My seven-year-old has adult teeth coming in but the baby teeth are still there. I really thought these were supposed to fall out on their own. What do I do? He’s never really been to a dentist before.
Samantha
Dear Samantha,
You are correct that normally these baby teeth will fall out on their own. However, sometimes our body doesn’t cooperate exactly the way it is supposed to. When that happens we need to intervene. You don’t want to just allow these adult teeth to come in with the baby teeth still there. It will lead to crowding, which means you will definitely be getting orthodontics down the road. No one wants to do that if it is avoidable.
If you are able to wiggle with baby teeth, you could try doing that to really loosen those teeth. Encourage your son to do the same. You can have a contest to see who can get the tooth out first. If it is steadfastly immovable, you will need to bring him in to see a dentist. They’ll have to extract the teeth.
Fortunately, baby teeth do not have deep roots like our adult teeth do, so it is much less traumatic to extract them. However, I am concerned that this will be his first exposure to a dentist. We don’t want this to be a scary appointment for him, leading to a lifetime of dental anxiety.
That is just one of the reasons dentists who treat children encourage parents to not wait until there is a problem for their child’s first dental visit. It’s always better if their first appointment is a fun relaxed one.
It is a common mistake that parents make, so don’t be too hard on yourself. You aren’t the first parent to wait for the dentist and you certainly won’t be the last.
My suggestion to minimize unnecessary fear or trauma with this appointment is to see a dentist who offers dental sedation options. Generally, with children, nitrous oxide is enough to relax them. In fact, most children will sleep through their appointments when nitrous is involved. This will help him have a more positive view of dental care.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.