supervise closely to ensure they don’t bite down on or swallow the tooth.
Brushing regularly at least twice per day and flossing daily is always recommended and will give the loose tooth a nudge in the right direction. You can also use floss as a tool for pulling the tooth—if it’s ready to pull. Position the floss in between the gums and the loose tooth and yank quickly outward.
If you’ve wiggled and wiggled and the tooth is still hanging on by a thread, a gentle twist and pull might be all it takes to pop it out. We encourage you to allow your child to be the one to do so, as they are the only one who can tell if the tooth is ready to pull and feel if (or when) there’s any pain. Use clean fingers or gauze to gently twist and pull the tooth out.
To recap, our best advice is to have patience and allow your child’s baby teeth to fall out naturally on their own. But if they just can’t stand it any longer and the tooth is ready to come out, follow our advice above for the safest, most comfortable, and least traumatic methods.
As always, if your child experiences any pain, swelling, or excessive bleeding, or the tooth still won’t come out, you should come to see us right away and we’ll remove the tooth safely and painlessly. Contact your Portales dentist at Peter L. Thompson, DDS today for more advice or to schedule an appointment.
The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
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Portales, NM 88130
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“What a feeling – being able to smile any time I want without shielding my two front teeth with my hand anymore! I must admit, I didn’t know much about veneers until a friend of mine mentioned them to me. He piqued my curiosity, but it was only after I spoke to Dr. Thompson and his staff that I decided to go ahead with the procedure.
I have had horrible experiences with several previous dentists and the thought of extensive work in my mouth was not appealing to me. Especially because I have a very low tolerance for pain. I can honestly say that Dr. Thompson and his staff are one-of-a-kind, and truly the best out there! Not only are the very efficient and use state of the art procedures and materials, but they are compassionate and caring. I had never thought that a healthy smile would give me such a confidence boost, but it sure did! It used to be that people always told me that my eyes smiled when I spoke to them… Now I smile with much more than my eyes!”
“I first came to Dr. Thompson’s office in January of 2010. I had been having headaches due to muscular tension in my jaw. I suffer from a relatively rare genetic disorder called Amelogenesis imperfecta. This disorder affects the enamel formation in teeth, and I basically had no enamel on my teeth as a child and adult. Due to this I had to have all my teeth removed and replaced with dentures when I was only 25.
Dentures also present some problems: because I no longer had tooth roots in my jaw, my bone slowly began to deteriorate and atrophy, both in my upper and lower jaws. Eventually, by the age of 43, I developed severe migraine headaches due to how much my jaw had changed shape over time.
This is where Dr. Thompson came in. He diagnosed the problem quickly and told me that if I didn’t get implants soon my jaws would atrophy to the point where they could no longer support dentures or implants. Before getting implants, he was able to modify my dentures so my headaches went away within a matter of a day or so. What a relief!
Now, implants are expensive, but not as expensive as I thought they would be, and it is certainly better than the alternative of not having any teeth at all, dentures or otherwise. The implants had to be installed (for lack of a better term) over the course of 3 surgeries. The surgeries were completed in the mornings and I was sent home the same day.
Recovery was roughly 3-6 months between surgeries. It was over a year from the time I first visited Dr. Thompson until I got my final implants, but the final result has been great! My new implants are much more stable than my old dentures and I can now eat things that I never could before. I don’t have to fuss with using adhesive to secure my dentures anymore, and my headaches are a thing of the past! Plus my jaws have stopped shrinking due to the implants.
Dr. Thompson and his staff were very friendly and professional during the entire process. I have been to many dentists in the past, but Dr. Thompson is easily the best.”
“When I found Doctor Thompson, you could honestly say I was at my end. All hope of ever having a normal pain-free life was entirely out of reach and there was no way anyone could possibly help me. I had been repeatedly let down by doctors, specialists, and dentists I had been to. I was convinced these people were only there to hurt you and take your money, not actually sit down with you and help you!”
My teeth were beautiful when something really bad began to happen. My teeth began breaking and wearing away. I brushed and did everything I had always been taught to protect your teeth, but nothing seemed to be helping. I saw a billboard with Dr. Thompson. I cried to my husband every time I passed it…. I only wished that I could find someone who could be what he claimed to be. I passed that billboard many times and highly doubted the possibility that he could help me. The last dentist I had gone to hurt me so bad that I was not about to trust anyone else to touch me. So I lived with it.
The day came when decided I had to trust someone. I had just gone through two pregnancies that took all the nutrients I had, therefore speeding up the deterioration of my teeth. I lived in a dark blur of pain, looked at the ground when I spoke to people, and sipped on liquid Tylenol like it was water. ALL I wanted was to be able to be the best Mommy I could be. I was able to care for them and give them everything they needed, but I couldn’t do a lot of things. It was just too painful. I wanted more for my babies! I wanted them to see their Mommy feeling wonderful and able to look her best. I wanted to show them I could interact with other people and not be afraid.
That was all a dream until I finally broke down and decided that I would never know if Dr. Thompson could help me if I didn’t ask. So, one day in 2010, I made the call. The call that would change my perspective on people and their ability to help others. That day I met Micah, and what an angel she was for me! They knew I was terrified and they did their very best to comfort me. No one can truly understand what you are going through until they have lived it, but they tried harder than anyone I had ever seen. My report was as I knew it would be, they would not be able to save my teeth. I would have to have them all removed.
At 28 years old, it’s not exactly the highlight of your life, but when you have been in so much pain and a dentist looks at you, almost with tears in his eyes and tells you that he is going to help you, it will bring life back to your view on your situation. I realized at that moment that these people were my friends and they were going to be there all the way.
One short visit and I walked away with a new mouth. At first, it was totally foreign to me to have a complete set of teeth in my mouth. It was painful, and was not easy having to relearn a lot of things all over again. With their support and confidence, they helped me believe I could do everything right again. I am writing this a year later and I could not be happier with MY smile. I have my complete set of dentures with two implants on bottom that allow the bottom denture to snap in without any troubles at all. It was a very hard road, but one that I have no regrets taking. I have my new beautiful teeth…. I can smile, talk, sing, laugh, and eat. Most importantly I feel amazing. I can be the wife that my husband deserves and the Mommy that my two little girls need me to be, energetic and fun!
There is no greater feeling in the world than knowing I will never hurt like that ever again. Everything was worth it for me. I don’t mind sharing to the world that Dr. Thompson and his team were the most dedicated and outstanding people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They took care of me, and I will forever be grateful that I called them.”
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If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach us at our office (575) 359-1011.