Managing a Child's Loose Tooth

A child's primary teeth, sometimes called "baby teeth," are as important as the permanent adult teeth. A baby tooth usually stays in until a permanent tooth underneath pushes it out and takes its place.

Besides helping children chew and pronounce words, the primary teeth hold a place in the jaws for the permanent teeth, which begin to push through the gums as the primary teeth are shed. The first permanent molars usually erupt between ages 6 and 7.²

Sometimes a loose baby tooth refuses to come out on its own. To help things along, try the following:

• Have your child wiggle the tooth.
• Encourage your child to eat something hard, such as an apple.¹

If neither of these approaches works, see your dentist.

Once the shell of the tooth is disconnected from the root, the pain in extracting a loose primary tooth is minimal.¹

¹ "How Do I Care for My Child's Baby Teeth?" Academy of General Dentistry. www.agd.org/public/oralhealth/Default.asp?IssID=296&Topic=C&ArtID=1173#body. Accessed 2010.

² "Tooth Eruption: The Permanent Teeth." Journal of the American Dental Association. January 2006, vol. 137, p. 127. http://jada.ada.org/cgi/content/full/137/1/127