Posted by writeradmin
I’m 14 years old and still have 2 baby teeth. My adult teeth are coming in. One is pushing on the baby tooth and one is coming in front of the baby tooth. My mom is thinking we might need to pull the baby teeth. Is this what I have to do? What will happen if I do not pull them? If I do have to pull them, how much will it hurt?
Jewel
Dear Jewel,
I am glad you wrote and appreciate that you are doing research to learn more about what is going on and how it needs to be handled. That shows a lot of maturity on your part. Yes, the baby teeth will need to be pulled. If you do not have them pulled, then your teeth will end up crooked and you will need orthodontics. The longer the baby teeth stay there, the more crooked the adult teeth will get.
The good news is that baby teeth are much easier to remove than adult teeth. This is because their roots are almost completely gone. However, if you are nervous, there are dental sedation options. I think you would only need something mild like nitrous oxide. If you are a very anxious person when it comes to dental procedures, you could get oral conscious sedation. Just be aware that it will knock you out for pretty much the whole day.
I would get with your pediatric dentist and talk to him or her about the situation. The sooner this is dealt with the easier it will be. In all honesty, your dentist should have been on top of this and not left it to you to figure out. You are old enough to transition to an adult dentist when you feel ready for that.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.