Losing baby teeth can be an exciting milestone for children, but it may also be somewhat scary! Kids may not know what to expect when their baby teeth fall out, leading them to feel nervous about it. If you're wondering how to make the experience as positive as possible for your child, keep reading. Here you will learn tips for helping your child cope with the loss of their baby teeth.

Prepare Them

Children differ in how early they lose their first baby tooth. Most will lose their first baby tooth at 5 to 6 years old, but some may lose their first as early as 4 years old. As a rule of thumb, if your child's baby teeth came early, they will be more likely to fall out early. So be sure to have a talk with your child about losing their baby teeth before this happens. Below are some tips for doing so:​ ​

• Be positive: Tell your child that losing their baby teeth is a sign they are becoming a "big kid." It may also be fun for you to read stories about the tooth fairy to your child. You might tell them what kinds of things they could get in exchange for their tooth and ask which they would like best. This may make your child excited to lose their baby teeth.
• Make a dentist visit: A dentist should be able to tell your child what to expect when they lose their baby teeth. Especially if your child is nervous about the experience, your dentist from a site like http://www.nwidentist.com/ should be able to help assuage their worries. They may also be able to help teach your kid how to care for their new adult teeth.
• Advise them: When your child's tooth starts to become loose, allow them to wiggle it if they want to. Do discourage them from yanking it however, as this could lead to an infection in the broken root. You will also want to tell your child that there may be some bleeding when their tooth falls out. Just make sure to reassure them that this is normal and nothing to be worried about.

Make It A Positive Experience

Beyond preparing your child for losing a baby tooth, you will also want to make it a positive experience for them when they do lose it. This will enable your child to realize that losing their baby teeth is nothing to be concerned about. Below are some fun ideas to try:

• Act excited: When your child shows you that they have lost their tooth, make sure to act happy about it, as this will likely be an exciting time for them. If your child complains about bleeding, reassure them that this is normal and consider applying a piece of wet gauze to the area where the tooth was. However, if you suspect your child has lost their tooth prematurely, make sure to take them to a dentist to ensure all is well.
• Reward them: If you choose to tell your child about the tooth fairy, you may want to get creative with what you put under your child's pillow. For example, you may include a fun note along with money in return for their tooth. If your child doesn't care about money, you may give them a small toy instead. Just be sure to take your child's favorite things into account when doing this. Even if you choose not to go the tooth fairy route, you should still try to give them something fun in exchange for their tooth.

Though your child may be nervous about losing their baby teeth, following these tips should help put them at ease. For more advice, consult your family dentist.