Shark Teeth and Removal of Baby Teeth

My daughter had laughing gas when she was 4 so they could fix her front teeth. Unfortunately, she would not relax so she could actually breathe it. We had to wrap her up in a blanket so they could do the work. The gas will not work if he does not breathe it in.

My son had laughing gas when he had some cavities filled when he was barely 4. He did fine with it. I kept him home that day expecting that he might have some negative side effects. But other than maybe being a little sleepy, he was fine.

My son just had his two bottom teeth removed 3 weeks ago for the exact same reason! I left them as 'shark' teeth for almost 6 weeks hoping he could wiggle them loose. We saw no improvement at all, so I finally made the appointment for their removal.

OMG his two permanent teeth are so far back they are almost unusable. Unfortunately for him, as soon as his 6 year molars are in he will need an ortho consult to fix. Granted the dentist assured me even if I had come in earlier he would have had the same result, because of crowding and is something about the shape of his jaw. There is stil apart of me that wonders if I brought him in earlier they wouldn't have been that bad

Bright side he wasn't left tooth less since the teeth were already in :( Downside based off xrays he will most likely have to have the next 4 bottoms removed as well. Its still a wait and see approach tho'!!

My son was 6, they didn't do any laughing gas or anesthisia. They did a local, and then an injectable lidocaine. My son did great. He didn't even cry.

I DID not tell him, because I wasn't even sure if they were going to remove them. I told him very matter of factly that I was not sure what they are going to do. It will be up to the dentist to decide. For my son, its better if the medical professional tell him whats going on. This conversation was done on the car ride to the dentist. Less time for him to process is better for us.

He did question if it would hurt. He had just had a blood draw 3 days prior so I told him it wouldn't hurt anymore than that. The most pain would be the 'shot' to numb his teeth.

He did great. You'd be surprise how well they can do.

I have had terrible experiences with over zealous pediatric dentists. I started taking my kids to a family dentist who treats all ages when my youngest was about five.

I would get a second opinion for sure.

Up until now my son has this happening with every single tooth. The baby tooth would eventually fall out though. Only one had to be removed because it had a crown and was causing problems. Fast Forward to now. He has 6 baby teeth that aren't coming out at all on their own. The roots aren't dissolving on their own at all either. He has 2 appointments coming up where they will be removing the 6 baby teeth that are completely stuck in there. They've been watching it for a while now, hoping things would move along on their own and it's now obvious that they aren't going to come out and are causing problems with his adult teeth that are already coming in.
It sometimes has to be done. As to the laughing gas. All 3 of my kids have had it at times and it's never caused any problems. Laughing gas never made me nervous, the idea of general anesthesia does but we've never needed it as the laughing gas was always enough.
My son is 13 and was there at the appointment so he knows completely that he's got 2 appointments where they will pull 3 teeth each time. We've never really hidden it from the kids when they needed some work done. We always assure them that they will be OK and it is better than not taking care of it. They do understand.
Your son will be OK.

My older son has had at least 10 teeth pulled for this reason, and my younger son has had four pulled. They have had only one or two pulled at a time. There was no need for laughing gas or anesthesia. They just had numbing gel and a shot of Novacaine. There were never any tears or struggles. They waited about 30 minutes and then went to school to finish the day. They started having the teeth pulled when they were five or six. My kids go to a regular family dentist, not a pediatric dentist, and the dentist always waited until the adult tooth was fully in before taking out the baby teeth.

My god daughter, a friend of the family, and one of the kindergardeners in my son's school all had shark teeth which resolved themselves. My SIL's did not. She required the baby teeth pulled. There were no complications.

I would tell my kid the truth. I would deliver the news with confidence, I would not contribute to his worry. It is a routine/ easy dental procedure.

Best,
F. B.

My son was in 1st grade when he had his two bottom teeth removed for this reason, his adult teeth were as tall as his baby teeth and weren't budging. He knew it was going to happen based on conversation with the dentist when the recommendation was made. They gave him the gas and it didn't take very long at all. I recommend a dose of Motrin before the appointment. He was sore for a few hours but wasn't a big deal. It was amazing how quickly the adult teeth moved into place,

My son had bottom shark teeth. It resolved itself. My understanding is that it's more of an "issue" if it happens on the top.
Our dentist was not concerned at all, and, like I said, it resolved itself.
Personally, if I was you? Is get another opinion.
IME, pediatric dentists (used to take my son to O.) are a little going ho in the pulling and the braces issue. Btw, we were seeing a pediatric dentist during OUR "shark week.")
Btw, that's what the permanent teeth DO--wear out the baby tooth roots, that's why they look like they don't have roots when they fall out. They DO, until the permanent toothbrush coming in wears it down -- that's why they fall out! So that explanation makes zero sense to me.
Before I'd put my 5 year old under laughing gas? I'd double check with another opinion.
Good luck!

My youngest has baby teeth that just won't give up. Every single tooth so far has had to be pulled (I think she has lost 8 teeth by now - she's 9). Several times, the adult teeth started to grow in behind her baby teeth, and we didn't find out until the orthodontist told us to have them pulled. Ugh. The good news is, your insurance will cover it (assuming you have dental insurance), it's about a 5 minute process, and my daughter didn't have to miss school. She was fine continuing her school day. Kids recover very quickly from anesthesia (at least mine have?). But it's probably better to plan the procedure late in the day so he doesn't have to go back to school, just in case. This procedure really isn't a big deal.

My daughter 5.5 has one shark tooth. When we went for her 66 month visit a couple weeks ago the dentist said that it's very common and that they wait until the second adult tooth is in and then 3 months after that before they intervene. So probably 4/5 months from now if her baby teeth are not out then I will call her dentist to have them removed. But I wouldn't do it now. Teeth can become lose and fall out within a few days. I would wait until the other adult tooth is in and then wait a month to see if there is any change. Your dentist was way too quick to suggest pulling the teeth. I'd get a second opinion before doing it. We also go to a pediatric dentist as well.

My son and daughter have had extensive work due to over crowding. I do think they use laughing gas so the child will not develop a fear of the dentist as well as making it easier for the dentist if the child is somewhat sedated. My daughter had to be put to sleep for one procedure and then again when the chain broke that was pulling an anchor tooth down from her palate into place (million dollar mouth lol!). She did well but was at an oral surgeons office for both procedures. My son has had laughing gas without issues when they had to pull 3 teeth at once.

So...second opinion is always helpful. If you aren't comfortable with laughing gas ask your dentist if he can give you an alternative to it because you're not on board. If he hassles you about it I would look for a different doc because your concerns are valid and need to be addressed.

For your kiddo I would start Advil as soon as you leave the office and give it every 6 hours regardless of pain tolerance. It's so much easier to get ahead of the pain then manage it after. Also I had Popsicles and crushed ice to aid in swelling.

Blessings!
L.

A pediatric dentist usually knocks the kids out to do any work. He can get it done in moments then wake the kiddo up. No wrestling, no struggles, no tears, nothing but getting the work done.

It's safe and easier on them. Tell kiddo he's going to go to the dentist and that's it's not a big deal. I would tell him as little as possible if he's going to get all worked up. He'll be asleep.

Our old pediatric dentist does his work in the outpatient section of Children's Hospital in OKC. He takes them back to the O R, uses the gas, then puts in the IV for the anesthesia, does all the work, stops the anesthesia, brings them back into the room where we were waiting, kiddo wakes up ready to go eat. They were NPO after midnight. It's always been super easy on them and us.

Our new pediatric dentist gives the kids some red liquid to drink and they go right to sleep in the waiting room. They push them back in a wheel chair and do the work. By the time they're done the kids are groggy but waking up.

We've had a fair amount of that in our family - I think it's fine to get a second opinion as I have seen pediatric dentists who make a ton of money on unnecessary procedures but also plenty of kids who didn't get a good start on dental care and wound up in braces longer than necessary if they have done something preventive.

The procedure is quick with baby teeth as compared to, say, impacted wisdom teeth. The teeth are easy to extract with no drilling, so the amount of anesthesia needed is very small and they aren't "under" that long or that deep. The laughing gas definitely keeps them from having dentist anxiety going forward and that's a big thing.

When I was a kid 1000 years ago, I had to have a couple of baby teeth removed and I still remember the dentist telling me I was going to take a nap and then "blow out my teeth during my dream." I wasn't scared at all. For any anesthetic given via mask, I think it's fine to tell kids they're going to play Space Explorer or Deep Sea Diver (whichever is their preference) and wear the mask for a few minutes for fun. That's the last thing they'll remember. Otherwise, I'd tell the child he's going to get his teeth to take home and put under the pillow for the tooth fairy - and I'd make it super positive. Don't tell him he'll be super sore but do tell him he gets to stay home as a good rest for his space (or undersea) exploration - go pick out a movie at the library or something else that would be fun.

I'd also feel free to sit down with the dentist privately to explore my fears.

My son had the same thing happen with his first tooth. The adult tooth came through the gum behind his baby tooth. I was panicked as I thought it would lead to his teeth being really far back in his mouth but the dentist assured me this happens a lot and that the tooth would eventually push forward and push the baby tooth out. I wasn't buying it as his baby tooth wasn't loose at all. They said to give it a month and they would pull it if it wasn't coming out on its own by then. Just over 2 weeks later the baby tooth fell out. Literally went from not loose at all to falling out within a day or two. The adult tooth has moved forward and filled the space. He didn't even notice. If waiting is truly not an option, I would not tell your son anything more than you are going to the dentist. My 6 year old is a major worrier too. Since he perseverates over anything we tell him ahead of time, we've learned to wait and then explain just before the procedure exactly what will happen in a calm tone. He just had to have his first needle in the arm blood draw and this method worked really well. He was calm during the whole thing. I think it's because he didn't have time to work himself up. Good luck!

Hi, J.,

The teeth will come out on its own.
The dentist has to make money on scaring you
to death.
Let nature take it course.
Just saying.
D.