Time to Celebrate! I Lost My First Tooth!

February 28th is Tooth Fairy Day and a great time to think about how to handle the child’s loose tooth. Losing the first tooth can be somewhat scary and also exciting. But it’s an excellent opportunity to introduce lessons about kids’ oral care while teaching about permanent teeth. The child’s loose tooth need not be a time for anxiety, especially if you bring in the tale of the Tooth Fairy and her gifts. It can become a fun event you celebrate when the tooth finally falls.

My first loose tooth!

Baby teeth, all 20 of them, are generally lost by the time the child is 12. This makes place for permanent teeth. If you remember the order in which they got their teeth, that’s how they’ll lose them too. The first of the child’s loose teeth will probably be a lower center one. Typically, this is the order as follows:

1. Top and bottom two central incisors (6 to 7 years)
2. Top and bottom lateral incisors (7 to 8 years)
3. Top and bottom first molars (9 to 11 years)
4. Top and bottom canines (9 to 12 years)
5. Top and Bottom second molars (10 to 12 years)

Caring for kids’ teeth when loose is not as scary as you think. Encourage them to gently wiggle the loose tooth without applying force to pull them out. This can cause the root to break and result in infection.

When it finally falls, there may be some gum bleeding, and caring for the kid’s teeth in this scenario is essential. Clean the gap gently and get the child to rinse their mouth with cold water. She can staunch the bleeding by biting down on a piece of gauze.

At the regular children’s dental checkup, check with the doctor if any of her teeth seem loose. If the child hasn’t lost her teeth until late in her 7th year, mention this to the dentist.

Sometimes, the child may lose a baby tooth in a fall. In such cases, scheduling a children’s dental checkup is vital. The dentist can check for damage and also make a note to watch if the permanent tooth comes up in the right place in the future.

How to celebrate the first lost tooth

Go somewhere special: A special treat for a special occasion- go out for ice cream or a movie to celebrate losing their first tooth.

Make an arts and crafts project for the tooth fairy: Make a picture for the Tooth fairy or create a handmade receptacle to put the tooth in.

Bake a special healthy treat: Celebrate at home with special treats that are easy on the newly exposed gum. Cold custard is a great treat.

Go on a kids’ oral care shopping spree: A great time to show how kids’ oral care can be fun; celebrate with a shopping trip. Buy funky toothbrushes, toothpaste, and kid’s floss in colorful containers.

Send a letter or note to the tooth fairy: Put the message in the special handmade box you made and wait for her ‘reply’!

Caring for kids’ teeth is essential when they start losing them because the new teeth are there forever. Easing them into this exciting transition into ‘grown-up life’ can be simpler if you have the dentist explain things at the regular children’s dental checkup. And the Tooth fairy is always here to turn a potentially scary event into an exciting celebration!