Typically, dentists remove children's teeth using instruments called elevators and forceps to gently loosen and extract the tooth.
This process is usually quick and straightforward:
- Loosening the tooth: The dentist uses an elevator, a specialized instrument, to carefully rock the tooth back and forth. This breaks down the ligaments holding the tooth in place.
- Extracting the tooth: Once the tooth is sufficiently loose, the dentist uses forceps to gently grasp and remove it from the socket.
- Speed: The majority of teeth can be loosened and extracted in under a minute.
It's important to note that the process is generally painless, especially with the use of a local anesthetic.
