The loss of a tooth can come with a host of emotions. You may feel as though your little ones are growing up. They may be a little bit scared because of some pain associated with losing the tooth, or they might want to know what is going to come next. Instead of letting emotions take over the situation, use the experience to let your kids learn.
Dental Care
With the exit of your children’s first tooth, you have an important opportunity to teach them about the necessity of dental care. For example, they may think that they do not have to care for their dental hygiene anymore. Young children can often have misconceptions about dental procedures due to television shows and their friends. Instead, you can get them excited about dental care by showing that this step is the first one in a lifelong dedication to health.
Money
If you’ve told your children about the Tooth Fairy, then they are likely expecting a prize to appear under their pillows. Some parents give prodigious amounts of money for the first tooth, but you might want to think about tailoring that sum a bit. Instead of suggesting to your children that they will always get huge rewards, give them a little bit and show them how to save it. You may want to suggest that they save half and spend half on something they have wanted for a while.
Reading
In addition to leaving a small prize, the Tooth Fairy might also leave a letter, such as the ones offered by Pedodontic Associates Inc., for your children. When kids lose their first teeth, they are sometimes in the earliest stages of reading. A letter from the Tooth Fairy can provide them with the opportunity to use the skills that they have been practicing at school and at home.
Eliminating Fear
When you first told your kids that they were going to lose a tooth, they might have expressed fear. In fact, this fear may have stayed with them right up until when the tooth came out. You can use this experience as an important lesson about being brave. Stress to them that sometimes, situations are not as scary as we think. You can also praise them for being brave. This conversation now can help to reduce or eliminate similar fears in the future.
When your kids lose their teeth, you have an opportunity to do more than just introduce the Tooth Fair. You can use the experience to help them grow in multiple ways.
