My baby is losing the baby tooth, what should I do?

The journey after the birth of your baby is going to be very active. Your baby would get the baby teeth after 6 months of birth, and these teeth will continue to come up till the age of 3 years. They are 20 in number. They are called as the baby teeth or primary teeth. They are also called temporary teeth because soon they would fall off, giving way to permanent teeth. Loosing first tooth is indeed a big moment for the parents and the child. A sign of growing!

It happens around the age of 4 to 6 years. There will be a time when there are both permanent and temporary teeth in the mouth.

Here are some things that you need to take care of when your baby is losing the baby teeth.

• Pain due to teething – Under the baby teeth, the permanent teeth start coming up.  This ultimately causes the baby teeth to loosen and fall off. While this happens, your child might feel discomfort at the gums. New teeth have hard edges, which can cause pain. Make sure you pay attention if they are in pain and consult a dentist. You can rub their gums with your finger to sooth the irritation. There are also teething toys available for the same purpose.
• Wriggling and Loosening – Once a tooth is loose, it can take weeks or months to fall out. Dentists encourage children to wriggle the tooth a bit to ease the process of loosening. But, ensure that your child does not forcefully get the tooth out. This can damage the gums and lead to infection.
• Diet – In the growing years, healthy diet is important. If the teeth are becoming loose, your child could have difficulty in eating. Ensure that the diet is not compromised. Give the necessary diet in different forms such as smoothies or as blended foods.
• Gargling – Once the tooth falls off, your child should gargle with warm salt water to get rid of the blood.
• Brushing – Around the age of 3, your child can start using regular toothpastes that have fluoride in them.
• Education on Oral Hygiene – Now is the time you need to teach your child how to brush properly to maintain oral hygiene. Emphasize that it is important to brush twice a day. Right education now will be good for your child’s lifelong dental health.
• Premature Loss of Teeth – At times, some children may lose teeth prematurely due to gum infection or an injury. If you don’t address this problem on time, it will affect the future permanent teeth. Thus, consult a dentist immediately.

As a mother, you would be concerned about this process, but understand that it is the most natural and essential process. If you observe delays in losing teeth, visit the dentist. In any case, use medicines as the last resort, and only after consulting the dentist.

For most things, your motherly instincts will tell you what to do!