Dictionary For Dads

The process of losing baby teeth is typically a painless and natural procedure,and they should not be pulled or yanked out by a parent.

Despite the old TV shows showing children or adults using a string and a doorknob to pull a tooth out this is certainly not the best way for a  child to lose their baby teeth. The roots of baby teeth gradually dissolve, letting them appear loose. It's normal for children to wiggle them with their tongue or to use their fingers. However, they should be warned to wash their hands before putting their fingers into their mouths

Primary teeth in children (baby teeth) loosen and fall out on their own to make room for permanent teeth.Children begin to lose their baby teeth by age six or seven years old. However, baby teeth can loosen and fall out for up to a year or two  later or earlier with certain children. Female children generally lose baby teeth earlier than do males. All primary teeth or baby teeth generally fall out by the time your child is twelve or  thirteen years old.

Baby teeth usually fall out in the order in which they erupted — the two bottom front teeth (lower central incisors) first, followed by the two top front teeth (upper central incisors), then the lateral incisors, first molars, canines and second molars.

Some children are excited to lose their baby teeth, while others are nervous about this childhood milestone. Either way, losing baby teeth is a great time to reinforce the importance of proper dental car.

Losing a baby tooth is the ultimate sign of becoming mature for a child. In fact, it's probably more important to a five or six year old than learning to read, write, or swim. Children especially siblings competitively track how many teeth they have lost.

When a child's Primary tooth (baby tooth)falls out, the big tooth (adult tooth is usually underneath the gums, waiting to erupt. Your child's permanent teeth will have ridges on the biting edges at first (they haven't been worn down yet through chewing), and they'll be slightly less white than the baby teeth were. This difference in color is normal and becomes less noticeable as the tooth matures and sets in the gums.

New adult teeth in a child tend to appear too big for their face this is also normal and as your child continues to grow it will become proportionate to their head size. However, if the teeth seem crowded arrange a consultation with your dentist.

Some children develop multiple rows of teeth -- often referred to as shark's teeth. This occurs when the permanent teeth come through before the baby teeth have fallen out. The new teeth will push forward on the baby teeth, usually causing them to fall out within a few weeks.

The Tooth Fairy

If you are wondering how much money should your child expect from the tooth fairy to bring.  It varies, from a few quarters to a few dollars, although the tooth fairy often brings more for the first baby tooth that is lost.

Dictionary For Dads Wants to thank Steve (The Irish Carpenter)  for his encouragement and research regarding this page.

When a child's permanent lower teeth come in behind their baby teeth it is commonly referred to as Shark Teeth. The baby teeth have not come out like they were supposed to. It is most common with the lower front teeth when the child is six years old and then the upper back molars when the child is around eleven years old. It's not really an emergency, but needs to be addressed by a dentist if the baby teeth do not come out within a couple of weeks.

If a child doesn't have enough room for the permanent tooth, then the permanent tooth may not come in right up under the baby tooth. Even when there is lots of room, the new tooth may not be able to resorb the baby tooth root fast enough. It then takes the path of least resistance, which is to come in behind the baby tooth. That means there is nothing "pushing" the baby tooth and there may be quite a lot of baby tooth root left.

The good news is that the permanent tooth will tend to move forward into the correct position on it's own IF there is nothing in the way and there is enough room. That usually means the dentist will need to remove the retained baby tooth and make more room by removing the adjacent baby teeth or making the baby teeth more slender by "disking" them. If the new tooth hasn't come in very much (you haven't waited too long), then the new tooth will slowly move forward. This takes a few weeks or months to move forward into a better position. They may even straighten out a little if they were coming in crooked.

Often teeth come in pairs, so if one tooth is not coming in correctly its partner on the other side won't either. A lot of parents hold out hope the baby tooth will fall out on it's own. Some children are very aggressive in wiggling their teeth. Some just let them hanging there. Remember however, that there may be more root on that baby tooth than you think, otherwise it would have come out by now. Most of the time the dentist has to get in there and get the tooth out.