Do you remember how you felt when you lost your first tooth? Were you excited or nervous and anxious? Losing your first tooth is a big milestone and children react in many different ways. If you are a parent, we encourage you to talk with your children to calm any fears they have and explain that this process is a normal part of growing up.
If your children are nervous, try to motivate them about the idea of becoming older and offer incentives that will excite them. Some ideas to make it more exciting are to explain that the Tooth Fairy will leave money under their pillow, or to promise a treat such as ice cream after the tooth falls out.
When you chat with your children about their loose teeth, encourage them to wiggle the teeth out on their own. Make sure they don’t try to force them out in other ways. It is important not to force the tooth out or use the method of tying a string to the door to yank it out, because this could cause damage to the gums if the roots break off.
Your children may try to avoid brushing their teeth or eating healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables while they have loose teeth. It is important that they maintain healthy diet and dental habits even while they are undergoing the process of losing teeth.
If your child takes longer to lose his or her first tooth, you might want to talk to them to make sure they don’t feel left out or abnormal because all the other kids at school have lost teeth already. Eventually, the teeth will begin to fall out, and it isn’t a contest to see who loses their teeth first. If your child is past the age of seven and hasn’t began to lose their baby teeth, there probably isn’t any need for worry, but we encourage you to schedule a visit to our office to make sure everything is healthy.
