Baby Teeth Not Even Loose

I would do the "wait and see" approach.

Hi! My son is 8, and has an almost identical issue. He is scheduled to have 4 teeth extracted at the end of the month. I am so nervous. My son, although not looking forward to it, doesn't seem to be too worried about it. I'm no expert or anything, but they gave me the option of having him awake or put to sleep, I am opting for having him asleep, the reasoning being that if he's not awake there will be no apprehension about what they are doing in his mouth. I wouldn't want to be awake for that. At first they were going to pull 8 teeth, but by the time we were able to get a consultation with the oral surgeon he had lost 4 more. is problem is with spacing. Even with the teeth he lost there is still no room for grown up teeth to come in where the ones he lost are. So I am confident at this point that it is necessary, So maybe you just want to give your little girl a couple extra months for the teeth to loosen on their own, bet make appropriate appointments meanwhile. Hope some of this has been helpful, good luck. Kids are resilient and I am sure she will be fine, especially if she doesn't have any issues with regular cleanings.

L.,
I have been a dental hygienist for 20yrs. If her baby teeth are loose leave them there, they will come out all by themselves. If not they will probably have to be extracted. This is very common so don't worry.

Becci

My son as well as several of my friends kids have had the same issue. My sons second teeth were almost compleatly in before the first fell out the dentist said as long as he had no pain let nature take its course. Some of my friends have gone the extraction way and now it is hard to get kids to go back. I say if you can get a second opinion ask your pedi? L.

Hi L.!
Believe it or not, almost all of my son's baby teeth were like this, and they all fell out on their own.
He is now 9 and has since been to the dentist for a very bad cavitity (apparently the tooth was not formed completely when it came in), and has no fear of the dentist at all. I think when the parent feels comfortable with the dentist/office/procedure, that helps the child feel confident as well.
Good luck!!!
:-) P.

Hello,
Before I became a SAHM I worked for an Oral surgeon, we use to see a lot of kids that had baby teeth extracted b/c they wouldn't fall out and some of them were teenagers trying to get braces. I have a friend that had to get 7 baby teeth extracted on her 17 year old daughter b/c they wouldn't fall out. You need to find out if they staying in will it hinder the growth of the other teeth at this point. Speak to an Oral surgeon or an orthdontist. Taking out baby teeth isn't as bad as adult teeth. You need to find a good dentist or Oral surgeon to do it and one that will take time to comfort your child and build trust and not just walk in pull the tooth and leave. I'm not sure where you live but there is a good Oral surgoen in Franklin MA (email me if you want his name and number). He is young and will take time to make a friend out of you child and give you his opinion not just what will make him money. Good Luck!

My 6 y.o son had the same thing happen. The dentist recommended extraction so that is what we did. He has no bad feelings about the dentist, and the whole process went very smoothly, and he is quite proud of his 2 pulled teeth! His next loose tooth came out on it's own, and that was really exciting for him as well!

I had to have mine pulled when I was a kid. I was freaked out by loose teeth, and would be super careful not to wiggle them. Sigh. Ended up needing braces because two came in really out of place. I also have marks that are permanent on my teeth from where they were touching the baby teeth as they came in.

I still have night mares about loose teeth, then them falling out. Just a phobia that I have. I had no negative experience having them pulled out. I would get a second opinion from another dentist if you are not comfortable, but if it were me, I would pull them before they cause issues like mine did, requiring painful, expensive braces.

I am a dentist with a 18 month old son. If the 2 new teeth are in her mouth there is not much else you can do besides extract them. The only way they become loose is if the new teeth are pushing up against them - resorbing the root. But don't worry about her hating the dentist - we can usually numb her up with minimal discomfort. I have done so many extractions and fillings on children even younger and though they may cry before hand from the unknown, most of the time they give me a hug and a smile after. Children are VERY forgiving - better than adults! If she really is a child that is very difficult to handle or if you are very concerned, you may want to consider taking her to a pediatric dentist. They can put her to sleep or sedate her so that she has no memory of what happened. Good luck! It really is not a bad as you think it may be!

I am a dental hygienist in a West Hartford general practice. We see this situation often but I agree with the more conservative approach of waiting a while. She can be evaluated at each 6 mos. recall appointment. If they do need help down the road coming out, rest assured dentists today spend a great deal of energy trying to perform painless and atraumatic dental procedures, especially pediatric dentists. But again, wait a while. Hopefully when other teeth begin erupting next to them, the front two baby teeth will also get "wiggly." Good luck

If they do need to come out and you live near worcester I would call Dr. Gallagher on Lincoln St. I have had many dentists for my children( I have 3 boys) and I had no idea that one dentist could be so much better than the others. My older child was traumatized by a dentist in Auburn about 3 years ago and I had a really tough time getting him to go back, we have had quite a few cavities filled by dr. Gallagher and they dont even know hes doing it, even my 4 year old had cavities filled when he was 3 and he thought they were polishing his teeth, he does the novicane so slow that they dont feel it.S if you do have to det them pulled I would make sure its with a really good dentist.

I am a hygienist, and have been for 20 years, with 15 years specializing in pediatrics. Your dentist is correct. If you are talking about the lower front teeth, it is very important to allow space for the permanent teeth to move forward.
If you are really concerned, I recommend going to an oral surgeon. They can sedate your child, and he/she will not remember anything.
Better to let your dentist be the good guy.

L.,

My son had a double row of most of his teeth. Most fell out on their own when the 2nd teeth started to get bigger. At fourteen we finally had to have his eye teeth and a couple of molars pulled at the dentist, but it was not traumatic on him as it would be for a little guy. My grandson has horribly soft teeth that needed multiple fillings this year and he is just four. My step-daughter took him to a children's dentist that was wonderful and he was fine going back for multiple cavities. If I were you, I would get a second opinion from a children's dentist, or wait a little while to see if his teeth loosen on their own. Maybe you could make a game out of him trying to wiggle those teeth??? Good luck, I know how nerve wracking it is to worry about making the right decision.

M.

My son had the same problem. his tounge had pushed his baby tteth forward just enough to let the permanent teeth come don behind them. We went to an oral surgeon and they "knocked him out" with nitrous(?) for 5 minutes. He never complained because he didn't see or feel them pull the teeth. His pain was minimal and because his regular dentist didn't do the extraction he isn't afraid of him at all.
good luck

My son had the same thing for a couple months and my dentist told me to hold out. The first time I mentioned it to him he said to wait a few weeks and then he'd check on it. A few weeks later, they were a little loose and he told me to wait a couple more weeks. After a couple weeks, one fell out and then a week or so later, the other.

I'm glad I waited.

Please wait! I am an adult now and have never had a cavity in my entire life. I did not even get my first tooth until I was 18 mos. old, no kidding. I was a late bloomer all around. His teeth will fall out and they will probably be very healthy teeth, don't pay to have them pulled, save your money because most likely he will need braces. My teeth were horribly crooked because the baby teeth were so stubborn to come out, so the adult teeth just came in too. When I was in 8th grade the dentist had to pull out 7 baby teeth before they could put my braces on. I got my 12 year molars when I was 16 yo. and I only have 1 wisdom tooth that grew in during my late 20's. LOL When I go to the dentist now, they gawk at my teeth, how beautiful they are with no fillings. My mother did the flouride treatments, and 6 mos cleanings my whole childhood and it payed off, every time I went to the dentist they would urge my mother to get the babies pulled, she refused, and she was right!! I have the same dentist I had when I was a child and he always says to me now, you turned out alright, your mother knew what she was talking about. Time!

When I was 5 I had to have a tooth pulled because it was dead from a fall when I was about a year old. It never stopped me from going back. I remember them giving me gas, then when I woke up it was all over and I was a little groggy. The neat thing with being 6 is your teeth are ready to come out so the healing/pain is so much faster than when you have to have a "real" surgery like the Wisdom Teeth. Call and talk to them when your daugther is not around, the worst thing you can do is let your fear be picked up by her. I suggest you have them pulled you don't want to discourage the adult teeth from coming in. Good Luck -- the tooth fairy can leave $10.00 for this one!!

My son had the same problem and the dentist told us to leave it alone unless it bothered him. They wound up coming out on their own.

The reason the dentist suggests extraction is because misaligned baby teeth are more easily subject to infection. Find a good pediatric dentist that has chairs and equipment better sized for children. They'll probably give her some gas to relax her. My son had an extraction of an infected baby tooth and he seemed to actually enjoy the visit. He certainly felt better afterward.

I had to have a baby tooth pulled out when I was seven. I remember the whole experience, but mostly because I was scared. I remember, very clearly, that there was NO pain and almost no bleeding.

I was very scared, but afterwards, I thought it was pretty fun.

My daughter who is six also, just went through the same exact thing. She had to secondary teeth come in behind her baby teeth. I called the dentist and he suggested to just leave them alone and they will eventually fall out on their own. Right after that they got loose enough and did. So I would suggest leaving them alone. It worked for my daughter. Now her two teeth have moved forward and are in position of the old ones.

Trust me follow your dentist's advice and get them extracted because the baby teeth will NOT loosen. My 10 yr old had the same thing and they had to extract the baby teeth because if you wait too long the big teeth will come in behind the baby teeth and be all messed up because there isn't enough space for the big teeth to come in properly, and my son's teeth are now perfectly straight. If your dentist knows what they are doing it won't be a horrible experience, my son's extraction was about 10 min in time and the tooth fairy came to visit that night and he was happy. So please follow your dentist's advice and get it done ASAP.

Hi L.
I worked for a Dentist for years, and I have my own experience with baby teeth (at 21 yrs old) I would not hesitate to bring him to a Dentist. The longer the baby teeth are there, the adult teeth can't come into "their" spot, so they will end up elsewhere, think about braces later??!! UHG!
Ask your Dentist if they have the numbing spray (No needles) and it will take nothing for those Baby teeth to come out--you would be amazed. Good Luck.---------Kim

Second opinions on extractions are definately worth getting ... although leaving baby teeth in place too long can prevent the adult teeth from moving to their correct location.

I have an older orthodontist that hates pulling teeth, and has put my 6-yr old in an appliance to move her teeth slightly to allow impacted adult teeth room to erupt. Each case is different, and only a specialist can explain why one solution is better than another.

You can get a consult with an orthodontist to see if they have a non-invasive solution. Just remember, with teeth you are always talking to a specialist, and it is true that the solution presented will always be in their field of expertise.
(the dentist will take xrays and show you the problem, the oral surgeon will want to extract, the orthodontist will brace, move and maybe pull.)

My son (8) has lost 4 teeth to date...all coming out long after the adult teeth grew in...I wouldn't worry...They get paid for the extraction....my dentist never worried about it, and he is fine.

My daughter is also 6 and over the summer she had a similar situation. Her "adult" teeth were coming in basically in front of her baby teeth. The dentist had told us that if they didn't fall out within the next few weeks, they would have to pull them because it would be too hard to clean in between while we were waiting. The baby teeth did end up coming out on their own once the adult teeth were about 1/2 way grown out. It definitely seems as though it takes forever for the teeth to grow in though. Hope this helps you some.

Hi L.,

I am a pediatric dental hygienist and I have been in practice for 25 years. The scenario you are describing is extremely common. Permanent teeth should come in directly under primary teeth, eating away (resorbing) the root of the baby tooth as the permanent one grows, in some cases, like your daughters, the teeth follow the path of least resistance and come in behind the baby teeth. This is very common for the lower front teeth, much less common for any other teeth. If the baby teeth are loose, most dentists would wait and let the teeth fall out on their own. However, if the baby teeth are not loose they will need some help coming out.

I cannot urge you strongly enough to go to a pediatric dentist. Most parents bring their child to a pediatrician for their general care but end up going to an adult or "family" dentist for their child's dental care. It just doesn't make sense. Pediatric dentists are experts in the care and treatment of children.

As to your concern that your child will grow up hating the dentist, I would not worry about that. In a pediatric setting we have a tell, show, do, philosophy. They explain everything to the child in terms they can understand with words that are far less threatening to a child. For example we call the Novocain needle the sleepy dropper. We show it to the child, drop a few drops on their hand and explain that the drops are very cold and the first few drops pinch, then it will feel fine. Extracting primary teeth is nothing like extracting permanent teeth. It is an easy, painless procedure, as long as you do not show your anxiety to your child. Please do not use words like: they will not hurt you. You are just putting a thought into the child’s head. If you are in the treatment room with your child, please just sit quietly and let the trained staff do their job. I think you will be amazed by the result. If your child is a typically developing child she will do perfectly well.

If you bring your child to a specialist for an opinion, trust that they are the experts. If a pediatric dentist tells you the teeth need to come out, they do. Your daughter will be perfectly fine. Lastly, after the primary teeth are extracted the permanent teeth will be pushed forward into the proper place by the tongue. Good Luck. Email me if you need a recommendation on a pediatric dentist in your area.

J. P.

Our 11-year-old son had a very similar situation. When he was 7 or 8, his two bottom teeth were coming in very crooked and behind the baby teeth. We set the extraction date for several months down the road (perhaps 6 months...I've forgotten) to give a little time for normal fall-out to happen. One was slightly loose and we encouraged our son to wiggle it to freedom, which happened. The second one never budged, so that one was extracted.

At the extraction, the dentist used a swab to dull the spot before he gave a shot of novacaine--brilliant move! The tooth was pulled with little fanfare or trauma. And the crooked teeth nicely moved in to the empty spots and actually straightened on their own. The human body never ceases to amaze me!

The experience didn't lead to our son hating the dentist. In fact, he likes going to our family dentist because the dentist has a treasure chest of trinkets that our son got to pick a prize from. He's grown out of that now but it was a big draw for him when he was little.

Half the battle is how you present the situation to your child. If you present it as a matter-of-fact situation that will contribute to her overall dental health, allowing an open space for the new teeth to emerge, rather than this scary thing to be feared, that will go a long way to helping your daughter not seeing it as a negative event.

If I remember correctly, the Tooth Fairy also gave two dollar coins, rather than one, for the extraction because it was more involved. Our son really appreciated the Tooth Fairy that year!

P.S. As a point of interest, our son has consistently lost his teeth 1-2 years later than most of his peers. We noticed it at first but have realized it's just how he is. We have one visit with the orthodontist each year to see how things are progressing, but they keep saying wait. It's the story of his dental life...wait and wait some more! : )

My son just had two teeth taken out in january for the same problem. He did just fine. Our dentist is great, and didn't use any needles. His adult teeth are pushing forward now, and he does not have any bad feelings toward the dentist. I think if your daughter needs the extraction, it is better to have it done for the over all health of his mouth.

My daughter had two teeth extracted for the same reason and she is okay with it. They give the child ample novicaine and they feel nothing.

Hi L.,

we have a kid with the same problem. We call them shark's teeth...

From what I understand, the new teeth are aligned differently and do not push from underneath to help the baby tooth out. It is actually not uncommon, once you start talking to people, you'll hear it all the time.

Unfortunatly, we had the dentist pull out 6 of the 8 he's lost so far, and they usually came out with roots attached. It is not fun, and my son really does not like going to the dentist. I keep hoping that the next ones will come out by themselves, but you never know.

Did your dentist make x-rays? Could he say anything about the root of the baby teeth? How far out are they? We kept emailing pix to good friend who is a pediatric dentist and he didn't show much concern.

Aside from having your kid try to wiggle and wiggle, there is not much to do. I certainly didn't rush to get them extracted. We had the last ones pulled out only after I noticed that the gums seem to hurt, and he would not eat apples anymore. They were fully grown, and our dentist/orthodontist said that he will need braces. We'll see about this.

Good luck with this,

H.

Hi L. - There is no reason this should be a traumatic experience for your child... If you do not trust that your dentist will take the care needed, then find another. Our dentist is Dr. Wm. Bilodeau in Nashua and he is more than fabulous and wonderful with kids. I wish I'd found him 40 years ago!

my daughter's bottom teeth did the same thing (and is again). The baby ones did eventually loosen and the adult ones moved forward on their own. Give it some time, but if you feel that the adult ones have completely grown in and the baby ones aren't even loose yet then she might have to have them pulled.
good luck

My son is seven and his teeth also grew in, in back of his baby teeth. One of the bottom baby teeth just fell out (he's going to be 8 years old in July)

Personally, I think some dentists rush into extraction.
My son also has nursing decay on his front three teeth and a dentist took for granted I would want them extracted...I listened to my instinc and I didn't have the top teeth extracted because I knew it would hurt his speech development.. He still has those teeth and can pronounce his words...I'm so happy I did NOT have them extracted.
His new dentist NEVER mention extracting them.
I'm told those teeth coming in behind the baby teeth is a very normal occurance...I would be hesitant to have them extracted for a while.
I hope this helped.
sue mom of 7 year old Nicholas.

Hi Liz -
My son just turned 7 and has the same problem. I've been taking the wait and see approach, however I am concerned. There is one baby tooth that is very loose, but the two others are not. I think we will be visiting the dentist within the next month just to make sure everything is okay.

I am a dentist, and would agree with your dentist that the teeth should be extracted because they most likely will not fall out on their own in this case and can cause problems if left in (infection, pain). Your dentist will do his/her best to make the situation fun and relatively painless. Express your concerns to the dentist about making it fun (without the child around) and it will be fine. I have done many of these and the kids are great and still come in smiling! Good luck!!!

I had the same experience with my son. I left it and waited but the babytooth just remained in place and never loosened. I ended up having to have it surgically removed, and now he needs braces on the top of his mouth to straighten out the teeth because of this.
Wish I had done it when he was young.

hi, i agree with you, how scary. I would get a second opinion.

L.,

My recent experience at the dentist with my two sons was awesome. My older one even had a cavity and getting it filled was a non event for him....unlike me as I had the same concerns as you do.

I would ensure you have complete comfortability with the dentist and your considerations are respected.

Ask if the extraction is the only option. Could you possibly hold off for a few months without any adverse impact?
Sometimes extraction is the only way to get things moving properly, but I am with you and wanting the most natural solution possible. Ask questions! Good Luck

Hi L.,
My 4 year old recently had an extraction, he fell and chipped a tooth and it became painful. We went to an oral surgeon. We didn't want the dentist to become a bad experience so he gave my son a liquid medicine to make him "loopy", then gas anesthesia, he wasn't totally asleep, but asleep, but asleep enough to not remember the event or feel the pain. He started an IV, just incase, after he was asleep and it was out before he woke so my son didn't even know. He cried when he woke up but not for long. The whole process took no longer than 10 minutes. We went to Dr. Benzing, great bedside manner, kid friendly, and his staff was super.

M.

I can not believe that your dentist would suggest extraction!! They are baby teeth! They will fall out. I had an experience like that. My son was almost six and his two front bottom teeth were growing in and the ones in front have not fallen out yet. I was very concerned and had the dentist look. She said that sometimes this happens --it is not unusual. The teeth growing in will eventually push the baby teeth out. Not to worry.

Hi,
My daughter has 2 big teeth behind her baby teeth as well. They were there for many months before the baby teeth started to feel loose. She just lost one of the baby teeth a few weeks ago. It has been amazing to see the new tooth moving forward a little everyday to get up in front. We visited the dentist last week and she said the other baby tooth feels just a little loose. She suggested waiting another 6 months and if it hasn't fallen out by then it will be taken out. I would give it a little more time. Once it starts to feel loose it really didn't take much longer than 2 weeks to fall out. I hope this helps!
M. G.

I had the same issue as a child and had to have many teeth pulled. My teeth just had large roots and did not fall out on their own. I'm 34 now and do not hate the dentist at all.