How and when to pull out your kid’s baby teeth

Posted on February 16, 2021 | Hot Topics

The sometimes long, drawn out process of losing baby teeth can be just as traumatic for you as parents as it is for your kids! Just as there are many approaches to pulling out a loose tooth, there are also many potential reactions a child can have to losing his or her teeth. Some kids will wait until the tooth is just barely hanging on before they take any action. Others will mess with the tooth the second it gets a bit wiggly and force that thing out with sheer determination!

When will it happen?

Right around six years old is when most kids will start losing their baby teeth. Read more about your child’s teething schedule here. Typically the first teeth to go are the lower incisors, the teeth right at the front of the mouth. It’s actually a pretty cool thing that our body does! When permanent teeth start to come in, the roots of the baby teeth begin to dissolve. Once the baby teeth are loose enough, they will fall out. 

The Dos and Don’ts of teeth pulling

Watching your child talk, drink, and eat with a tooth that’s on the verge of falling out can be excruciating! It’s tempting to yank the thing out and be over with it. However, the best practice is to not force it out, but to wait until the tooth is ready. 

The issue with taking matters into your own hands and tying some floss around the tooth and a nearby doorknob is that the tooth really might not be quite ready to come out yet. Doing this may cause your child unnecessary pain, cause excessive bleeding, damage the tissue, or possibly lead to infection. 

If a loose tooth becomes annoying and bothersome to your child, there are many natural ways to move the process along like: regularly brushing teeth, flossing, and even eating apples.

How to pull loose teeth

If you’re noticing that the tooth is ready to come out with little force, here are some steps to follow to pull it out with ease:

1. Wash your hands. Wiggle that tooth back and forth with a clean tissue or gauze. If it’s really ready, a little twisting will be necessary and the tooth should pop right out.
2. Apply slight pressure to the area with a clean gauze pad if there is any bleeding. Please note: the bleeding should stop after a few minutes.
3. Check out the gums to make sure no remains of the baby tooth are stuck in the area. In most cases, the area will be clean and you may even see the top of the adult tooth. Set up an appointment with the dentist if you do find any fragments of the baby tooth.
4. Notify the Tooth Fairy! 😉

For the next day or so, make sure to keep an eye out for any redness. If your child is complaining of any pain, make sure to set up a dentist appointment.

There may be times in this phase when a tooth or two gives you more trouble than others. If you run into this, don’t hesitate to have a dentist check it out.