One of the most common questions we get at Pediatric Dentistry of Jonesboro, can a loose baby tooth reattach itself?
The answer is yes and no.
Well, this depends on a number of factors. At first, you have to bear in mind that baby teeth are meant to be fallen. And the most important thing is are you endangering the good baby teeth by keeping the bad tooth or by reattaching your child’s loose baby tooth?
In this article, I will give you a detailed guideline on loose baby teeth.
After reading the article you will know if you want your child’s baby tooth to reattach itself or if you want to lose the child’s baby tooth and grow an adult tooth.
When do baby teeth start to grow?
Your child’s first baby tooth- one of the most exciting things to experience as parents.
Your child’s baby teeth will start to grow from 6-12 months of age. But it can be as early as 3 months which varies from child to child. Usually the first baby tooth appears at the age of 4 to 7 months.
It will start with the two bottom front teeth, and gradually cover the rest of the baby teeth.
Remember you should start giving fluoride to your child’s diet as it prevents tooth decay. You can consult with the Pediatric Dentists of Jonesboro about the fluoride treatment.
And never ever use any teething tablets, they will cause side effects growing adult teeth..
Why do baby teeth become loose?
Many parents don’t know why their child’s baby teeth become loose. As a parent, you must have clear concepts about your child’s oral health.
Here are the top reasons why your child’s baby teeth become loose:
Gum Disease
The most common reason for loose teeth is gum disease.
Plaque is one of the primary reasons to create gum disease which occurs in loose teeth.
You have to take your child’s proper oral care to decrease this.
Injury or Trauma
Kids are very unconscious and unaware while they are playing. They often get injured if the home is not baby-proofed or by any accidental hit.
And it can lead to a loose tooth if the child gets hit in the mouth or teeth.
This is surely an emergency case. We recommend you take your child to a pediatric dentist as soon as possible. The dentist will examine and see if any bones got fractured or it has any other issues.
Teeth grinding or clenching
Teeth grinding and jaw clenching is related to stress or anxiety problems.
Children might get afraid and grind their teeth together. It can cause loose baby teeth.
When do kids start losing baby teeth?
As a parent, you have to understand that losing baby teeth is the process of growing up adult teeth.
Everyone has 20 baby teeth and 32 adult teeth. The baby teeth must fall out to grow the adult or permanent teeth.
When your child’s jaw becomes large enough to get the adult teeth, the baby teeth start falling out in a sequenced manner. And the strong and permanent adult teeth start to grow.
Now the burning question is when do kids start losing baby teeth?
Well, it depends.
Generally, kids start to lose baby teeth at the age of 6. But sometimes it might be as early as 4 years old and as late as 8 years old.
If your child’s first baby tooth appears at age 3 or 4 months, your child will start losing his or her baby teeth at the age of 4-5 years old. That means the first adult or permanent tooth will appear at the age of 4-5 years old.
And if your child’s first baby tooth appears nearly 1 year old, then your child might get his or her first permanent or adult tooth at the age of 7-8 years old.
Does a child’s loose tooth hurt?
Normally a loose tooth doesn’t hurt but the fear might hurt your child.
Sometimes parents get afraid when they see their child is losing their baby teeth. As mentioned earlier, you have to always bear in mind that baby teeth fall out naturally. It is a process of growing permanent adult teeth.
So as a parent, you have to give courage to your child. A loose tooth doesn’t hurt, rather the tooth fairy will give rewards for the baby teeth. That’s how you’ve to convince your child with your story.
Because if your child creates the fear of losing teeth, he or she will be afraid and might get hurt emotionally or mentally.
Tell your child a good tooth story and encourage him or her not to fear losing baby teeth.
Can a loose tooth tighten back up?
That’s the most important part of this article.
Can a loose baby tooth reattach itself? Or can a loose tooth tighten back up?
Well, the answer is yes.
Teeth naturally reattach themselves within 3-4 weeks depending on the problem.
Sometimes it might take 6-8 weeks to reattach or tighten back up.
But if the tooth is bad then it might damage the good teeth.
That’s why we recommend consulting with a pediatric dentist about this.
Should I wait for reattachment or pull out the baby tooth?
So the most important question has come.
As you have already known, a bad tooth is dangerous for the good teeth near it.
So, it won’t be good if your bad tooth reattaches itself.
But how do you know it’s a bad tooth? Or it might affect the good ones.
That’s why we recommend you to go to a pediatric dentist.
A good pediatric dentist will examine and tell you what to do with it.
But you have to remember that a baby tooth is meant to be fallen out.
So, it’s better to wiggle if a baby tooth is loose and falls out smoothly so that the adult teeth can grow.
But don’t hurry, see a pediatric dentist first and then make the decision.
Don’t know how to wiggle?
Don’t worry at all, we have covered everything in this article.
How to wiggle loose baby tooth?
What’s the best time to wiggle a baby tooth?
Well, when the baby tooth is loose, your kid can start wiggling.
Wiggling is a very simple process.
Your child has to push back and forth smoothly. Be careful about not wiggling too fast.
Besides wiggling, twisting clockwise and anti-clockwise is a great motion to loosen the baby tooth. This will surely help the loose baby tooth come out faster.
After wiggling, it’s time to pull out the loose baby tooth.
Here’s a video on how to pull out a loose baby tooth!
What to do when a baby tooth doesn’t come out?
So now you have tried wiggling and twisting your child’s loose baby tooth.
But it doesn’t come out?
In this case we recommend you to try wiggling a bit more. But not harder.
And if it still doesn’t come out then the best option is to make an appointment for a pediatric dentist. A pediatric dentist will help pull out the baby tooth without pain.
And remember, always inspire and encourage your child.
How long does it take for new permanent teeth to grow?
Well this is very exciting, when your child starts growing permanent teeth.
The baby tooth falls out when the adult tooth is strong and ready to grow.
After the fall of the baby tooth, it might take 6-12 months to grow a complete adult tooth.
But sometimes it might take longer depending on the child’s face shape, jaw shape, and crowded mouth.
If the mouth is too crowded the permanent teeth will take a longer time to grow.
Conclusion
Losing a baby tooth is a process of growing adult permanent teeth.
If you want it to reattach, it’s still gonna fall someday when the adult teeth become mature and strong.
And now you know how dangerous the bad teeth are. Reattaching the bad tooth might affect the good teeth near it. So it’s better to see a pediatric dentist and check it up.
Hope you are clear about this.We will write more about children’s dentistry.
Happy parenting!
