Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to think losing teeth at 4 isn't exactly cause for celebration?!

106 replies

WobbleYourHead · 16/05/2016 09:42

DD is in reception class and over the past couple of weeks there's been a few fb posts about how "exciting" and "wonderful" it is that DCs have lost their first tooth.

Am I just being miserable in thinking that this isn't particularly a cause for celebration --especially at 4 years of age

OP posts:
Donatellalymanmoss · 16/05/2016 10:32

shilke my mum still has all of my brothers teeth, I find it a bit grim, although I'm a hoarder so can totally imagine I'll end up keeping my children's.

Donatellalymanmoss · 16/05/2016 10:34

I was joking.

I only care because children talk to each other about these things and I'm bored by the thought of having to think up a reason a five year old will buy about why the tooth fairy that visits our house is a bit on the stingy side 😏

Original poster
WobbleYourHead · 16/05/2016 10:35

I can imagine that being quite awkward hama how dare his little sister get in there first?! Shock Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
WobbleYourHead · 16/05/2016 10:39

If you think of any good reasons for the stingy tooth fairy let me know Donatella

If we didn't judge there wouldn't be any point in "aibu" that's what it's all about!!

OP posts:
Enb76 · 16/05/2016 10:39

This is why people keep the teeth!!

Aibu to think losing teeth at 4 isn't exactly cause for celebration?!
Schwabischeweihnachtskanne · 16/05/2016 10:40

The tooth fairy leaves a shiny coin - any amount that has to be left as a note or multiple coins isn't really in the spirit of the tradition IMO.

My kids were excited about finally losing their first baby tooth because both dc1 and 2 were the last to lose a tooth in their respective school classes (despite DC2 being 4th oldest in his class) - poor kids had been feeling left behind for years, tooth wise (they both lost their first tooth around their 7th birthdays). Dc3 is 5 and has been prepared for the fact it probably won't happen for a long while yet...

I've told them that the later you get your adult teeth the stronger they are, partly to compensate for having to wait so long... but also because it has held true for me (no fillings in my 40s, lost baby teeth late).

Schwabischeweihnachtskanne · 16/05/2016 10:42

Enb that is properly terrifying! Shock

pigsinmud · 16/05/2016 10:43

Enb76 That has given me goosepimples!

ReallyTired · 16/05/2016 10:45

Dd and ds both lost a tooth on new year's eve. Unfortunately the tooth fairy got far too drunk and forgot. Ds told dd that the tooth fairy had been done for flying while drunk and a different fairy would collect the teeth on 1st January.

Original poster
WobbleYourHead · 16/05/2016 10:45

Whyyyyyyyyyy?????? Shock Confused

OP posts:
BarbarianMum · 16/05/2016 11:08

£1 a tooth here. And only if in good condition - filled teeth are worth nothing.

sleeponeday · 16/05/2016 11:22

Mine started losing at that age and I was gutted tbh. I had fillings before my adult teeth arrived and I would have preferred my kids to lose as late as possible.

I do think parents think of it as a rite of passage - plus the tooth fairy is a lot of fun. And DS had worked out Santa etc was bollocks by 6, so from that point of view I'm glad he had a couple of losses when he was able to believe in it all.

rollonthesummer · 16/05/2016 11:27

4 is not super early to be losing teeth!?

What an odd thing to think. Do you think that because they're losing teeth at 4, it's because the parents haven't been looking after them or something?!

Mrsmorton · 16/05/2016 11:31

Just based on my knowledge and experience as a dentist. Feel free to think it's an odd thing to think. I don't think it, I know it.

Natsku · 16/05/2016 11:40

A fiver for a tooth though?! I only got 10p per tooth, I'm sure all my friends got more though and my parents were just stingy. I reckon I'll give a euro per tooth, that's fair enough. Don't think we'll be doing the tooth fairy though as DD is going through a phase of needing to be reassured that all imaginary creatures are, indeed, imaginary (too many nightmares about ghosts and zombies) and the tooth fairy came up so had to be honest or the nightmares would start all over again.

sleeponeday · 16/05/2016 11:53

MrsMorton do teeth start falling out because they've been neglected, or is it genetic?

DS's teeth are supposedly in great nick, though he's still very small - almost 8 - so you'd expect that - but the first milk teeth were lost when he started primary, so just before he turned 5.

Nannawifeofbaldr · 16/05/2016 11:56

I had all my adult teeth by age 8, before my sibling two years older.

I'm in my forties and I have one filling.

My older sibling has 5 fillings.

Early teeth loss does not always correlate to problems later in life.

kelda · 16/05/2016 11:57

In my children's case, it's genetic. I also lost my first baby teeth age 4/5, despite never needing a filling until 20 years later.

Mrsmorton · 16/05/2016 11:58

The baby teeth begin to wobble when the permanent tooth is resorbing the root. That's genetically determined.

coffeeisnectar · 16/05/2016 12:00

Is it odd that I now can't remember when my DD's first teeth fell out? DD1 is 17 and DD2 is 10. I think the things that are important at the time, really aren't that important in the great scheme of things.

I can remember when they both got their first teeth and remember when they both started walking ..... and I remember the three years of traipsing back and forth to the orthodontist with DD1 (who had to have four teeth removed due to over crowding and then braces) and the three years I now face with DD2.

It's quite amusing really. I remember fretting over so many tiny things when they were little but now I can't even remember half the details of things like this.

DD2 has a very wobbly tooth at the moment. She keeps showing me it. 'Look mum! it can move side to side at least a cm!' - It makes me feel faint.

lottieandmia2 · 16/05/2016 13:12

Losing teeth at 4? I have a 7 year old who has only lost three so far.

rollonthesummer · 16/05/2016 13:30

Losing teeth at 4?

And all of my children had lost their bottom front two tooth in reception-not unusua!

I've taught reception and year one for many eyes and have always sent home little lost teeth in envelopes to parents-it's completely normal at that age!

Toddzoid · 16/05/2016 13:33

I gave £5 for the first tooth then £1 from there on out. No way could I afford a fiver each time, especially not when there's three of them!

Anyway 4 is a perfectly average age, usually it's 5-6 but 4 is normal too. I don't see your issue at all.

sleeponeday · 16/05/2016 13:54

The baby teeth begin to wobble when the permanent tooth is resorbing the root. That's genetically determined.

Thank you - that's a relief, because DS has lost about 8 now I think, and we're fairly careful over the children's teeth as my own are riddled with fillings.

bigTillyMint · 16/05/2016 13:59

DS started losing his teeth at 4, but I didn't think it was particularly wonderful - just a bit earlier than usual. It was £1 in my DC's day and no fillings so far.

But he also started puberty pretty early, and I wondered if the losing the teeth a bit early was an indicator?