Dentists: Advice on young emerging tooth!

[Ally T]

If there are any Dentists out there, I'd appreciate a bit of advice.

My 10 year old has an adult tooth emerging inside her baby tooth. This process started about a year ago & the outer milk tooth hasn't progressed in it's wobbliness - it wiggles a bit, but bumps the adult tooth behind it so movement is limited. We see the dentist every 6 months & in December she advised that when the milk tooth is out & H is a bit older, she will require braces to pull that tooth out & into place.

All fine so far, except we are at the dentist again in June & are no further forward, so H is worried the dentist will pull out the milk tooth to allow the development of the adult tooth. We try to wobble it often, but as previously said, it's backwards / forwards motion is limited. Should she try side to side & twisting? She really, REALLY wants to get it out without the dentist's intervention

 

[Austina]

Milk teeth don’t usually have deep roots @Alex T, so even if the dentist had to take it out, it shouldn’t be too bad. In the meantime, it won’t do any harm to jiggle it about as much as you can.

 

[Ally T]

Milk teeth don’t usually have deep roots @Alex T, so even if the dentist had to take it out, it shouldn’t be too bad. In the meantime, it won’t do any harm to jiggle it about as much as you can.

Thanks Austina! I did actually draw a diagram for her of teeth & roots, explaining that it wouldn’t hurt it to pull it, especially as it’s more than ready to come out, but she had a meltdown We’ll keep wobbling!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Will they let her have nitrous or sedation? I suffered from this as a kid and had teeth pulled with only Novocaine. It's honestly still my greatest fear and kept me from going to the dentist for nearly 20 years. Let her be sedated if she's that scared.

 

[rocks]

My niece had to have two primary teeth pulled for ortho. Hubby did it. It was a big nothing. No sedation; just an anesthetic injection. She walked out smiling. If it's already that wobbly...keep working on it!

 

[FlashyFlamingo]

If there are any Dentists out there, I'd appreciate a bit of advice.

My 10 year old has an adult tooth emerging inside her baby tooth. This process started about a year ago & the outer milk tooth hasn't progressed in it's wobbliness - it wiggles a bit, but bumps the adult tooth behind it so movement is limited. We see the dentist every 6 months & in December she advised that when the milk tooth is out & H is a bit older, she will require braces to pull that tooth out & into place.

All fine so far, except we are at the dentist again in June & are no further forward, so H is worried the dentist will pull out the milk tooth to allow the development of the adult tooth. We try to wobble it often, but as previously said, it's backwards / forwards motion is limited. Should she try side to side & twisting? She really, REALLY wants to get it out without the dentist's intervention

My baby teeth just wouldn’t come out on their own. I had several that looked just like that where the adult teeth came in behind. The dentist had to pull several baby teeth but it really wasn’t a big deal at all.

 

[baby monster]

DS had a permanent tooth erupt behind a baby one. Dentist said that it would get pulled at next 6mo appt if it didn't fall out on its own. She made it seem like it was regular procedure. As far as getting loose baby teeth out, a hard apple works for us every time.

 

[Ally T]

Will they let her have nitrous or sedation? I suffered from this as a kid and had teeth pulled with only Novocaine. It's honestly still my greatest fear and kept me from going to the dentist for nearly 20 years. Let her be sedated if she's that scared.

Never thought about pain relief? My dentist is very good with the children (& me) so I expect she will do everything possible to relax her.

 

[Austina]

If it’s really loose @Alex T, it won’t take much to pop it out and it shouldn’t hurt. AFAIK, dentists don’t use gas in their surgeries anymore (we certainly didn’t) and anything problematic was referred to a specialist clinic.

 

[lambskin]

Assherhalo lover-same experience as you! My pediatric dentist did not even use a topical when injecting the novocaine. It was when I got to Mom's dentist that I realized that fact.

 

[soxfan]

My kids are the king and queen of shark teeth. :roll My daughter has had 2 pulled and my son is going to have to have this one pulled I'm sure. Baby tooth is not even loose.

 

[Ally T]

My kids are the king and queen of shark teeth. :roll My daughter has had 2 pulled and my son is going to have to have this one pulled I'm sure. Baby tooth is not even loose.

Bless them! Thanks for chiming in - Hope is much more settled about this issue knowing that many other children have had the same thing happen.

 

[Gussie]

My kids also get the gas. They have never feared the dentist. I, otoh, am terrified of the dentist because I remember it being so bad as a kid. Gas is good!

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

YEP, DS has the same problem. He's terrified of the idea to have it pulled... We're extra extra extra careful to clean between the two teeth.

 

[mtsapphirelovingannie]

I'm not a dentist. However, I wanted to offer my experience. All of my "baby" teeth had roots and were extracted by a dentist. This was many, many years ago and I know pain management at the dentist office has improved. I think it is important to find a dentist that your child is comfortable with and for the parents to handle dental visits in a calm way (so often it seems we transfer our fears to children). I credit a good dentist and a wonderful mother for not allowing this experience to make me afraid of future dental visits.

 

[marymm]

Yes, all but one of my baby teeth also had to be pulled by the dentist - even though I am a bit of a scaredy-cat (and was back then), we had an excellent dentist who was great with children. The dental implements were never in my view and I would usually shut my eyes too - not having an actual true-life image of the pliers or whatever tool he used in my mind was a blessing - and my parents were great too, matter of fact but also a bit sympathetic, so I could feel free to exhibit some nervousness before the extraction.

Just like today, I felt the sharp pinch of the initial numbing shot (is it novacaine? lidocaine?) the most, and honestly while I could feel the physical sensation of the dental implement on my loose baby tooth there was no pain and the extraction itself was very very fast.

Of course, after my 2nd or 3rd baby tooth was pulled, it really was no big deal for child-me, and the tooth fairy still came

 

[Ally T]

I'm not a dentist. However, I wanted to offer my experience. All of my "baby" teeth had roots and were extracted by a dentist. This was many, many years ago and I know pain management at the dentist office has improved. I think it is important to find a dentist that your child is comfortable with and for the parents to handle dental visits in a calm way (so often it seems we transfer our fears to children). I credit a good dentist and a wonderful mother for not allowing this experience to make me afraid of future dental visits.

Thank you for sharing your story - must have been a lot to deal with when you were so young. Thankfully I have always treated the dentist as just another thing we need to do in order to keep our health tip top. I am very calm about going as I have had very few issues due to always looking after my teeth, but the issues I have had (surgical removal of impacted wisdom teeth when I was 21 & a white filling recently painted thinly over a top front tooth & polished flat, due to a small fracture in a weak area of enamel) I have always dealt with calmly & positively. I instill the same hygiene in the girls: they brush, floss & mouthwash. And as with going to see the Dr, I remind them if they do get a bit stressed that these people are professionals who are here to help us

 

[mtsapphirelovingannie]

Thank you for sharing your story - must have been a lot to deal with when you were so young.

I don't remember it being that difficult. The tooth fairy still came. Plus, my baby teeth looked way cooler than my brothers since mine had roots.

I've met a lot of people who are terrified of the dentist and avoid going. I had a bad experience as an adult so I get how scary it can be.

Good luck! It sounds like you have things well in hand.

 

[arkieb1]

My son had the same issue the dentist had to pull a baby tooth out to prevent overcrowding, they did it no sedation, no gas, he screamed for like 5 minutes (which I think was harder on me than on him) as they were pulling it out, but afterwards was totally O.K.

 

[Ally T]

My son had the same issue the dentist had to pull a baby tooth out to prevent overcrowding, they did it no sedation, no gas, he screamed for like 5 minutes (which I think was harder on me than on him) as they were pulling it out, but afterwards was totally O.K.

Need to try & avoid any screaming & fear. Hope is very sensitive & delicate - she will NEVER go to the dentist again if she feels hurt or frightened. Gulp! Did your son develop a fear of going as a result of this, or was he completely fine?

 

[Rfisher]

I've been extremely lucky with my kids and their teeth so far, so I can't help you there.
But I will say I had my first experience with gas last year.
I freaked out.
And I'm no stranger to the feeling of high.
After that, I'd have a hard time approving gas for my kids if needed. I know everyone's experience different - but I wish I knew what that difference was and how to control it in case it was needed for them, because so many other younglings do fine, it seems.

 

[missy]

I've been extremely lucky with my kids and their teeth so far, so I can't help you there.
But I will say I had my first experience with gas last year.
I freaked out.
And I'm no stranger to the feeling of high.
After that, I'd have a hard time approving gas for my kids if needed. I know everyone's experience different - but I wish I knew what that difference was and how to control it in case it was needed for them, because so many other younglings do fine, it seems.

Some people don’t do well with the dental nitrous oxide gas because they can’t process it nor detoxify it well. Some people with certain genetic mutations need to avoid this anesthetic. @Rfisher you might be such an individual and that increases your children’s risk of having the same problem. You could find out easily by taking a DNA saliva test like 23 and me.

@Alex T wishing all the best for dear Hope. Cmon tooth wiggle your way gently out.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Sitting in the waiting room with DS to have that tooth pulled... Didn't have the choice anymore, since it's got to be out for his braces to be placed.... Hope they are as good as everyone told me they are. Special kids only practice...

 

[missy]

Sitting in the waiting room with DS to have that tooth pulled... Didn't have the choice anymore, since it's got to be out for his braces to be placed.... Hope they are as good as everyone told me they are. Special kids only practice...

Good luck @kipari, fingers crossed for your DS's procedure to go well.

 

[Ally T]

Sitting in the waiting room with DS to have that tooth pulled... Didn't have the choice anymore, since it's got to be out for his braces to be placed.... Hope they are as good as everyone told me they are. Special kids only practice...

Good luck! Please come back & let us know how it was handled & how he dealt with it. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly!

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Thanks @missy and @Alex T! Everything went well. They were very gentle and nice. Dentist was not the regular one and about 25 years old. Really friendly and "cool" . They put numbing cream on, did a check up, then anesthesia and cleaning (while the anesthetic kicked in) and pulled the tooth last . So no awkward gaps for him to start thinking about it too much. The pulling itself took about 45 seconds. He's uncomfortable still 2 hrs later, but not in pain.
Definitely doable, @alexT, but I'd recommend a specialised pediatric dentist. Much better experience than our last encounter with a regular dentist !!

 

[Ally T]

Thanks @missy and @Alex T! Everything went well. They were very gentle and nice. Dentist was not the regular one and about 25 years old. Really friendly and "cool" . They put numbing cream on, did a check up, then anesthesia and cleaning (while the anesthetic kicked in) and pulled the tooth last . So no awkward gaps for him to start thinking about it too much. The pulling itself took about 45 seconds. He's uncomfortable still 2 hrs later, but not in pain.
Definitely doable, @alexT, but I'd recommend a specialised pediatric dentist. Much better experience than our last encounter with a regular dentist !!

So glad it all went well. Sounds like a very calm & professional team. Thank you for the update & I hope your son feels back to normal soon.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

It still looks ugly, but now at bedtime he brushed his teeth normally (well, not ON the wound) and was A-OK. No pain!

 

[Ally T]

UPDATE:

We have been for our 6 monthly dental check, and Hope had the baby tooth pulled. The dentist was FABULOUS. She applied numbing gel to the gum area, all around. I stood at the side holding Hope's hand as she was very nervous, and she asked questions first so that she understood what would happen. After the numbing gel had done its thing, the nurse secretly handed the dentist a syringe of anaesthetic. Then she asked Hope to close her eyes whilst she finished up with a numbing liquid, so that she didn't accidentally get any in her eyes. At this stage she started to inject, Hope was calm & oblivious, only once gripping my hand a bit tighter when she felt a pinch. The dentist then wiggled the tooth for no more than 10 seconds with her fingertips & out it popped! Job done!

Thanks everyone for your reassuring advice & words of wisdom on this. We are 2 hours on & she is happily sat eating dinner. It started to sting a little about 30 minutes ago, so I gave her some paracetamol & now she's completely fine. Hooray!

She'll be referred to the Orthodontist in 8 months when the big tooth has settled into place as much as it can by itself, to have a brace fitted. As it's an incisors tooth, it may take 12 weeks to pull into place, but in the grand scheme, not very long at all

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

well done