Reasons Your Child May Need a Dental Extraction

Like adults, children also need specialized dental care. If your child doesn’t want to eat or complains about a painful mouth, it is time to see a pediatric dentist. In some cases, soothing a child’s oral discomfort may require dental extraction. According to the American Dental Association, certain criteria must be met before performing dental extraction on children. If you want to be certain for your child, here’s what you need to know about the reasons that indicate your child’s need for a dental extraction.

 

Dental Injuries

Pediatric dentists encounter various dental injuries in children. When there is dental injury, the treatment depends on whether the affected tooth is primary or permanent. Primary (baby) teeth are present before six or seven years old. If the child is approaching eight years old, the dentist will be looking at permanent teeth. Below are some of the dental injuries in children that require tooth extraction:

• Broken tooth. If your child has broken teeth, you should bring your child to your pediatric dentist. Once your dentist cannot repair it anymore by smoothing it or placing resin material on it, tooth extraction is inevitable.

• Loose or dislocated baby tooth. This is one of the most common dental injuries in children. A loose primary tooth should be extracted if it interferes with your child’s bite. If the loose baby tooth could fall out at any time, it should be extracted immediately to prevent your child from choking on it. The pediatric dentist should not put the fully knocked-out tooth back into the gums. Doing so could damage the permanent tooth that will grow into the same space.

Dental Infection or Decay

Your pediatric dentist will opt to extract the tooth if it is severely decayed. The decay could already be infecting your child’s gums. Leaving the deteriorating tooth in place will only encourage the spread of bacteria to other teeth. To prevent the spread of the infection, the pediatric dentist will resort to dental extraction.
 

Overcrowded Teeth

Your pediatric dentist needs to remove at least one tooth if your child’s gums have too many teeth. Dental extraction will make your child eat or speak more easily. It can also make your child more confident.
 

While dental extraction can be scary for both you and your child, the results of the procedure can make your child’s life better. Here at Colwick Pediatric Dentistry, we only aim to help your child regain good oral health by performing safe and comfortable dental extractions. You can visit our office in Cleburne, Texas, for a one-on-one consultation. Please call us at 817-382-3029 if you want to schedule an appointment.