Well, it finally happened. After years of waiting and feeling like a failure….Sam has lost his first tooth! It was really starting to get to him..at age 6 he had expected to have already lost a few. He felt like everyone around him..younger than him..was moving on with gaps in their mouths and money from the tooth fairy. He has finally joined that elite club and he is super excited to put that tooth under his pillow.

Proud as can be

The sad thing is that he lost it earlier than he should have. A recent collision this week between his chin and our kitchen island moved things along a bit faster than nature would have had it. That does not matter to Sam…the bruise on his chin was well worth it. I know that now he will be checking weekly to see if any others are ready to come out too….especially after he gets that big $1 under his pillow.

I remember when Jake lost his first tooth and those big, grown up teeth started moving in. Something about him changed. He no longer looked like a little boy and now, with a mouthful of them, he has really lost all of that child like appearance and looks much older to me. Now I know Sam is on that same road and it makes me a little sad even while I am excited for him. I told him we’ll just have to get a baby to start all over to which he replied “NO!” Good thing it was just a joke

With his tooth already in his little blue tooth case, he will head to bead eagerly tonight and I need to run out and get some cash…..

When did your tween lose their first tooth? Did you think of it as a milestone?

Our kids and their teeth are such a process of life.  They start as newborns  with a mouth full of gums.   Then they slowly start growing their teeth in and enter the wonderful world of teething.  Once they go through all the pain of growing their teeth in……..those same teeth fall out!  It is such a complicated process.

Kids usually start losing their teeth when they are 5 or 6 years old.  They live in that awkward snaggle-tooth stage until they are about 12 or 13 years old.  By then, all of their permanent teeth have most likely erupted (except their wisdom teeth.)  Then they really enter the awkward stage and get those pretty silver braces stuck happily to their teeth. 

It is a big job taking care of our children’s teeth.  By the time they are 2 years old we should be scheduling their first appointment with the dentist.  There are two reasons for this, first is to be on top of their dental care and second is so they feel comfortable with the dentist.

Lincoln has started losing his teeth in the last couple years.  I have found myself  in such awe  watching his teeth fall out.  It is such an interesting process.  The tooth starts to wiggle a little, then it wiggles alot….then it is either pulled out or falls out somewhere crazy!!

As  parent’s, it is important that we take an active role in teaching our children the importance of their oral health care.  Here are a few tips and tricks to get them started making good habits to take care of their teeth.

- Have them brush their teeth morning and night.  If they are home for lunch, have them brush their teeth after lunch too.

-Kid’s should be brushing their teeth for two minutes.  Put a timer in the bathroom so they can set the timer while brushing.

-Have them floss their teeth once a day……they have so many cool kids floss products…take some time to check them out.

-Remind them to use round strokes while brushing and not to scrub their teeth too hard.

-Visit the dentist every six months for a cleaning and check-up.  Try to stick with the same dentist so they have a happy and healthy relationship with their dentist.

What has worked for you in terms of getting your kids to take good care of their teeth? Please share in the box below.