How to Pull Out a Baby Tooth Effectively?

How to pull out a baby tooth? That’s the question that a lot of parents are trying to answer. Particularly because they know how fragile, and sensitive these little human beings are.

Have you noticed lately that your child is obsessing over a loose baby tooth? If that’s the case, that’s probably because he/she currently doesn’t think about anything else.

Frequently, a baby tooth falls out on its own, but unfortunately, there are times when you’ll be forced to think of creative (and painless) ways to remove a loose tooth.

So if today that’s one of your major concerns (concerning how to pull out a baby tooth), then don’t worry. I got you covered! I’ll provide you with all the necessary advice that will help you pull out a baby tooth. Let’s check it out together!

When Is the Best Time To Pull Out a Baby Tooth?

Now, I know that you want to immediately know how to pull out a baby tooth, but before I dive into it, I want to remind you that you shouldn’t try to pull out your kid’s tooth as soon as you notice that it is loose.

How come?

Bear in mind that baby teeth play a key role in guiding adult teeth into place and are here to aid the jaw and various other facial structures to develop correctly and remain healthy.

Therefore, although it’s always advisable to get yourself familiar with how to pull out a baby tooth, you shouldn’t do this hastily, otherwise, it could potentially lead to deformed adult teeth, negatively affect the gum, and cause other complex dental issues later in life.

So when is the ideal time then?

Before taking any further steps, first, be sure that your baby’s loose tooth is very loose in the socket.

If by any chance, it’s only a bit lose, or you notice that your child feels the pain only when you touch the tooth, then it’s highly likely that the underlying roots are simply not dissolved enough, meaning that it’s still too early to remove a loose tooth.

Why Do Baby Teeth Just Come and Go?

This is another common question (concerning how to pull out a baby tooth topic) that’s been confusing many parents.

Namely, most children start losing their baby teeth when they are six or seven.

Why then?

Well, that’s because they must make room for other adult teeth to “pop up”. I am positively sure that you’ve already noticed a lot of kids with huge gappy smiles.

And that’s all because their front teeth (known as incisors) have decided to say bye-bye to the children.

How Do Baby Teeth Usually Come Out?

Once a permanent tooth starts coming in, then the roots of the baby teeth begin to break down until it’s loose enough to fall out.

What’s great about this entire situation is the fact that a vast majority of children will give a helping hand during this process by giving them an old wobble.

So How To Remove a Loose Tooth Safely and Effectively?

I know that you instantly wanted to know how to pull out a baby tooth, but I first wanted to get some things straight before further going into details.

Now, that I covered all relevant things (besides how to pull out a baby tooth), now it’s time to tell you exactly how to remove a loose tooth!

There are a number of ways you can do this efficiently, and below, I’ll enumerate a few because I know how essential it is for you to learn how to pull out a tooth without pain.

1. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle it – The chances are your kid is probably already playing with it by using his/her tongue.

That’s something that a lot of children do (I know you did it as well!). And that’s completely okay since this method is going to speed up this whole process.

Consequently, wiggling it back and forth is actually not a bad idea at all! Keep in mind that the looser it is, the better, because your little one won’t be having as much pain.

Now if your kid is eager to do it by using his/her fingers, just remind them to first properly wash their hands.

Generally speaking, that’s not the smartest idea since it might potentially spread bacteria into their mouth, however, if your kid is determined to do it, then at least what you can do is tell them to wash their hands first.

2. Utilize string plus doorknob – Now, here’s something that was traumatizing to most of us back when we were children, however, the truth is nowadays, lots of parents opt for this strategy when they want to remove a loose tooth quickly.

So what is the best way to do it?

For starters, you should tie one end of a rope to a doorknob’s screws. Make sure to insure the tooth with the other end of the string. 

And then it’s time to close the door, but be careful when doing so. You don’t want to slam it! And then ta-dah, the tooth is ready to go!

3. Embrace Crunchy Foods – Crunchy foods are a perfect sidekick (during this entire how-to-remove-a-loose tooth process).

So what are your options in these instances?

Giving your little one foods like apples, cucumbers, or carrots would be advisable.

However, don’t forget to remind your kid not to ingest the tooth (it happened to me twice, to be frank, and it’s not a pleasant feeling).

Instead, tell him/her to spit the food onto a napkin and then do their best to find the tooth that has come out while eating.

Don’t worry, even if your child accidentally swallows a tooth, nothing God knows what (I’m alive, ain’t I?) will occur. But still, it doesn’t hurt to remind them.

4. Flossing – Generally speaking, this is one of the best ways to pull out a baby’s tooth safely.

So how can you do it?

First, wrap around 17 to 18 inches of floss around every finger and then put the dental floss between the fingers and thumb. 

The next step is to floss the loose tooth (and don’t forget the surroundings) back and forth, and then twist the floss around the loose tooth.

5. Curl and pull – Remember that if you want to pull a child’s wiggling tooth you must be very careful (and this refers to all loose teeth).

Bear in mind that tooth removal can be potentially painful if not done the right way. Your child shouldn’t feel any discomfort during tooth pull.

Therefore, if you notice that the tooth is loose enough to be pulled out, be sure to employ medical gauze to hold it and then slowly twist it out.

This should be done with all child’s teeth that are loose. In these instances, you should move slowly left-to-right and then back and forth.

This is essential because that’s going to drastically decrease tooth-attaching tissue.

If you notice that pulling on the tooth is painful to your child, or it does not budge with pressure, then it means that you are trying to pull the tooth too early and that this whole process must be postponed. 

As I previously stated, pulling it out too soon can potentially cause various problems. If you’re having second thoughts about it, be sure to consult the dentist about the child’s situation, to prevent any further complications.

You want your kid’s tooth to be removed on time, not too early!

When It’s Not Okay to Pull a Baby Tooth Out?

Now, that you found out all about how to pull out a baby tooth, it’s time to focus on the things you shouldn’t be doing.

If your child is under 5 years old if an incident caused the tooth to be loose, or if the tooth isn’t loose enough, you shouldn’t be doing anything without consulting the child’s dentist first.

Request an appointment to see if a tooth extraction is even necessary.

Doing something like this carelessly could potentially lead to an open wound, along with heavy bleeding, which could negatively impact the permanent adult tooth (and other permanent teeth too) that is about to come in.

Besides that, it could also crack the root of the tooth, causing a huge gap that is going to become susceptible to numerous health problems, such as plaque buildup, and/or infection. Children lose teeth all the time when young, so there’s no need to rush things too much.

Steps to Take Once a Tooth Is Pulled Out

1. Properly manage blood – Now that you figured out how to pull out a baby tooth, and you’ve chosen a certain method to extract it, you will most likely notice a little blood. But don’t panic right away, because that’s completely normal.

The best thing that you can do in these types of situations is to gently apply pressure to the gums by employing a sterile gauze and you’ll stop the bleeding pretty fast. 

2. Focusing on the fragments of the baby tooth – Once this is over, ensure to check for fragments of the baby tooth because they still may be inside the gums. If that’s the case, call the dentist to see what needs to be done.

3. Even though you’ve most likely done everything correctly (concerning how to pull out a baby tooth), unfortunately, your child may still experience some pain after this entire endeavor. If that happens, just rely on over-the-counter medicine. It will quickly alleviate the pain.

4. Ice chips are a great idea as well! – Ice chips are a perfect tool to utilize to soothe the affected region. Clean ice can be employed too to numb the area.

5. Welcome tooth fairy – Now that you successfully pulled out a baby tooth, it’s time to invite a tooth fairy to properly reward your little angel for being so brave.

If you haven’t already discussed it with your kid, make sure to tell him/her to leave the tooth under the pillow and expect a lovely surprise (money, or any other form of gift) in the morning. Courage must be awarded!

Conclusion

When you become a parent, no one ever tells you how to pull out a baby tooth, so you have to consult the internet and dig up some useful answers (but luckily, here I am!).

As you can see, it’s not as daunting as you might think it is. Just arm yourself with patience and everything is going to be a-okay!