Baby Teeth Not Falling Out

My six year old has some adult teeth coming in but the baby teeth are not loose at all. Should I just wait for them to loosen up or do I need to take him to a dentist to have them pulled. He’s never been to a dentist before.

Carla

Dear Carla,

If his adult teeth are pushing through and you cannot loosen up the baby teeth by wiggling them on your own, then he will need to see a pediatric dentist. Otherwise the stationary baby teeth will deflect his adult teeth and they will come in either in front of or behind the baby teeth. That will mean expensive orthodontics in his future.

It is important to make sure a child’s first dental appointments is a positive one, so it is always better to get them there earlier than you’d think before any problems develop, or worse, when there is a dental emergency. This way they develop a positive attitude about going to the dentist. However, he’s in a situation now where he needs to be seen even though it may be a scarier appointment.

My suggestion, in that case, is to see a children’s dentist that also offers dental sedation options, such as nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation. This will relax him so that it is not a painful appointment for him. With oral conscious sedation, he’ll likely sleep through the appointment.

The first order of business is to see if you can wiggle those teeth. If not, see a dentist and talk to him or her about your options.

This blog is brought to you by Scottsdale Affordable Dentist Dr. Dang.