Self-dentistry in Life in a Shoe

[clibbyjo]

One of those crazy blogs had do it yourself "braces" ...well teeth straightening!

I don't have a problem pulling baby teeth, I have pulled quite a few myself because the kids suddenly turn squeamish at the site of blood,but they want it out anyway. I was just adding to the thread for dramatics. :)

I would love to see that blog of homemade braces! My kid with the extra tooth is up next for braces when the girl gets hers off so anything I can do... :dance:

[kayray]

Yeah, sorry, not seeing the big deal with pulling a loose baby tooth.

My loose baby teeth got pulled at home with the old "eat an apple with your loose tooth trick", excessive wiggling and tugging, or a string on the doorknob sort of thing. They were loose, so they were coming out anyway. I actually remember going to the dentist once for a cleaning while I had a loose tooth and he just told me and my mom we could pull it out whenever I felt ready!

My mother certainly took me to the dentist for anything else - be it my bi-annual cleanings or other dental work. Me and my siblings all got regular dental health visits and work where required by a dentist (be it braces, bridgework, etc). My sister also had what another poster described - an extra row of teeth behind most of her teeth. Again, this was something she went to the dentist for as that was not simply pulling a loose baby tooth out.

And whoever compared wisdom teeth - those are totally different! They are not loose, for one, and are often impacted requiring cutting and breaking of the tooth to remove from under the gums. Removal of wisdom teeth is minor surgery requiring at least freezing and follow up care to ensure the holes left do not become infected or end up as dry socket! There is also a risk of developing a hole into your sinus cavity, etc. Wisdom tooth removal at home is certainly not on the same scale or advised!

[VeraAnne]

Kim talks a lot about taking the kids to the dentist. This is no big deal.

[ChunkyBarbie]

Isn't she the blogger who took her kid to a vet when stitches were needed?

I believe that was Kelly from Generation Cedar. I could be totally wrong, it has been known to happen. :D

Edited for a riffle.

[Brainsample]

I believe that was Kelly from Generation Cedar. I could be totally wrong, it has been known to happen. :D

Edited for a riffle.[/quote

It was GC Kelly, or so it was discussed on previous FJ threads.

[Brainsample]

The video showed the tooth coming out quickly and with no pain. Actually, lots of families do this with loose baby teeth. I would not waste my money with a dental visit for this very common situation of an adult tooth growing behind the baby tooth.

Nell, I watched the video and it also seemed to me that this was just a standard loss of a baby tooth. (Technically, all baby teeth have new adult tooth growth following behind them.) Kim seems to be so ignorant at times about some things that she may not realize that people do have serious dental problems wherein their adult teeth come in bedside baby teeth, etc.

Anything sensational to tell the blog tourists, perhaps, to create the parade about the VF lifestyle. "Look at this! We're so countercultural that we become important."

Maybe they were watching Little Rascals reruns or videos and the kids (or Kim) just wanted to try the door and string trick. I know that I made an unsuccessful attempt at it when I first started losing my baby teeth after seeing it on the show in my attempt to connect to my depression era loved ones that I so adored. I recall that they came out easier through wiggling them when they were ready that I had no need of the string trick.

[Hisey]

Nell, I watched the video and it also seemed to me that this was just a standard loss of a baby tooth. (Technically, all baby teeth have new adult tooth growth following behind them.) Kim seems to be so ignorant at times about some things that she may not realize that people do have serious dental problems wherein their adult teeth come in bedside baby teeth, etc.

Anything sensational to tell the blog tourists, perhaps, to create the parade about the VF lifestyle. "Look at this! We're so countercultural that we become important."

Maybe they were watching Little Rascals reruns or videos and the kids (or Kim) just wanted to try the door and string trick. I know that I made an unsuccessful attempt at it when I first started losing my baby teeth after seeing it on the show in my attempt to connect to my depression era loved ones that I so adored. I recall that they came out easier through wiggling them when they were ready that I had no need of the string trick.

I don't know but an ER doctor friend of mine said you can do some serious damage to your tooth that way. He said it's never good to do something so rough to a tooth.

Anyway, the kids survived, so that's good.

[Brainsample]

I don't know but an ER doctor friend of mine said you can do some serious damage to your tooth that way. He said it's never good to do something so rough to a tooth.

Anyway, the kids survived, so that's good.

In no way am I disputing that this is the case. I'm not arguing that it's a legitimate thing to do.

My point is that Kim or the child was trying to be novel, consulting "the ancient paths" as a solution to a modern problem, but because they're all into hype and sensationalism which celebrates antiquity (while ignoring the dangers of antiquated practices), they invented a scenario that likely didn't exist. That kid's mouth looked like the mouth of every healthy kid who loses a baby tooth. There was no obvious competing tooth visible (on that video, at least).

I think it was more hype and "Little Rascals" than it was an intervention for an actual pathologic condition.

[Mommy22alyns]

Yeah, I have to say that my youngest has had two "shark teeth" and the baby one has come out on its own (okay, a little help from me) and the adult tooth has come forward with no problems.

[NurseNell]

I don't know but an ER doctor friend of mine said you can do some serious damage to your tooth that way. He said it's never good to do something so rough to a tooth.

Anyway, the kids survived, so that's good.

My DH is a physician too., and he agrees you can do damage if you try to remove a firmly rooted tooth that way. But not if you remove a very loose baby tooth.

[Jessica]

Ugh loose teeth gross me out SO much! A bunch of mine had to be pulled because they would NOT come out so the adult ones were growing in and had nowhere to go so they were waaaay up growing out of my gums over the other ones. Or in the case of one of the ones on bottom in back, it was growing in sideways (so had it continued on, it would have done like moles do and go under al the teeth next to it and push them up and out) so its baby tooth was pulled and they dug down to attach a chain to it. The chain was hooked to my braces to help pull it in the right direction.

[emmiedahl]

Ugh, my mom used pliers on my baby teeth and it was so traumatic. Do Not Recommend.

[NurseNell]

Ugh, my mom used pliers on my baby teeth and it was so traumatic. Do Not Recommend.

Agree :o

[SunnyAndrsn]

My SIL is badly in need of braces. Her teeth go this way and that and I think she has some extras. My in-laws have refused to get her braces. It bugs me since they're willing to spend money on other things.

Do they think that braces are just cosmetic? Maybe that's the reason, if that's the case, that they won't shell out the money for the braces.

I had them, and I'm so glad my parents paid for it. I had my dad's teeth which were atrocious. His parents, my grandparents, thought it was ridiculous to straighten teeth. My mouth is much too small for all of the teeth that were coming in, there was lots of pain, crowding, overbite issues, and cleaning/care issues as a result of the mess I had in my mouth.

It was a lot of pain, but I do not regret it. Well worth it to have healthy teeth.

[notsocommon]

You would freak at what my brother tried to do to me.... string around the tooth and the other end around a cinder block that was tossed off the porch.