We are in the fight of a lifetime. I say fight of a lifetime, because it is us against the wiggly tooth drama. It happens overnight. The first tooth was pretty exciting. “Oh Wow,” we’d say, “You are growing up so fast. I can’t believe you are going to lose a tooth.” And then it just hangs on for dear life so you talk about it for a long time. Then the second tooth wiggles and the third and suddenly you find yourself wondering if something is wrong with your child because if he keeps losing teeth at this rate he isn’t going to have any left.
The top two teeth have been the most dramatic in our house. The longest lasting. If you are squeamish about teeth, stop reading now. Move on to something else. For those, who can continue, here is the scene:
The tooth has been wiggly at least a week. Each day getting more and more wiggly. The gums are red and sore. The tooth is hanging at an angle. The drama, carrying on, etc…has increased with each day. Finally, the tooth was literally just hanging there. I could not talk to my son without watching it move. Guys. It’s like it had a life of its own. Just hanging there.
Here is how we dealt with the wiggly tooth drama. I’m not going to say it’s parenting advice to live by, but it is real life.
Tactic #1: Fear
Me: It will get infected. We need it out. I don’t want to bring you to the emergency room. (For the record, his gums were red and I had just read a post by a friend on FB how they were in the ER for an infected molar so timing, you know.)
N: No.
Tactic #2: A Choice – either us or you, but that thing is coming out.
Me: You can choose for us to help you pull it out or you can do it. What is your choice?
N: I will do it.
Tactic #3: Bribery
Me: We will buy you a video game. Whatever you want. Just pull out the tooth.
N: Really?
Me: Yes. Just get the tooth out. I can’t handle it.
N: Okay.
Tactic #4: Deception
Me: I have an idea. Let’s use my CankerSore medicine to numb it with this little brush it has and then it won’t hurt when we pull it out! It will be great.
N: YES!!
Actually this device is pretty great because it has a little soft brush tip. I’m pretty sure I bought it at Bartells. I used it to push the tooth out, while he thought I was simply numbing it, which it did help with the pain I’m sure, but it also helped me get him to open his mouth. (He would not open his mouth the entire time. He would just clamp his mouth closed and run the other way. What did he think we were going to do!!) I’ll let you decide if this was true deception or just really smart. I’m going with really smart.
Solid parenting I’d say. If you have found a way around such parenting techniques in the fight of the teeth, do tell! Bonus Tip: If you aren’t organized enough and forget to ever do the tooth fairy thing, you won’t have to! In this case we did use some gift cards to purchase the promised video game.
It was quite the night in our house. I am happy the tooth is out and we can once again resume our regular lives. Who knew teeth could be so much fun?
Related:
Caring For Your Young Child’s Teeth
A Comprehensive Guide to Your Options When Your Child Loses a Tooth
