Everything You Need To Know About Losing Baby Teeth

Does your child finally have their first loose tooth?  Around age 6 is when we typically start to see children losing their baby teeth to make room for their adult teeth. This is a big developmental milestone & something to be excited about!  

As teeth become wiggley, you may be wondering about the best way to take care of your child’s smile.  Wasatch Pediatric Dentistry is here to help with everything you need to know about losing baby teeth!

Primary Teeth

Primary teeth, or baby teeth, can start to come in once your child is around 6 months old.  Every child is different, but you can expect them to have all 20 of their teeth at around 3 years of age.  

Taking Care of Primary Teeth

Some wonder about the importance of primary teeth because they eventually start to fall out.  When you take care of your baby teeth, you are taking care of the adult teeth that will come in after them.  Primary teeth hold the spacing and alignment for your child’s adult teeth.  Children with tooth decay are more susceptible to health issues such as diabetes and heart disease.  Making sure primary teeth stay healthy is not only beneficial for your child’s health, but can also help increase their confidence.

When Do Children Start to Lose Their teeth?

Children first start to lose their teeth around the ages of 5-6.  Typically the front teeth are the first to fall out, but every child is a little bit different.  You can expect them to continue to lose teeth until around age 12.

What Should We Do When a Tooth Falls Out?

Your child probably won’t feel a thing when their tooth falls out.  The gum may bleed a little bit, but this can be easily fixed by swishing some water around in their mouth.  If it continues to bleed, try biting down on some gauze, and contact your pediatric dentist if the bleeding does not stop after an hour.   

Lifelong Dental Care

Once your child’s adult teeth start showing up it is important to take good care of them.  They will have them for the rest of their life so you want to make sure you are doing all you can to keep them healthy!  Daily brushing, flossing, and regular visits to the dentist are great ways to maintain a happy smile.

Come visit us at Wasatch Pediatric Dentistry!  We are happy to answer any additional questions you may have about losing baby teeth. 

 Make an appointment to come see Dr. Kurt today!