If a child has a loose baby tooth, what should I do? This is a common question. You can find out the answer to it by reading this article.
When this happens, the whole family gets worried. It is not surprising, because this is the beginning of a new stage in the life of the baby, his growing up and development. In addition, everyone knows how important it is to have a correct bite and he althy teeth. Therefore, I want to do everything right: and not to harm with unnecessary care, and not to miss the moment when something goes wrong.
If a child's milk tooth starts to loosen, there are no serious reasons for excitement in most cases. Replacing teeth is a normal physiological process, and if the baby does not have dental diseases, everything will go well.
Nature is arranged in such a way that the newborn first has milk teeth, which are enough to chew the delicate, soft food included in the babydiet in the first years of life. Then there comes a time when the child's milk teeth stagger, they fall out and are replaced by permanent ones. This process usually begins at the age of five, sometimes a little earlier or later.
When a baby tooth is loose, what to do is interesting to many.
Age features of tooth growth
Dentists advise parents to take good care of their child's mouth. Many people ask: "Why is this necessary?". What are the functions of milk teeth in a child's body and do they really need high-quality hygiene, despite the fact that they fall out, stagger and are replaced by permanent ones?
The human body is a perfect system in which there is nothing accidental, and milk teeth perform their significant functions. They first appear in a baby at the age of six months to a year. At this time, the digestive organs can already absorb both milk and denser foods. As a rule, the last milk teeth erupt by the age of two, and at the same time it is advisable to visit the dentist for the first time for a preventive examination.
In addition, during this period, a temporary bite is formed, which usually finishes developing by the age of three. On the jaw, permanent teeth are distributed in the same way as milk teeth, and therefore it is very important to monitor the correct growth of the teeth so that they do not interfere with each other. Most often, malocclusion appears precisely in childhood.
Does a child loose a milk tooth between the ages of four and five? itnormal, everything goes according to the standard schedule. This process is usually extended over a long period of time, it can last up to and including adolescence.
As a rule, by the age of 13 all milk teeth already fall out, instead of them molars appear. However, until this happens, parents invariably worry about what to do if a child’s baby tooth is loose?
How does a tooth change into a molar?
Usually adults no longer remember their feelings from the process of changing teeth, when it begins in their own children, that's why they worry. Parents think that the child is uncomfortable and hurt when a milk tooth is loose. In fact, if the baby does not have a lag or rush in development, if everything happens at the right time, and he is he althy, then the milk tooth falls out completely painlessly.
Each child at birth under milk teeth already has the rudiments of molars. They continue to develop over the following years. When the right time comes, the milk tooth will let the molar through, which will force its way up through the gum. Milk roots begin to dissolve even a few months before the tooth begins to stagger. If it staggers, then we can talk about the absence of roots, the tooth is held only by the gum, and a new, permanent tooth is on the way.
So, if a child has a loose milk tooth, what should I do?
Parents' actions
Parents don't have to do anything special. You can gently loosen the tooth a little. It can do it yourself andthe child himself, after washing his hands. It is not recommended to pull out a tooth by force with your fingers or bite on specially hard objects - this can cause infection and injure the gum.
It is imperative to warn the child about the ongoing process and make sure that he does not accidentally swallow a tooth that will finally fall out. At this time, he can tell a story about a squirrel, a mouse or a tooth fairy. Then he will strive to say goodbye to milk teeth as soon as possible.
If a child has a loose baby tooth, what is the safest way to pull it out?
Doctors do not advise, but most experienced grandmothers and mothers still say that if the tooth is very loose, but the moment of self-loss is delayed, it is necessary to brush the baby's teeth, take a bandage or sterile cotton, put it on it, grab it with your fingers, then rotate around its axis, while slightly pulling out. People believe that a child is less afraid of such a procedure than visiting a dentist who will wield forceps.
As soon as the tooth is extracted, rinse the mouth with manganese or soda solution, chamomile decoction. If blood comes out of the wound, you need to apply a cotton swab moistened with a manganese solution for several minutes.
Sometimes a baby tooth loosens after a fall. In this case, you should visit a doctor.
When is a dentist appointment needed?
If a baby tooth started to loosen at the right time and does not fall out for a long time, it must be removed. The whole problem lies in the fact that a permanent one has already cut through under it. When not releasedspace for it, it will grow crooked, leading to the need for braces in the future. Therefore, it is better to persuade the baby to endure the unpleasant procedure once than to wear plates on the teeth for months and even years.
When a milk front tooth staggers, a child's body temperature can sometimes rise. If it does not subside for more than three days, or is accompanied by vomiting and nausea, you need to show it to the pediatrician.
In addition, there are other situations when you should not wait until a loose milk tooth falls out on its own, but it needs to be removed. A visit to the dentist cannot be postponed when:
- milk tooth staggers for a long time and greatly interferes with the process of chewing food;
- a tooth is broken, its sharp edges injure the tongue or oral mucosa;
- the root or tooth is severely carious, which can damage a child's permanent tooth;
- the tooth is affected by pulpitis, a cyst or gum disease has appeared.
When the situation repeats when the teeth are loose and do not fall out by themselves, especially when the erupting constants are already clearly visible under them, you need to pass additional tests. It is likely that the child has an excess of calcium in the body. It's as bad as it's lacking, diet needs to be adjusted.
Possible pathologies
If milk teeth began to stagger very early, for example, at two or three years old, you should immediately consult a dentist. This is no longer a natural physiological process, but a signal of a seriousa disorder that requires urgent treatment. Teeth loosen with the following pathologies:
- periodontal disease;
- diabetes mellitus;
- genetically weak gums;
- anemia or beriberi;
- rickets.
At present, all of them are successfully treated, including in very young children, but on condition that they are diagnosed on time and all medical prescriptions are followed. Therefore, one cannot turn a blind eye to such a problem, which may seem insignificant. The quality of life and he alth of the child in the future may depend on the speed of the parents' reaction.
Modern dental offices for children provide a variety of painless procedures that do not stress the child.
Rules for the care of milk teeth: advice from dentists
As already mentioned, scrupulous oral hygiene of the baby is of great importance for his he alth. A child's teeth are made up of softer tissues and are therefore vulnerable, sensitive and prone to caries. They need to be cared for in the same way as permanent ones: brush twice a day and visit the dentist twice a year for preventive checkups.
Inflamed gums
If milk teeth start to loosen, fall out, gum inflammation may appear. When a tooth is removed by a dentist, a wound is left in the mouth. Therefore, you need to use a good quality toothpaste that is suitable for gentle oral hygiene.
When a baby's baby tooth is loose andit hurts, it may indicate some kind of pathology.
What not to do?
Smart thoughts don't always come to the head of parents. And the advice of relatives and grandmothers in the neighborhood will not always be brilliant. You need to figure out what actions are unacceptable:
- give the baby to gnaw dry, apple or carrot; solid foods can cause mouth injury;
- Forcibly pull out a tooth if the baby screams or resists;
- remove a loose tooth on their own when the child is under four years old; this process is not due to the natural replacement of teeth;
- the tooth cannot be loosened with improvised means without observing sterility;
- Tilting the tooth to the side or putting pressure on it is also not worth it, as this can damage the gum tissue and cause severe pain to the child.
Conclusions
So, the natural change of teeth occurs at about six years of age, this process ends by the age of 13.
You can get rid of a tooth both in the dentist's office and at home on your own. The procedure must be carried out under sterile conditions, be careful. In case of difficulties and sharp pain during the extraction of a tooth, it is necessary to stop acting on your own and consult a dentist. You need to go to him as quickly as possible and when he starts to stagger early or does not fall out for a long time.
Thanks to these simple recommendations, you can avoid unpleasantcomplications.
If a child has a loose milk tooth, what to do - now it has become absolutely clear.