Baby teeth can be pulled at home, but what about adult teeth? The verdict is in: Don’t try to pull your teeth by yourself.

Losing a tooth is never easy. But when a tooth is severely damaged or decayed, the only option is to have it pulled. But can you go the DIY route and pull the tooth out by yourself?

However painful a loose tooth is, you must never attempt to pull your own tooth! This procedure is best left to a dentist. “But what about pulling teeth for babies?” you might ask. Parents of young children who are losing their baby teeth can help with the process at home with some precautions. But let’s look at when it’s okay to pull a tooth yourself and when it’s most definitely not.

Pulling baby teeth: The how-tos

Between the ages of six and seven, children lose their baby or primary teeth. This is the natural progression to permanent adult teeth. 

Baby teeth usually fall out on their own. Yet sometimes, a baby tooth needs a bit of nudge to come out. Here’s when a parent can pull the baby tooth or help the child do it. Try these tips to make the process as painless and clean as possible:

Cover the tooth with gauze. To pull the baby tooth out, cover the loose tooth with a piece of gauze and gently pull it out. The tooth should come out easily since it’s held in place with only a thin thread of tissue.

Don’t let the child put their hands in their mouth. While your child may be eager to remove the loose tooth himself, make sure they do not put their hands in their mouth. Let’s be honest: Children don’t always wash their hands, and dirty hands could bring more bacteria into the mouth. Encourage your child to gently apply pressure to the tooth using the tongue to prod the tooth out.

Make it fun. While there will be some pain, you can make losing a tooth fun, which could take out some of the sting. One often-used method is to tie one end of a string around the baby tooth and the other end around a door knob. Shut the door, but don’t slam it. The yanking of the string should pull the tooth out. Then, tell the child to put the tooth under his pillow to wait for a gift from the tooth fairy. 

Baby teeth are meant to come out. Yet pulling them should be done carefully. Baby teeth set the stage for permanent teeth as well as the shape of your child’s jaw and face. If you think your child’s baby teeth aren’t coming out properly, see your dentist for an examination.

Should adults pull their teeth? No!

While pulling baby teeth is okay for the most part, extracting adult teeth is another matter. Adult teeth are firmly anchored in the gums and, therefore, not so easy to remove. Doing so could severely damage gums and nearby teeth.

But according to one report, 17 percent of Americans have pulled their own teeth. One possible way to pull a tooth at home is by using pliers. But this method could crush the tooth into little pieces if not done correctly, and the only person who could perform this properly is a dentist.

Biting into an apple, pulling the tooth out with floss, or simply wrenching it yourself are other dangerous DIY methods. These methods could cause infection, gum or bone damage, and intense pain and bleeding.

Sure, it’s never pleasant to have a tooth pulled. But you can make it a lot worse by trying to do it yourself as an adult. Besides, just because a tooth is loose doesn’t mean it can’t be saved. See your dentist before you try to remove a tooth yourself. After all, your dentist is trained to make tooth extractions painless and safe. You are not.

Let Espire Dental handle all your dental care needs

Schedule an appointment at Espire’s La Mesa location today! Don’t risk your oral health by taking matters into your own hands. Our highly trained dentists can check your teeth and decide if you need a tooth extracted. But don’t worry, we’ll make it as painless as possible! Don’t live near our La Mesa, CA office? Find one of our other locations near you.

La Mesa, CA
8555 Fletcher Parkway 
Suite 102 
La Mesa, CA 91942