A child becoming kindergarten age brings forth a lot of milestones! One is starting school. Another is the losing first tooth milestone. Do you know what to do when your child loses their first tooth?
This article is intended to share information but is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always ask your dentist if you have questions. Post includes affiliate links.
Read on for some great tooth fairy tips and losing first tooth ideas.
A few weeks ago I took my 5-year-old to his dentist appointment. They did an x-ray, and I was surprised to see all those amazing adult teeth that have formed in the gums. The dentist told us he will lose his first tooth soon so I started researching what to do when you lose your first tooth.
What to do when child loses first tooth
What to do after a tooth falls out
It is important to keep up with proper dental care when your child starts losing baby teeth. Brush twice a day and help with flossing. Continue regular dental visits.
When teeth start to wiggle, you might be tempted to pull them out. But don’t do that until they are ready to come out to avoid unnecessary pain or risk of infection. (Source) Encourage kids to wiggle them if they want to since the loose tooth does feel funny. Be sure to wash hands often if children are wiggling loose teeth with their fingers.
When that first tooth falls out, it is possible the gums will be bleeding. Have the child swish water in their mouth and you can use gauze to help stop the bleeding.
If a loose tooth is causing pain for the child, a cold compress, some oral analgesic, or even Children’s Tylenol could help.
When do permanent teeth come in?
Baby teeth act as placeholders to create space for the permanent teeth that will come in the future. Did you know that kids only have 20 baby teeth but by the time they are teenagers they will have 32 permanent adult teeth? (Source) A child’s baby teeth start to fall out to make room for their permanent, or adult teeth. This typically begins between the age of 6 and 7. But this can vary for each child.
Healthline has a great chart for when specific teeth first erupt as baby teeth and when they are lost and replaced with permanent teeth. Here is a visual teeth eruption chart diagram from the American Dental Association. The first baby teeth to fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth are typically the two bottom front and two top front teeth. (Source)
It might take several weeks for a permanent tooth to come in to replace the lost tooth, and kids are often walking around with cute gaps in their mouth. These new teeth could take a few months to finish growing to their full size and will be larger than the baby teeth.
What to feed a child with a loose tooth
Sometimes the loose tooth is bothersome or the child has anxiety about the tooth falling out. Eating crunchy foods can help loosen up the teeth and help them fall out faster.
I was always a fan of apples, bite into one and bam, no more annoying loose tooth. Other foods recommended by dentists to wiggle a lose tooth include pretzels, pizza crust, and raw veggies (carrots, for example).
But what if a child swallows their loose tooth? I hear that’s no big deal, it will pass through them. But they’ll miss out on the tooth fairy.
Baby Tooth Traditions
In the United States (and it sounds like most English-speaking countries) the Tooth Fairy tradition is used with lost teeth. Teeth are placed under the pillow and the Tooth Fairy shows up in the night to take the tooth and leave some cash. The going rate varies by family (and budget) but typically the first lost tooth sees the biggest generosity from the Tooth Fairy.
In some Asian countries, children throw their teeth (lower teeth get thrown onto the roof and upper teeth get thrown under the floor). In some Middle Eastern countries, kids throw their teeth up in the air toward the sky. In Spain, some other Hispanic cultures, and France, a mouse collects the teeth rather than the tooth fairy. (Source)
Here’s my plan – we’re going to use this amazing Tooth Fairy Collection from LulaRose Premium Tooth Fairy Gift Set | Tooth Fairy Coin and Tooth Fairy Letter as well as their adorable Blue Wooden Fairy Door.
Check out the carousel below for the close-up of the fairy door, coin, and letter.
LulaRoseUSA gives us a whimsical way to celebrate this first tooth lost! Their adorable Tooth Fairy Gift collection includes a special one Dollar coin (with magical fairy handprints) and a personalized first lost tooth fairy letter from the Tooth Fairy for your little one! The collection is complete with the magical fairy door. Be prepared for the first lost tooth and receive 10% off using code FABWORKINGMOM10 on lularose.com.
Read books about losing teeth
Reading books about topics help children process the information. My son keeps telling me he’s afraid of his teeth falling out. So we’ve been reading some books on the topic. Here are some ideas:
- My Very Loose Tooth (a book about Kayla, who is ready to lose her first tooth) (Free PDF from Delta Dental)
- Loose Tooth (My First I Can Read)
- The Berenstain Bears and the Tooth Fairy
- The Night Before the Tooth Fairy
- Chase’s Loose Tooth! (PAW Patrol) (Pictureback(R))
- Pete the Cat and the Lost Tooth (My First I Can Read)
- Llama Llama Loses a Tooth
- My Loose Tooth (Sight Word Readers)
How are you preparing for a first lost tooth?
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