Good Teeth: They Don't Have to Be in Your Genes

Many parents do not realize how important it is for their children to have their loose teeth pulled before their adult teeth grow into place. If the baby teeth are in a child's mouth while the adult teeth come in, their adult teeth could grow in crooked. This will cause the child to need to get braces when they may not have needed them before. When your child has a loose tooth, it is important to pull the tooth gently to ensure that you do not cause damage to their gums and that you do not traumatize them. Use the following guide to learn how to tell if a tooth is ready to be pulled.

It Wiggles

A tooth that is not ready to be pulled should not wiggle. A strong, healthy tooth will stay firmly affixed to the gums until another tooth starts to push it out of place. When this happens, the tooth will start to become loose in the gums and be able to be wiggled when you touch it.

It Hurts

When a tooth becomes loose, it will start to move around within the gum and cause pain. As the tooth moves up and down in the gum, the edges will sometimes scrape against the gums and cause them to become very tender.

It Is Sensitive

If your child suddenly has a sensitivity to hot or cold foods and drinks, there is a good chance your child's tooth is ready to be pulled. Sensitivity to hot and cold occurs because there will be a small gap forming between the tooth and the gum. This tiny gap allows the gum to be exposed to hot and cold that it has not been exposed to for quite some time.

It Bleeds

As the tooth moves around in the gum, it can actually cut your child's gum and cause it to bleed. If you start to see small trace amounts of blood around the loose tooth, it is important to have your child pull the tooth right away to ensure that it causes as little damage to the gum as possible.

If you notice any or all of these signs, there is a good chance that your child has a tooth that is loose enough to be pulled. Encourage your child to pull the tooth on their own because they will be able to stop when the pain become too much for them to bear. It is important to be patient with children when they are losing their first tooth because they are going to be fearful of the pain that they think they are going to feel.

For more information about pulling teeth correctly, visit a dentist or check out websites like http://www.nwidentist.com/.