After it starts to loosen, the tooth can take up to a few weeks to fall out.
More often than not, loose teeth fall out on their own without any sort of pain. However, there are some cases in which it makes sense to pull a loose tooth.
Situation #4: When it's Been Loose for Too Long
If a tooth has been loose for longer than a few weeks, consider a visit to the dentist. This is rare, but it can happen that a baby tooth takes a month or so to fall out naturally, but if it's been too much longer than that, a dentist may be able to provide some insight.
If it doesn't seem to be getting any closer to falling out after a 1-2 weeks take your child to the dentist. No – You should take your child to the dentist. The doctor will likely need to take an x-ray and find out if there is a permanent tooth waiting to come up or if the permanent tooth failed to develop.
Pulling out the teeth forcefully and prematurely can harm the soft tissues and cause excessive bleeding or pain in the roots. Absence of pain is the best sign that the tooth is ready for removal. If the child can turn the tooth 90 degrees or rotate it without any discomfort, then it is probably due for removal.
Sometimes parents are afraid that child may swallow the loose tooth if its been ready to come out. If it happens child wont choke and its very unlikely that the problems can occur. It passes through the body. Reassure your kid the Tooth Fairy will come if he leaves a note!
Let Your Child Wiggle the Tooth
There is nothing wrong with allowing your child to gently play with a loose tooth on their own. They can use their tongue to wiggle it back and forth or touch it lightly with clean fingers. In time, the tooth will fall out with minimal, if any, pain or blood.
The best way to pull a loose tooth is to grab a tissue. A tooth ready to come out will offer little to no resistance when you wrap the tissue around it and squeeze. If the root is fully dissolved, the tooth will easily slide out of the gum. There should be minimum pain and blood.
Call Your Dentist Immediately
Call the doctor at once if you notice a loose tooth. It's important to discover not only the best treatment, but the reason for your loose tooth as well. A loose tooth can be caused by several different conditions, and none of them should be ignored.
Second Molars and Canines
The last teeth to fall out are the canines and the second molars. The canine teeth are lost between 9 and 12 years old, and the primary second molars are typically shed between the ages of 10 and 12. Once your child reaches the age of 13, they should have a full set of permanent adult teeth.
This means that the tooth's blood supply has been affected and it is struggling to get the necessary amount of blood. Inside the tough enamel coating of each tooth is a soft centre, which is fed by a nerve. If the nerve has become damaged, then it can cause the soft centre to die.
Some children never experience any soreness when their teeth become loose, and others do complain of some pain. An easy way to dull the pain is to hold an ice pack, wrapped in a towel of course, against the area. You can also have your child suck on a Popsicle to ease pain and inflammation.
The gums surrounding the loose tooth can become red, swollen, painful, and may bleed slightly.
Some parents say they worry that their children will swallow a tooth or choke on it in their sleep, but dentists say there is little concern.
How do I know if a tooth is ready to come out? The roots of baby teeth will start to dissolve upon the arrival of permanent teeth. This will make the tooth loose and painless to pull! If the child experiences any pain while pulling the baby tooth, the tooth should not be pulled.
In children, necrotic teeth often appear gray or at least darker than the other teeth. Anytime you notice a tooth in your child's mouth changing color or losing its normal whiteness, make an appointment with Mila Cohen immediately. It's not always a necrotic tooth. Sometimes, kids' teeth appear gray temporarily.
Whether it turns dark or not doesn't always depend on the severity of the injury. However, that if the tooth is displaced or knocked very loose at the time of the injury, there seems to be a greater chance of it turning dark. If it doesn't turn dark after a month, it likely won't have any further problems.
Most children lose their last baby tooth around the age of 12. All non-wisdom teeth are typically in place around your child's 13th birthday.
By the time a child is 12, most have lost all of their baby teeth. If they haven't lost all of their teeth at this point there isn't necessarily a problem, but it never hurts to have it looked at by a dentist if they get closer to 14 or 15 years old as it could be an underlying problem.
Not all children develop at the same rate, so, in some instances, children can still have baby teeth until age 14. However, if a child is older than 14 and has a few baby teeth left, this could be a cause for concern. One reason baby teeth don't fall out is that there is a lack of permanent tooth eruption.
Seeing an Orthodontist is vital if your child still has baby teeth at the age of 13. They can then assess the situation and find out what the reason is for the dental challenge. In some instances, no action might be the case. But that can't be known for certain until an Orthodontic Specialist takes a closer look.
Baby teeth (also called deciduous teeth or primary teeth) begin to wiggle as early as age 4 and you will see kids losing teeth between the ages of 5-15, with girls many times losing them before boys. Baby teeth can also be lost due to injuries or dental issues such as gum disease or cavities.