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Kids will naturally lose all of their baby teeth by the age of 12, but losing a baby tooth prematurely can negatively affect their oral development, so it’s very important to keep your child’s baby teeth healthy.
First, your child’s mouth will be cleaned and numbed. We also offer pediatric dental sedation at in Cypress and Katy, so your child can stay calm and comfortable throughout their tooth extraction procedure.
Dr. Julia or Dr. Chun will use a special dental tool to wiggle your child’s tooth loose, and prepare it for extraction. Once the tooth is loose and ready to be extracted, they will grab it with a pair of dental forceps and remove it from the socket.
Your child’s extraction site will be cleaned, sanitized, and sutured to ensure it heals properly. If your child needs multiple extractions, the extraction process will be repeated at our pediatric office in Katy or Cypress.
Yes, but this depends on whether they lose a baby tooth or an adult tooth. If your child loses a baby tooth, they will need to come back to Cavity Patrol Pediatric Dentistry in a few weeks to get a “space maintainer.”
As the name implies, a space maintainer is placed in the gap in your child’s smile where their missing tooth used to be. This prosthetic is necessary because the baby teeth help form the “paths” that your child’s adult teeth will follow when they erupt. If you don’t get a space maintainer, your child’s baby teeth may shift, which could interfere with proper oral development.
For kids who have adult teeth extracted, a replacement tooth will be necessary. Depending on your budget, your child’s age, and which tooth/teeth they have lost, Dr. Julia or Dr. Chun may recommend a dental implant, a dental bridge, or a partial denture. With restorative treatment from our Cypress and Katy dental offices, you can restore your child’s smile, bite, and oral health right away.
It will take about 1-2 weeks for your child to fully recover after their tooth extraction. Among other aftercare steps, you will need to feed your child a diet of mostly soft foods, ensure they do not brush near the extraction site for a few days, and make sure they don’t spit forcefully or use a straw for at least 24-48 hours after their extraction.
Dr. Julia or Dr. Chun will provide you with a comprehensive set of instructions that your child will need to follow after their extraction. Follow these to the letter to make sure your little one’s mouth heals quickly after their treatment.
A tooth extraction can be necessary for a variety of situations, such as tooth decay, gum disease, an infection, impacted wisdom teeth, dental trauma, or to make room for orthodontic treatment. While these are all situations that may call for an extraction, an extraction should always be a last resort.
Your natural teeth play an important role in your oral health and development. Your teeth support your facial muscles and prevent bone loss. When you lose a tooth, you will suffer from bone resorption in the jaw and your teeth will drift if you don’t have the tooth replaced.
Bone loss can cause premature facial sagging, increase your risk for future tooth loss, and lead to the collapse of facial features. This is why even though extractions can be used when teeth are unsalvageable, it’s important to always have them replaced.
The only exception is the wisdom teeth which are an extra set of molars that often lack enough space in the jaw to accommodate them. Primary teeth are also not replaced. Instead, a space maintainer is placed to hold the space open.
No, tooth extractions don’t hurt at all. That’s because we use a combination of anesthetic and sedatives to make you feel as comfortable as possible and to relieve all pain sensations. The local anesthetic completely numbs your mouth so that you don’t feel the pain of any incisions or the removal of a tooth.
While dental sedation is not necessary for extraction, it may be desired if you have dental anxiety or don’t want to be aware of the sounds and tools in your mouth during the extraction process.
At Cavity Patrol Pediatric Dentistry, we offer nitrous oxide, oral conscious sedation, IV sedation, and general anesthesia to suit all of our patient's needs.
No, extracting a baby tooth will not make the underlying permanent tooth erupt faster. This is why we stress the importance of maintaining healthy teeth, even in the primary teeth that are going to naturally fall out.
If your child doesn’t practice good oral hygiene or suffers from dental trauma, they can lose a tooth prematurely. This is a big problem because primary teeth maintain space in the mouth. When a baby tooth is lost, the surrounding teeth will drift and start to lean into this space or block it altogether.
This can lead to orthodontic and bite issues that make it difficult to keep the teeth clean, eat certain foods, and disturb the aesthetics of your smile. Most importantly, though, there’s no longer a space for the permanent tooth to erupt through.
This is why a space maintainer needs to be placed when a primary tooth is lost too soon.
This stainless steel oral appliance holds the space open for the permanent tooth and prevents shifting teeth. Once the permanent tooth is due to erupt, the space maintainer will be removed to allow the natural eruption of the tooth. Permanent teeth erupt on a schedule based on a child’s age, but there can be minor differences in individual development.
Schedule Your Child’s Extraction Consultation Today!
Think your child needs a tooth extraction? Contact us at Cavity Patrol Pediatric Dentistry today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Julia or Dr. Chun. We can assess their tooth to see if it can be saved with a pulpotomy or dental crown or if it needs to be removed.
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