Worried That Your Child Has Pulled Too Many Teeth? Ask Your Dentist!

Kids lose their baby teeth one of two ways-- either slowly over time, or all at once and very quickly. When the second scenario occurs and leaves spaces unfilled by adult teeth, you are left wondering if Junior pulled out too many teeth, i.e., he pulled some adult teeth with the baby teeth. If you want to allay your fears about the gaps in your child's teeth, visit your dentist. 

Explain the Situation to Your Dentist

A good family dentist will listen to your concerns and know how to alleviate them. There are a lot of parents in your situation who have the same concerns, and many dentists understand why it would be a terrifying thing to parents if their children were a little over-zealous about providing teeth for the tooth fairy.

Essentially, pulling adult teeth along with baby teeth means:

• permanent gaps in your child's mouth.
• inability to bite and/or chew correctly.
• the need for dental implants or a partial, which the child will have to wear for life.
• constant teasing and harassment by other kids.

These are all valid and normal concerns, and chances are, your dentist has heard all of them before.

What Your Dentist Will Do Next

After you have relayed your concerns to your family dentist, he or she will order a complete panoramic x-ray of your child's mouth. This x-ray moves in a complete semi-circle from one side of your child's mouth to the next, and provides one full x-ray of all of the teeth in your child's mouth, including the teeth below the gum line that have not erupted yet. In this x-ray, you will be able to clearly see the adult teeth buds that rest on top of any remaining baby teeth, as well as any adult teeth which are just below the open spaces in your child's mouth.

What Your Dentist Will Recommend for Missing Teeth

Unfortunately, if the missing teeth are just slow to come in, there is little any dentist can do to force them through. The teeth will eventually come through on their own, unless the x-ray revealed that they are impacted and/or blocked by adult teeth that have already made it through. Then your dentist might have to perform a little surgery to edge the teeth out of the way and allow the other teeth to surface. In the event that your child did pull the adult teeth, you can discuss your child's options with your family dentist at that time.

For more information, contact an experienced dentist, like Denise McGrade DDS.