My daughter has had a loose molar for a month. It’s still not coming out and all she does is complain about it. Should I have it pulled?

Meagan K. – Yonkers, NY

Meagan,

It can take teeth quite a long time to fully come out.  Those ligaments which hold them in place stretch and snap back so much you can despair that the tooth will ever come out.  I wouldn’t jump to pulling it yet.  You don’t want to pull it out before the adult tooth is ready.  The baby tooth is holding that space open. If you pull it prematurely, her teeth could shift, not leaving room for an adult tooth.

This is especially true of molars which need to say in much longer than other teeth. If you’re daughter isn’t around eleven years old, that molar needs to stay put, barring there being an infection.

If you’re concerned, I would take her in to her pediatric dentist and let him or her have a look. They can make sure the adult tooth is fine and there is no underlying problem with her molar. If there is a problem and the molar needs to come out early, the pediatric dentist can place a space maintainer to keep her teeth from shifting.

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