Baby Teeth
By The Schoolmarm • Dec 3rd, 2008 • Category: health
I remember all too well losing my teeth when I was about seven years old. It was hard for me to understand why they were falling out. I was told they were my baby teeth. ”But I’m not a baby!” I insisted. I was assured that new teeth would soon fill the gaps in my toothless smile, and of course they did.
Do you have someone in your family going through such a transition? Then let me recommend a couple of books to you that I wish someone had read to me when I was a kid.
- The first one is Scholastic Reader, (Level 1, Hello Reader) titled My Tooth is About to Fall Out by Grace Maccarone and Betsy Lewin. The kids will identify with the characters and will enjoy the bright, colorful artwork. It is written using simple words and short sentences, just right for the newest readers.
- The second is a (Rookie Read-About Science) book titled A Look at Teeth by Alan Fowler. This is more educational and should answer many questions for you and your child. It discusses baby teeth and permanent teeth, the importance and uses of teeth and how they are used by different kinds of animals.
Even though children look cute with those toothless smiles, it can be an embarrassing, confusing time for them if they don’t understand, so be sensitive to their feelings.
Why not share pictures of other family members when they were losing their teeth? It might help your children to realize that it is a normal thing that we all go through. Hey, even our co-founder Lisa Love survived the trauma, as you can see in her sweet smile at six years of age.
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Great picture of my sister. Wondering if she had one for me as well. I know my mom had a picture of me with a prom date but don’t want to post that one.
Hi Lisa,
I didn’t think of a child losing teeth as being traumatic to them. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Maureen
Hi Maureen,
Thanks for the comment. You know…I think it can go both ways. Some kids are excited when their teeth fall out, especially if they know the tooth fairy will leave them a little something under their pillow. However, as The Schoolmarm stated, some children do become embarrassed. So it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
That is a good point, Lisa. If parents allow the tooth fairy to help ease the pain, I think it can turn a negative into a positive. I was remembering my own embarrassment, but then the tooth fairy did not visit us too often. We had too many teeth falling out with six kids!