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In your child’s early years, you expect them to lose their baby teeth in preparation for adult teeth to emerge. But there are other instances where, in addition to this naturally occurring process, your child can also need a tooth extraction.
There are several reasons your child could need a tooth extracted from their mouth. Find out from pediatric dentists Staci Brunell, DMD, and Priyanka Patel, DMD, and orthodontist Gina Gill, DMD, from Yorktown Pediatric Dentistry in Yorktown Heights, New York, the most common reasons for a pediatric tooth extraction.
Tooth extractions are the removal of your child’s entire tooth or the remainder of an already chipped or partially lost tooth. Extractions are outpatient procedures performed at our office, during which your child’s mouth is numb throughout. Your child can go home right after it’s finished.
Most extractions can be done all at once, with your child’s tooth gently being loosened and the entire tooth being pulled. If your child’s tooth has severe decay or is already in multiple pieces, we might perform another procedure to remove the tooth in multiple pieces.
You can expect any post-extraction soreness or swelling to go away within a few days. Your child attends one follow-up appointment to ensure proper healing.
We recommend extractions after examining your child's tooth and reviewing images. Some of the reasons we might recommend extraction are:
Different cavities require different interventions, and not every one can be treated successfully with a cavity filling. Severe cavities can cause your child’s tooth to become cracked, infected, or weakened to the point that a crown or root canal can’t save the tooth.
In these instances, the best choice can be to extract the entire tooth.
Along with decay, some teeth can become so badly infected that they can’t be treated with a filling or antibiotics. These infections can spread and become systemic beyond your child’s mouth, so removing the tooth is usually the safest option.
Playing sports, falls, and collisions can all cause your child’s tooth to crack or chip. This can leave your child’s tooth too weak to function or leave dangerous, sharp fragments in your child’s mouth.
Not all teeth that have sustained trauma can be saved, and extraction may be the best option.
Most baby teeth come out on their own when your child is between 5 and 12 years old. Occasionally, though, children don’t lose these teeth as expected.
Having baby teeth far longer than expected can cause problems with your child’s adult teeth or delay orthodontic treatment. Sometimes, we recommend extraction for these stubborn baby teeth.
Some children can have teeth that are too large for their mouths or otherwise don’t fit properly. Excessive teeth can cause your child to have crooked teeth.
If our orthodontist sees that your child’s mouth is overcrowded, we often recommend selectively removing teeth before your child begins orthodontics.
Most teenagers develop wisdom teeth, which are up to four extra teeth that grow in at the back of their gums. These teeth are not useful to your teen and can cause infections or overcrowding. We usually recommend removing them as soon as possible after they erupt.
Our team extracts teeth gently and carefully, and your child won’t experience any more discomfort than with any other dental work. Contact us if you think your child might need a tooth extracted.
