I don’t remember too much about losing my baby teeth. It seems to me they just fell out painlessly whenever my body decided it was time. My daughters, on the other hand, weren’t always so lucky. Sometimes I had to help twist or pull the loose teeth. Sometimes removing them hurt a little bit. In the case of my daughter Julia, her last baby tooth was so impacted it had to be surgically removed by the dentist! Lessening the memory of the sting each time were the gifts the tooth fairy left under my girls’ pillows. But what if your family doesn’t subscribe to the tooth fairy? What natural and readily available options do you have for helping to mitigate the pain of a loose baby tooth?
Here are ten ways to make losing a tooth less painful.
1. Wiggle the loose tooth every day.
The more you move a loose baby tooth around, the faster the root (the fleshy part with all the nerves and blood vessels) dissolves. Once the root dissolves fully, the tooth should fall out on its own and your child shouldn’t feel a thing—except for the sudden gap where a tooth used to be!
2. Use an oral analgesic.
There are lots of affordable over-the-counter ointments, gels, or tinctures for alleviating tooth or gum pain in your local pharmacy. Look for one with benzocaine, a topical anesthetic, or for an all-natural alternative, try clove oil.
3. Bite into something crunchy.
Apples, carrots, and celeries are all great foods for your child to eat when they have a loose tooth. Higher in fiber than they are in sugar, these foods can “grab onto” a loose tooth and possibly pull it right out. Just make sure your child doesn’t swallow the tooth! (Though if they do, it’s probably okay.)
4. Don’t stop brushing.
The act of brushing their teeth, which your child should be doing every day, twice a day anyway, can put just enough pressure on a loose tooth to free it painlessly. For fun, try mixing up your child’s toothpaste flavors!
5. Floss between the loose tooth and the gum line.
Similar to brushing, flossing can make losing a baby tooth less painful. Especially if the roots are almost dissolved, a well-placed floss can sever the last link holding the tooth stubbornly in place.
My daughter shows off the cute gaps in her smile.
6. Grab the loose tooth with a damp wash cloth.
This is something I did for my girls on occasion when they didn’t feel brave enough to do it themselves. Wet a washcloth, wring out the excess, and gently grab the loose tooth with it. The extra friction the cloth provides will give you a better grip and make pulling easier.
Just remember: Pulling a tooth out prematurely can cause pain and bleeding, so make sure the tooth is ready before you try this method!
7. Apply ice or a cold compress.
You can hold an ice cube on the gum line of the affected tooth, or try applying a cold compress to the exterior jawline. Cold has a numbing effect, which can make removing a loose baby tooth more pleasant.
8. Swish with saltwater.
To eight ounces of warm water, add one teaspoon of salt and stir. Direct your child to swish the saltwater around in their mouth two to three times a day. Because salt is an antiseptic, it will kill any bad bacteria that could be contributing to loose tooth pain—same as gargling with saltwater kills bad throat bacteria!
9. Visit a dentist.
If all else fails and you have serious concerns about your child’s baby teeth, schedule a visit with your dentist. When our dentist pulled Julia’s impacted baby tooth, it came out in fragments that she didn’t get to keep. The tooth fairy still paid her a visit anyway!
10. Be patient.
In general, baby teeth tend to loosen in the same order they came in—meaning the bottom front teeth often loosen and fall out first, followed by the upper front teeth. Bodies are smart and usually know how to take care of themselves. Be patient and don’t get too carried away with the old “tie a string around the tooth and slam the door” method, which can be traumatic!
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Let me know—did any of these techniques work for you? If so and your child recently lost a tooth, consider surprising them with a copy of my tooth-fairy-themed children’s book UNDER MY PILLOW.
