10 Practical Tips for Pulling a Child's Loose Tooth

It sure is a good thing that kids come with multiple sets of teeth, because they sure seem to go through them quickly. If you’ve got a little one with a tooth that’s worked itself loose, you may be thinking of completing the job yourself. For you, we offer this list of 10 practical tips for pulling a child’s loose tooth:

1. Don’t DIY – We thought we should get this one out of the way up front. Some things are best left to the professionals, and proper hygiene is important here, which is something that is more difficult to maintain in the average home environment. But, if you insist, read on …
2. Wash – In the interest of the aforementioned hygiene, wash your hands thoroughly in warm water with a mild soap. That way your hands are germ free as they enter your child’s mouth.
3. Calm the Patient – Keep your child preoccupied by telling a story, providing a video, a game or TV program they can amuse themselves with while positioned for the extraction. Try to get their attention on anything other than the tooth you’re about to rip from their mouth.
4. Gauze – Use a sterile gauze pad rather than your bare fingers for grasping the tooth for removal. Again, the less germs the better!
5. Blood – There’s going to be some, and it may involve the gums. Make sure you’ve got a means for quickly cleaning it up, and that your child is positioned so as not to swallow any accidentally.
6. Pressure – Apply it to the bleeding area until it subsides, using more of that gauze you’ve gotten at the ready. It should stop bleeding fairly quickly. However, if bleeding persists, get medical help.
7. An Apple a Day … – To facilitate removal, try having your child eat an apple first. This could pry the tooth loose by itself, effectively helping you avoid all the drama that comes with yanking out a loose tooth.
8. Work it, Baby – Work the tooth back and forth to loosen it further until you can easily pull it out. In fact, let them work the tooth back and forth… it will give them something to do all day.
9. Ice, Ice, Baby – Ice works wonders in these kinds of situations. An ice cube or pack could help deaden pain during this process if your child protests excessively.
10. Tooth Fairy Time – Have your child place her trophy tooth under her pillow, and patiently wait until morning. You’ve saved enough on a dental visit to make it worth her while, and it will make all the blood and tears worth it when you see her face light up with joy when she discovers the tooth fairy really did come in the middle of the night.

Pulling out your child’s tooth has all the makings to shape up into a horrific experience. But once it’s out they’ll quickly forget the aforementioned pain and be chomping at the bit for nighttime and a chance at meeting the tooth fairy.

Taken From Nanny