So, your child’s baby teeth are starting to come loose. Should you get in there and yank out? This is an important question when it comes to your child’s oral health, and our International District Seattle dentistry clinic advises that you should probably allow the teeth to come out on their own.
Remember that your child’s mouth is a delicate place. Sticking your fingers inside his or her mouth and pulling out a tooth before it is ready will damage the fragile gums. Only your child really knows just how much pain is going along with forcing the tooth out, and he or she should therefore be allowed to decide when the tooth is ready.
One concern that parents often have in this situation is protecting the child from swallowing a tooth when it comes out unexpectedly. This may happen, but it’s really not something to worry about. A tooth can pass through your child’s system harmlessly. Ultimately, you should really only think about removing a loose tooth if the permanent tooth starts to come in underneath it; when this happens, there may be some risk of the permanent tooth coming in crooked, and you should bring a stubborn baby tooth to the attention of your dentist.