Parents need to know what to do when baby teeth are coming in and falling out. It’s exciting to see our children’s first teeth erupt, and it’s also a big event whenever our children begin losing their baby teeth.

Our Royal Oak MI dental office, North Oaks Dental, offers elite family dentistry for patients of all ages. We love treating young patients and showing them the best way to take care of their mouth. We also regularly work with parents who have teething children, and of course, we’re there for kids who begin to lose their teeth. Today we want to offer parents a few tips for what to do when your child loses a tooth. Give us a call today at 248-712-1522 to schedule a visit or use the online form to request a visit.

To start, here are a few things you should know about your children’s teeth:

  • The first teeth to erupt in the mouth are primary teeth, more commonly known as baby teeth
  • There are 20 primary teeth
  • The final primary teeth are called two-year molars, and these general come in when the child is two years old
  • Once your child has teeth, start brushing them. First you’ll use a soft toothbrush, and then when more teeth erupt, you’ll begin using toothpaste with fluoride
  • We recommend that parents bring children in for a dental visit at the age of 1 or whenever the teeth begin erupting
  • Primary teeth can have tooth decay just like permanent teeth

Losing Those Baby Teeth

The baby teeth are there are placeholders for the permanent adult teeth. These teeth are often spaced out compared with permanent teeth because there are 32 permanent teeth. We need to lose baby teeth to make room for permanent teeth. Most children begin to lose their teeth between the ages of 4 to 7, and the entire process takes years. Children often lose the teeth in the front of the mouth first, as those are the first teeth to erupt.

Losing baby teeth is a natural process, and often, it’s best to let this process play out naturally. Most children will notice a little wiggle in the tooth, and we don’t recommend pulling hard on the tooth. Once the tooth is out, your child may experience a little bleeding around the gums, but you can swish water around the mouth.

You should notice the permanent teeth begin erupting within a few weeks later.

Many parents reward their children for losing baby teeth. Maybe the child gets a visit from the Tooth Fairy or gets to eat at their favorite restaurant.

Bring Your Child in For Dental Visits

It’s important to keep your children’s dental visits. During these visits, we’ll not only provide dental cleanings and exams and preventive treatments like fluoride treatments and dental sealants, but we’ll also monitor the development of the baby teeth and natural teeth. Most children lose their baby teeth naturally, but in some cases, we’ll need to remove teeth to make room for the permanent teeth. Having a permanent tooth erupt behind or in front of a primary tooth can cause alignment issues that can be painful for the child and experience to correct down the road.

Give North Oaks Dental a call today at 248-712-1522 to schedule a visit.