What to expect when he loses his teeth?

Shelby - posted on 06/27/2011

My 4 year old son is not DX autistic but has been tested he is sensory integration NOt otherwise specified, Anyway he just also started pulling out his out teeth. I font even know they're loose he just takes them out! And he wants nothing to do with the fairy... We threw the last one away.... I don't know if there is anything I can do.

Miriam - posted on 05/12/2011

I think a lot of kids do. My son pulled out his teeth and I didn't even know they were loose. He feels pain less than other people. My daughter is always excited to tell me, but she always pulls them out herself as well.

Kimberly - posted on 05/12/2011

I'm going through this right now with my 5 yr old son. He doesn't like the "wigglies" so he has pulled his first 2 teeth out himself and lost the teeth. We have tried social stories and he just seems unable to grasp the concept of the tooth fairy and he doesn't join in the celebration of the teeth coming out. Anyone else have kids pulling their own teeth out? Is it common for our kiddos?

Jo - posted on 05/10/2011

We used the book "Junie B., First Grader: Toothless Wonder" to help my daughter out. She's lost two so far and has three lose ones now, every time she loses a tooth we read the book again. She has fallen in love with Junie B. Jones, and we read them all the time. They are a great series of books about many different things from the eyes of the 5/6 yr old little girl.

Miriam - posted on 05/08/2011

I worried about that, too. We had just gotten a dog and he started losing his puppy teeth just at the right time! All those puppy teeth we found around and I showed them to Alex and told him he'd be losing teeth soon, too. Then when he did it was completely laid back. He pulled his tooth out and showed me and it was not a big deal at all. Anyway, I'm not sure how you'd manage to orchestrate something like that. Can you find other kids going through it? I wonder if there are any books about it for kids on the spectrum or even just for kids in general.

Jaenelle - posted on 05/05/2011

My son insisted on going to the dentist for a loose tooth. Often times we parents freak-out more than our adoreable children. Now at 10, he just experienced a rather thorough teeth cleaning - without meds. Be well.

Jessica - posted on 05/05/2011

my daughter also had some teeth come in before she lost any and I didn't even know at first it was so weird!

Sheila - posted on 05/04/2011

Hi Jessica,

Oh, to have this worry! We had the opposite in many ways! My son's baby teeth REFUSED to come out! He developed a second row of teeth...like a little shark! So, they all had to be pulled (5 teeth at one time)...and since he had to be put under, it had to be done in a hospital....so the pediatric dentist who specializes with children on the spectrum gets ONE day a month in the hospital...took four months to get to the hospital once the dentist decided, yep, they're not coming out on their own!

It never comes easy....but, after those teeth were pulled, he finally had one come out on its own and he was fine.

Of course, after he lost his first teeth he worried about the Tooth Fairy breaking into our house....tried to convince him she is a friend of Santa Claus...DIDN'T WORK. He was completedly horrified, grossed out, repulsed by the idea of some little fairy gathering teeth that "might be covered by blood and saliva." Didn't want the money...nothing!

Gotta laugh!!

Sheila

Stacy - posted on 05/04/2011

We just went through this (DS lost his first tooth this past Sunday) and surprisingly - he was perfectly ok with it! And he even willingly gave up the tooth for the tooth fairy...this coming from a kid who hoards EVERYTHING. He was a totally NT boy!

Teresa - we have a tooth pillow that hangs on DS's doorknob. He has his room fortified at night against burglars, monsters, and his curtains (which apparently try to kill him). This way, the Tooth Fairy could do her job without getting harmed. ;)

Teresa - posted on 05/04/2011

I had the same worries from my son - turns out I was worried about the wrong things. he ripped the only-slightly-wriggly tooth out of hhis mouth "because it was bothering me" -- blood everywhere, it was awful. then, then next one was thrown into the garbage "because i don't need it anymore". and the tooth fairy -- he is horrified that someone is coming into his room at night. I think the next tooth fairy will leave him a gift at the breakfast table.

Alicia - posted on 05/04/2011

There is a funny book called "Parts" by Tedd Arnold that talks about the stuff that comes out of your body and a little boy's fears about it -it touches on teeth too.

Noelle - posted on 05/03/2011

my son has aspergers and he was horrified when his first tooth was wiggly. what seemed to really help him was talking about it step by step what happens, how it may feel etc. we talked about how there may be some blood and why and that it was not an injury but a normal occurrance. we even made a call to the dentist who was nice enough to chat with us for a moment to reassure my son that the process was normal. we just kept talking about it when he had questions, we let him know about the tooth fairy but so far he has preferred to keep his teeth("they're MY teeth." he says) in a special tooth necklace. with each tooth that he has lost there is less anxiety and now that he has lost his two front ones he is almost proud of the loss as a sign of growing bigger. best of luck to you and hope it all goes well!

Kerry - posted on 05/03/2011

Hey Jessica, Sheri is right, you really have no need to worry as even autistic children love a visit from the tooth fairy x

Sheri - posted on 05/03/2011

My son and two of his other friends with autism let the first tooth just fall out. They were all excited to receive something from the tooth fairy. Now when teeth get wiggly, he wiggles them till he can rip it out because he wants the tooth fairy to come.