For those of us who are parents, the day will come (or has come) when our child is going to lose their first baby tooth. This can produce varied emotional response from our children. Some children are so excited to lose a tooth that they can’t stop wiggling it from the first moment they find out it is loose until they finally manage to pull it out. On the contrary, other kids are really upset about the idea of a loose tooth. These children may be upset about the whole idea of losing a tooth, or they might just get upset at the end when the tooth is nearly ready to come out. As with most things, the way which we talk to our children about it and explain it can make all the difference.
Baby teeth ordinarily become loose at about age 6 when the incisors, the middle teeth in front, become loose. Molars, on the other hand, are usually lost between ages 10 and 12, and are replaced with permanent teeth by about age 13.
Something that might help a child who is nervous is to explain that all children have baby teeth, and when their bodies grow so big that they need grown up teeth, the baby teeth come out so that the grown up teeth can grow in.
As a parent, try to identify exactly what about losing a tooth is scary to your child. Are they afraid it will hurt? Reassure them that it likely will not hurt at all. To some children, the mere thought of “losing” a part of their body is understandably upsetting. Being as matter-of-fact about the whole situation will likely be your best course of action. Once a child has lost their first tooth, they usually are much less nervous about losing their baby teeth.
Please feel free to contact our office if we can help with this or any other dental issues you might have.
