After all the pain and suffering that comes with teething as babies until about three years old, you only have a few years to relax before your child’s teeth become a problem yet again. Losing baby teeth can be a tough experience for children, especially if they’re afraid it’s going to hurt. When your child stumbles across a loose tooth, look to our best tips for helping your child find their way away from pain and straight to the tooth fairy.
1) Don’t pull it! Many dentists advise against pulling a child’s baby teeth- you can’t tell exactly how loose it is, only the child can. Adult teeth are growing behind the baby tooth, and pulling the tooth too early may result in the adult tooth growing in late. The baby tooth will fall out when the adult tooth is ready to move in. So, keep the string to yourself and don’t slam any doors to try to rip out your child’s wiggly tooth.
2) If your child feels the tooth is barely hanging by a thread, allow them to wiggle or pull on it. No one can tell better than your child how loose the tooth is, and how painful it is to wiggle around. Many times, teeth will quite literally be hanging on by a thread, and a simple, quick twist or pull will pop it right off. Encourage your kid to wiggle it with their tongue, or put some gauze on the tooth and gently pull, but only do so if they’re comfortable with it. Otherwise, the tooth will fall out on its own.
3) Give them an apple. Many times, parents will encourage their children to eat tougher foods that are more likely to pull out their loose tooth. Letting your kid bite into a apple may help the tooth pull right out- and you might find it stuck in the apple! Some parents worry about their child swallowing the tooth if it comes out while eating, but there’s no need to fret — even if the tooth is swallowed, it’s very unlikely they’ll choke and a swallowed tooth does the body no harm (other than upset the tooth fairy). You can also allow them to bite into an ice pop, which may also help with any pain they’re having.
4) Remind them about the tooth fairy! Use the tooth fairy as a tool to make sure your child is comfortable with losing their teeth. Tell them about her as soon as they have their first loose tooth, and they’ll be excited instead of scared about getting their new, adult teeth.
Always expect a small amount of blood when baby teeth come out and use a small piece of gauze on the empty socket to stop any minimal bleeding. In very rare cases, baby teeth need to be extracted by a dentist because they do not come out on their own, or adult teeth begin growing in behind them in strange places. In this situation, immediately make an appointment with your dentist to have your child’s teeth examined.
If your child needs a stubborn baby tooth looked at or extracted, or if your adult teeth are having their own problems, Greenspoint Dental offers tooth extractions and other dentistry to solve all your dental needs. Contact us today to make an appointment.