Do all baby teeth need to be removed with the dentist?
No, it is often ideal to allow baby teeth to exfoliate in their own time. Apart from being used for eating, maintaining baby teeth is crucial for adult teeth to erupt properly at the appropriate time. They are the space holders for when dental development aligns with physiological growth, giving a child the best potential for straighter teeth.
Pictured below is a rough guideline when to expect baby teeth to exfoliate (can vary).
When is removal necessary
Nonetheless, there are times when intervention is required and removal necessary at the dentist. A baby tooth may be:
- Heavily decayed and it can no longer be repaired with fillings
- Infected with a severe toothache sometimes accompanied by an adjacent swelling
- Very loose but won’t exfoliate even over an extended period of time
- Incorrectly positioned interfering with the child’s bite development
Why choose Raceview Dental
Our staff are gentle, friendly and trained to look after children from a young age. We have a resident paediatric children specialist, as well as options for treatment under happy gas, sedation, or general anaesthetic.
For more information please phone our friendly staff at Raceview Dental Surgery (07) 32024566.
Finally, for an extra special touch, sprinkle a little glitter to go along with money from the tooth fairy.