Posted by writeradmin
My six year old is having trouble losing his teeth. Some of his adult teeth are coming in with his baby teeth still there. Some are all the way in, and are behind the baby teeth. Others are trying to find a place to come in. It looks like he’s going to have very crooked teeth like this. Is it okay to take these baby teeth out or do I need to wait for them to fall out on their own?
Sandy
Dear Sandy,
When you see adult teeth coming in and the baby teeth have not evacuated the space, it will be very important that you remove the baby teeth. Do not wait for them to fall out themselves if the new teeth are coming in. Otherwise, the adult teeth will become deflected into a wrong position. You are already seeing that with some of the adult teeth coming behind his baby teeth.
You may find that some of the baby teeth are loose and you can jiggle them out. If they are not loose or your son is uncooperative, then I would see your pediatric dentist. The dentist can extract them.
If there are a lot of teeth, You may find it easier to go to a pediatric dentist who offers dental sedation options. This way your son can sleep through the entire procedure.
You are likely to find that the teeth which have already come in are misaligned, so you may be looking at orthodontics. If you wait until your child is a responsible teenager, then I would recommend something like Invisalign to straighten his teeth. Another option is traditional braces. However, the fewer teeth that have to be adjusted, the less expensive the realignment will be. My suggestion is that you get these stubborn baby teeth out as soon as possible.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.