National Tooth Fairy Day 2025

Losing baby teeth is an exciting milestone for children and their parents! Most children start losing their front baby teeth around age 6, although it can be up to a year earlier or later. Don’t worry if your child is on the early or late side, it’s all completely normal and has no bearing on their dental health!

Here are a few do’s and don’ts surrounding losing baby teeth:

DO encourage them to wiggle loose teeth! Either their tongue or *clean* fingers work great. While some kids will be excited and wiggle a ton, plenty are hesitant. While almost all baby teeth fall out on their own without much help of fingers, wiggling will help make sure the tooth doesn’t stay too long when it’s loose and uncomfortable.

DON’T use any dramatic techniques to take the tooth at for them! They’re unnecessary and can cause accidents, especially if the tooth isn’t ready. The tooth will come out on its own time. If you’re concerned that a loose tooth isn’t coming out on it’s own, or the adult tooth is lining up poorly, see your dentist for an evaluation.

DO celebrate with them! Your child has likely had friends who’ve lost teeth before them, and they’re excited to be part of the club. Whether you tuck the tooth under your child’s pillow for the tooth fairy to take away in exchange for some cash or a small treat, take photos of their new smile, or celebrate with a special treat or meal, finding ways to make the day special can be a lot of fun! Just remember, most little ones will lose twenty teeth in all from age 6-12, so make sure if you repeat the act, it’s something you can keep up with!

DON’T make your child feel self-conscious about their new transitioning smile. It may take months for an adult tooth to come in, the adult tooth may be less straight than the baby tooth, and the adult tooth will be less bright white compared to the baby teeth. This is all very normal, and every child goes through this transition. Having the support of their friends and family will mean your child will probably not be bothered by these changes in their appearance.

DO make sure your child is scheduled for their next cleaning and dental exam! Age 6 is an important developmental age for teeth. Not only is your child starting to lose their front teeth, but their 6 year molars are starting to erupt behind the baby molars! Once those molars are in the mouth, your dentist will take a special x-ray, called a pano, that looks at your child’s entire mouth at once! We can start to see how their bite is forming, we can ensure all their adult teeth are growing and in the right place, as well as check to make sure their jaw bones are healthy! This can also help us anticipate if your child is likely to need braces or not.