Permanent Teeth but Baby Teeth Aren't Loose!

My son had to have a baby tooth pulled because his permanent tooth was coming in. He was a little older than 5 but it was a breeze. As a parent I felt helpless but I knew I was doing what was best for him. He still needs to have braces. We knew that going in - he is 11 now and wants to get his braces to get it over with.

Having baby teeth removed was quite simple they used gas to put him to sleep and the tooth was out in less than 15 minutes. He recovered very nicely. The one thing that was extremely great about the dentist - he explained to our son exactly what was going to happen before, during and after the procedure.

Talk to your dentist as he will know what is best in your daughter's situation.

Good Luck

You should take her to a dentist so they can xray her and see how her adult teeth are coming along. When adult teeth come in, if they are right underneath the baby teeth, the adult teeth dissolve the roots of the baby teeth which allows them to loosen, wiggle and fall out. If the root is not dissolved, the baby tooth will be just as firmly attached as any adult tooth. My son has had a few baby teeth pulled and it wasn't bad at all. And the dentist office can save the pulled teeth for you so you can take them home and give them to the tooth fairy. If the baby teeth do not come out, she'll have alignment and brushing problems. The earlier these things are dealt with, the better chance for a good outcome. My son has only 2 years in braces and will be done by the time he's out of 6th grade - his smile is already dazzling! I had 7 years of braces through middle and high school. Dentistry and orthodontics have made so many advances in 30 years. It's really amazing what they can do.

Dentistry has come a long way; if she needs to have the teeth pulled, it shouldn't be a big deal for her. Baby teeth are easy to pull. I wouldn't wait. You are right to be proactive and take her to the dentist. Follow his advice. BTW - I am a dental hygienist. Hope this helps. Good luck!

I call them shark teeth because the permanent teeth come in behind the baby teeth and push out the baby teeth (like a shark). My daughter had those for her bottom front teeth, and eventually the baby teeth came out (after about of month of being loose). Her permanent teeth look fine. I'm not sure what is going on with her top teeth. She thinks they are loose.

As for the dentist, the roots of your daughters teeth may be very long, or the roots may be fused to her jaw (my brother had that trouble). Only the dentist can tell, so it is worth the visit. I think the worry is the baby teeth are not loose.

I've resigned myself to eventual orthodontia.

Hi. I am a dentist and a mom! It is very normal to have adult teeth grow behind baby teeth. Usually, the adult teeth grow under the baby teeth and as they move to the surface, the roots of the baby teeh dissolve therefore making the baby teeth loose. In your daughter's case, this has not happened so most likely, the dentist will need to extract her baby teeth so that the adult teeth have room to move into place. If you are afriad of a bad experience, you should take her to a pediatric dentist. They are equiped and trained to distract her, and make her comfortable. Good luck!

I had to get most of my baby teeth pulled because they just didn't come out when they were supposed to. They would usually do two at a time. Some did come out on their own, but only a few. I understand why you may not want to have that done, but you may not really have a choice. I'm sure the dentist will advise you as to what is best for your little girl. I also know they have ways of making it a lot less painful than it used to be!

My son has lost 2 of his baby teeth on the bottom row and each time, his adult teeth starting coming in before the baby teeth came out. The baby teeth were loose, though. The dentist says this happens sometimes and that, with time, the baby teeth would come out on their own. Sure enough, after about a month (for the first one, a little less time for the second one), his baby teeth did come out. Don't worry too much, especially before getting the final word from the dentist.

My son had 4 teeth that way...his two top and 2 bottom. We called the dentist and he said they would fall out on their own, that was his 2 bottom teeth. On his top teeth one fell out when the adult tooth was only halfway out with the other top tooth it was almost fully in along with his baby too so we took him to the dentist and he pulled it out but it was about halfway loose. He said it eventually would have fallen out on its own but he pulled it out since we were there. We were told when he was 4 that he would need braces. I would see an orthodontist early, probably not at age 5, but around age 7. We were told by different people that for his problem of tooth overcrowding early braces will help and will help space his teeth as they come in so he won't have to wear braces for so long as compared to us waiting longer til early teens or something. Good luck though, my son said it didn't hurt at all to have his tooth pulled.

My son had a top front tooth come in behind the baby tooth. The dentist saw it but wanted to wait, and have my son try to wiggle it loose himself. He only succeeded in making it go crooked, and so then when I took him back after the 2 weeks of waiting, the tooth had to be pulled, and it turned out to have this huge long root and it had cut his gum right in front of his mouth. He had to have stitches, which of course he pulled out with his tongue. This not only looks unattractive, but can damage the gum support of the permanent tooth. Please don't hesitate, and have those baby teeth pulled. Getting them out so they don't cause damage and so the permanent teeth can come in properly is more important than some small discomfort.

hey there! my 6 year old was 5 when she lost her first teeth... 2 within about a week of each other. her permenant teeth pushed them forward until they wiggled a little, then we pulled them out ourselves (more traumatic for me than her, i think!)... it was actually kind of neat, since she never had to go through that akward no-teeth phase. of course, wait to see what the dentist says, but my daughter started out the same way, and turned out just fine :) GOOD LUCK!!

My son just lost his first tooth and it happened this way, the adult tooth came in behind it but the baby tooth didn't fall out until the adult tooth was fully in. We didn't even realize it until just randomly one day we looked. We ended up at the dentist for our regular cleaning just a few days later and he advised that as soon as we see an adult tooth come in where a baby tooth has not fallen out - we need to come in immediately so he can pull the baby tooth. When the adult teeth come in, they'll come in placed wrong or crooked, but if they can get the baby teeth out of the way, there is abetter chance of the adult tooth correcting itself.

Good luck.

I like your question about the how much a tooth fairy gives. I heard a kid in my son's school say the other day he got 20 $ from the tooth fairy. I was shocked. That sounds wayyyyyy to much for me. He is going to be rich by the time his mouth is empty. I didn't get anything for my teeth but i would probably give my kids a dollar. Where she had to get them pulled so maybe she should get something special for being so brave.

Hope your daughter has more luck with her other teeth. :)

Anika