A child’s baby tooth breaks

From this article you will learn:

timing of removal of temporary teeth,
how this procedure is performed at the dentist,
How to pull out a child's baby tooth at home.

Removal of a baby tooth is a surgical procedure that is performed in pediatric dentistry, for example, to remove “retained” primary teeth (i.e., those that have lingered in the oral cavity longer than they should). The second group of reasons that may require the removal of baby teeth in children is 1) some types of traumatic injuries, 2) with complicated caries, i.e. with the development of inflammation at the apex of the root of a baby tooth.

The physiological change of baby teeth to permanent ones normally begins in a child at 6-7 years of age (and in girls, the loss of baby teeth reliably begins earlier and proceeds faster than in boys). The last thing children lose is their temporary second molars, which should happen around 12-13 years of age. The appearance of mobility of baby teeth is associated with the growth of the rudiments of permanent teeth in the jaw. An increase in their size leads to pressure on the roots of baby teeth, which leads to resorption of the latter (i.e., their resorption).

Removing a baby tooth in a child: photo

Increasing root resorption over time leads to the fact that the baby tooth ceases to be fixed in the bone tissue of the jaw, and will be held only by the soft tissue of the gums. Parents are very often interested in how to pull out a baby tooth (for example, in a situation where a child’s baby tooth is very loose). This can be done quite simply only with strong tooth mobility, which will indicate that the roots of the baby tooth have been almost completely resorbed.

Pay attention to the timing of baby teeth loss in Table No. 1. Both teething and tooth loss (regardless of whether they are milk or permanent) occur in compliance with the timing, pairing rules, and sequence. Parents often ask: what to do in a situation where a molar is already growing, but the baby tooth has not fallen out. The fact is that sometimes the growth and eruption of the permanent tooth germ may occur in the wrong direction, and in this case the roots of the baby tooth will not undergo significant resorption (accordingly, there will not be much mobility).

Removal of baby teeth in children in such a situation can only be performed by a dentist (under local anesthesia or sedation). Believe me, you should not try to pull out a child’s baby tooth yourself if the tooth has only slight mobility or is immobile. The latter will mean that the roots of the baby tooth are not sufficiently resorbed and are still deeply embedded in the bone tissue.

Important: if the deadline for replacing a baby tooth has already arrived (see table), but the baby tooth has no mobility, and there are no signs of eruption of a permanent tooth, this may indicate the absence of a permanent tooth germ or its injury, or its death as a result development of inflammation at the roots of a baby tooth. In this case, the temporary baby tooth can remain for quite a long time, and this situation does not require its removal.

Types of injuries to baby teeth

To choose a method to restore a broken baby tooth, you first need to determine the type of injury.

Chip on a baby tooth

A chip can occur from minor damage: a child grinds his teeth in his sleep (a common sign of helminth infection), ate solid food (crackers) or chewed a pencil, or bit a spoon unsuccessfully. When examining the oral cavity, it is discovered that a piece of the child’s baby tooth has broken off, the lower edge of the crown has become uneven and scratches the tongue. In this case, it is important to determine the extent of the damage.

If a red dot is visible on the surface of the chip, then the injury is serious and affects the pulp (nerve). And although the child will complain of acute pain when eating cold/hot food, the broken tooth can be saved.

Horizontal crack

A crack indicates an incomplete fracture of the tooth. The baby tooth has not cracked, but the crown is loose, and when the teeth are closed and biting, a sharp pain appears. The most difficult case is when the child fell, the tooth did not break off, but a crack appeared on the crown along the edge of the gum. In this case, you will likely need to strengthen the tooth with a thin veneer.

Baby tooth broken at the root

Did the kid bring a broken tooth in his hand? Unfortunately, with such an injury, it will not be possible to restore the integrity of the dentition. However, you still need to go to the dentist in order to remove the remaining fragments from the gums.

Impacted tooth fracture

With such an injury, the tooth is partially immersed in the gum. The length of the tooth is reduced compared to other crowns, but its edge is not sharp and does not scratch. Characterized by diffuse pain in the jaw. Sometimes the injury is accompanied by heavy bleeding due to the many small vessels in the gums of children.

Fractures of the alveolar process and jaw due to impacted tooth trauma are extremely rare, since the roots of baby teeth are quite short. Damage to bone tissue is indicated by severe pain spreading throughout the entire jaw on one side, the inability to open the mouth wide and a change in the bite.

Displacement of a baby tooth

With a strong blow, damage to the coronal part may be accompanied by complete or incomplete dislocation. A child’s tooth (often a front one) breaks off and takes an unusual position in the socket: it moves to the side, moves forward or backward, and turns around its axis. In this case, the tooth becomes loose, causing pain, and the child refuses to eat. The gums swell a little. In case of such an injury, the tooth is saved, but treatment may last several weeks.

Important! A chip in a baby tooth allows bacteria access to the dentin. Caries appears on the damaged crown. This often leads to its destruction within a couple of months and tooth loss.

Is there a fever when changing baby teeth to permanent ones?

As noted above, the process of replacing baby teeth begins at about 5 years of age. If this happens in children during the specified period, then in this case there is nothing terrible, that is, there is no reason for concern: such a condition should be considered completely natural. The loss of baby teeth does not cause pain to children, since the roots dissolve first, and only after that one of the elements can be seen swinging.

What to do if a baby tooth falls out?

For the first 2-3 hours after the removal of a baby tooth, eating should be excluded, so before visiting the dental office or starting the procedure at home, you should feed the child. You also need to take care of how to treat the wound if your child has lost a tooth.

To rinse the mouth, you can use both ready-made solutions (for example, Rotokan) and home-made analogues.

An excellent disinfectant folk remedy is a decoction based on chamomile or sage, but it is recommended to use them only when chilled, because hot liquid interferes with the normal healing of the wound. This warning also applies to eating hot food.

After rinsing, you can apply a piece of cotton wool soaked in the same solution to the hole and leave for 15-20 minutes.
After the specified time, the tampon must be removed, after which it is recommended to provide absolute rest to the wound. For the next three days, it is better to do without rinsing the mouth and spitting, because it is extremely important to keep the formed blood clot in the wound. Eating food is allowed if more than 2 hours have passed since the loss of a baby tooth , as evidenced by the absence of discharge from the socket. Otherwise, it’s better to hold off on breakfast.

Do you need pain relief?

Anesthesia when removing temporary units is necessary when they are pulled out before the roots are reabsorbed. Without anesthesia, the procedure will cause pain to the child, since there are many nerve endings in the oral cavity. When removing, the following anesthesia methods are used:

General anesthesia. They are used only if the child has mental illness or other remedies do not work on him.
Local anesthesia with spray or gel. The method is suitable if the unit begins to wobble and does not cause severe discomfort.
Anesthetic injection. The injection is given in the gum. Anesthesia lasts longer than when using gels and sprays, and has a more pronounced analgesic effect.

After the process is pulled out, a small bleeding wound is formed. To speed up the healing process and eliminate the risk of infection, you must do the following:

What to do if blood appears during tooth loss?

Some parents immediately panic when their baby starts bleeding during the loss of a baby tooth, but this should not be done. This process is considered absolutely normal; it occurs due to the fact that there are a large number of blood vessels in the oral cavity. When a tooth falls out, these vessels burst, and therefore a bleeding process occurs. To stop the bleeding, the following measures should be taken:

If blood appears, the child should be given a cotton swab or piece of gauze. He must press it to the hole with blood and hold it for a while. Usually the bleeding stops quickly;
It is not recommended to use hydrogen peroxide to rinse the mouth, because it will only irritate the wound, but will not bring a positive result;
If the bleeding does not stop and simple manipulations do not help stop it, then you should go to see a dentist;
In the first period after tooth loss, the child should rinse the mouth with a solution with a weak salt concentration.

Sometimes there are situations when a tooth falls out unnoticed even by the child himself, and he may accidentally swallow it. In these cases, it is worth contacting a dental specialist who will examine the hole and be able to determine whether the tooth has completely fallen out or whether part of it has broken off. If it turns out that the tooth has fallen out and the child has no complaints, then soon enough it will leave the body naturally.

Rinsing with a weak saline solution will disinfect the oral cavity and inflammation after the loss of a baby tooth.

What to do with your child's lost baby teeth

Nowadays it is increasingly practiced to come up with a whole story, fairy tale or ritual after the loss of a baby tooth. They say that the worst and most unnecessary tooth falls out first. It is believed that it must be buried deep into the hole. It is this procedure that will allow the remaining teeth to be much stronger and healthier.

So what to do with the tooth:

Throw it away. If your family has never followed the ritual of losing baby teeth and your little one has never heard of, for example, the tooth fairy, then you can simply get rid of the tooth. However, I would still recommend at least burying it and wishing that the baby grows strong teeth.
Tooth Fairy. We learned about the existence of this fairy-tale hero from foreign films. Today, the tooth fairy has already become widely known among children in our country. Therefore, you can use such a legend. Let the baby put the lost tooth under his pillow, and while he is sleeping, the fairy will come, take the tooth and leave something in return.
Mouse. I heard about this character back in my childhood. Grandma said that a lost tooth should be hidden in a secret place, preferably dark, for example, under a closet. In addition, you can throw a tooth over your shoulder, saying a request for the mouse to have strong teeth.
Keep the tooth as a keepsake. For example, I did just that. Some parents like to keep mementos, such as a cast of their one-year-old child's foot or the first hair they cut. It is not surprising that the first milk tooth also has a place here.
Amulet. Some families believe that baby teeth have magical powers. In this case, parents may decide to put the tooth in a secret place and hope that now there will be only prosperity and happiness in their family. The main thing is to believe in the power of this talisman.
Decoration. In my opinion, this is the craziest option for what you can do with a lost tooth. But there are also such cases. Mom can take the lost tooth to the workshop and ask that it be framed with precious metal. And then wear it as decoration.

What to do if a child's baby tooth breaks off

Is the child scared and crying? Try to calm him down. Take it in your arms, turn on your favorite cartoon or distract your baby with a game.
If there is bleeding, apply a sterile gauze pad (do not use cotton wool - the fibers may stick to the chip).
Try to find the tooth fragment as quickly as possible. Place it in saline solution, boiled water or wrap it in a damp cloth. This will make it easier to restore a child’s broken baby tooth.
For pain, you can give Nurofen or paracetamol.
If a fracture is suspected, make a circular bandage around the head, securing the lower jaw.

It is necessary to get an appointment with a dentist within the first 2-48 hours. Don't forget to take the saved tooth fragment with you.

The root of the tooth is overgrown with gum: what to do

Tooth extraction is an unpleasant procedure that carries a risk of complications. There are cases when, after extraction, roots remain in the tooth socket, the untimely removal of which leads to the development of an acute inflammatory process. At the first suspicion of the presence of root remains in the soft tissues, you should contact your dentist. Photos of the destruction of the dental crown are presented below.

Most often, adverse consequences occur after the removal of molars that have a branched root system with a curved and curved shape.

Possible treatment options

The method of preserving a damaged baby tooth depends on the degree of damage. Sometimes the dentist suggests taking an x-ray to diagnose damage to adjacent crowns, tooth dislocation and assess the condition of surrounding tissues. Before restoring a tooth, the dentist performs hygienic treatment of the oral cavity.

Treatment methods for a chipped baby tooth

Enamel chipped - polishing the sharp edges of the crown.
A baby tooth has broken off within the dentin - building it up with photocomposite material or covering the chip with a crown fragment.
Fracture exposing the dental nerve - reconstruction using a tooth fragment.
Mobility, displacement of teeth - applying a splint to the damaged tooth and two adjacent crowns (one on the right and on the left) under local anesthesia.
A child has a cracked baby tooth in the root zone - sealing the damage and strengthening the crown with an onlay.

Thanks to the precise selection of the color of the composite material, the restored baby tooth does not differ from healthy crowns. The child will not experience psychological discomfort, but the teeth must be treated with care to avoid repeated chipping.

What symptoms occur?

The main symptom is the presence of pain. At first they are aching in nature, so many patients do not attach any importance to this. Over time, discomfort cannot be relieved even with the help of powerful painkillers. If you do not immediately visit a doctor and take action, on the third day swelling of the mucous membrane occurs, possibly even an increase in body temperature.

Next comes the most unpleasant moment - the putrefactive process. A bad odor appears from the mouth, and a white coating is noticeable around the hole. It doesn’t come to this very often, since severe pain in most cases provokes a person to go to the dentist again.

Prevention of injuries to baby teeth

If possible, stop the child’s attempts to try everything by heart.
Teaching your child how to properly brush their teeth.
Children's toothbrush with soft bristles.
A nutritious diet with sufficient calcium and fluoride.
Regularly remind your child about the dangers of chewing pens and pencils.
Carry out deworming periodically, especially if there are pets in the house.
Visit your dentist in a timely manner to correct your bite.
Treat initial caries (at the spot stage) immediately.
Have a dental examination every year.

If a child has a broken baby tooth, the dentists at the First Family Clinic of St. Petersburg will carefully examine and, if possible, restore the damaged crown. We guarantee excellent aesthetic results. Your child will quickly forget about the injury.