Why Do I Need to Brush My Teeth?
If you’ve already lost a few teeth, you might be starting to wonder why your parents and your dentist care so much about taking care of baby teeth that are all just going to fall out anyway. It seems like a lot of trouble for teeth that won’t last forever, right?
Well, that’s not exactly right. Your baby teeth are really important while you have them. Not only that, but they are actually pretty helpful to the permanent teeth that are coming next. Also, the tooth fairy has some pretty high expectations for what baby teeth should look like at collection time.
The truth is that you need to take really good care of your baby teeth until they are ready to come out on their own. By brushing twice a day and flossing, you’ll help to keep away the germs that cause cavities. Cavities happen when little germs dig into your teeth and make a hole. They can be painful, and they can make you sick. If you have an accident and lose a tooth before the new tooth is ready to come in, your other teeth can get confused and move around where they shouldn’t. Finally, we’ve heard the tooth fairy always gives the best rewards for sparkling clean teeth.
Why Do I Need to Go to the Dentist?
Going to the dentist is just as important as keeping your baby teeth healthy and clean. Dentists are doctors who went to a special school to learn all about teeth and oral – that means mouth – health. Dentists have special tools to help them check for cavities, and they take really cool X-rays that let them see your teeth through your cheeks and even inside your gums!
We know it’s not the most fun to keep your mouth open while someone touches your teeth, but dentists have a really important job to do. Your dentist will talk to you and your parents about your teeth and keep an eye on how your permanent teeth are growing in. We happen to have it on special authority that dentists are also known to send reports to the tooth fairy! This helps the tooth fairy keep track of teeth that are loose so she can be ready to visit.
Out With the Old, In With the New…Teeth!
When your baby teeth start wiggling around, that’s how you’ll know they are getting ready to come out. Don’t pull too hard on them if they aren’t very loose yet, or you might hurt yourself. Just keep wiggling it, and pretty soon, it will be ready to fall all the way out. If you taste a little bit of blood, that’s okay. Just press gently on your open space with a wet washcloth and swish some warm salt water that day.
Make sure to tell your mom and dad when you lose a tooth! They’ll help you get it ready for the tooth fairy. Hopefully, you’ve been taking great care of your teeth, and the tooth fairy can give you one of the best rewards for a clean and shiny tooth. We have some ideas (link to blog on what does TF do with all those teeth) about why the tooth fairy might need such clean teeth; what are your ideas?
Your permanent tooth should start poking through your gums soon after you lose the baby tooth. If it hurts, be sure to tell your parents, in case they need to give you medicine or take you to the dentist. Make sure to take great care of that new tooth, since it’s the one you’ll have forever!
If you want to keep learning about all the Tooth Fairy news we have, ask your parents to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!