Tips For Handling Your Child's Wiggly Tooth

Around the age of five or so, your child might begin experiencing a loose tooth. This can be an exciting event for some kids, but for other kids, it can be scary. Whether your child is excited or scared, you may be wondering how you should handle this event, and here are some tips to help you know what to do.

Talk positive about the event

Keeping this event positive is important, especially if your child is fearful of having a loose tooth. You can tell your child that this is normal and that you lost your teeth too. You can also discuss the tooth fairy and her role in lost teeth, as this often excites kids. You can also explain that losing teeth is a normal part of growing up, and you can tell your child that this is a sign that he or she is growing up. A lot of kids enjoy the idea that they are growing up, so this might work well with your child.

Encourage your child to wiggle it

Secondly, you should encourage your child to wiggle this tooth. You can explain that it may feel weird to have a wiggly tooth but that wiggling it with his or her finger can help speed up the process of it falling out. Wiggling a loose tooth is always a good idea, as long as your child's fingers are clean.

Do not pull the tooth

As a parent, you might be tempted to want to pull the tooth out, especially if the tooth seems stubborn, but this is not a good idea. The tooth will fall out when it needs to, and if it doesn't, your child's dentist should gently remove it for you instead of you doing it yourself.

Offer foods that may help the tooth come out

To assist the tooth with falling out, you might want to offer foods to your child that may help. The most common food that helps with a loose tooth is an apple. Taking a bite from an apple can help a tooth come out, especially if the tooth is really loose, and this will not hurt anything.

Find the tooth after it comes out

When the tooth comes out, you should find it and offer to prepare it for the tooth fairy to come. Most kids love the tooth fairy, and this can be an exciting event for your child to experience.

All children will lose baby teeth at some point in their life. If you have any questions or concerns about this, talk to a dentist that offers family dentistry services in your city.