The Floss Trick aka How to Get Your Child’s Loose Tooth to Fall Out

This is the happy smile of a six year old girl who just lost her first tooth. And this is the relieved blog post of a mom who is happy to have another milestone successfully under her belt.

The day of Emma’s sixth birthday party she announced to the family that she had a loose tooth. Knowing that one of her “preemie” things was delayed eruption of teeth – didn’t get her first tooth until 15 months! – we all just sort of nodded and winked at each other. But then we saw her tooth move. It didn’t just squirm. It wiggled.

Being new to this tooth fairy gig, I was under the mistaken assumption that a child found a loose tooth, a child wiggled a loose tooth, and a week or two later said child lost a loose tooth. I had no idea that this process goes on for months and actually involves child sticking her fingers in her mouth during dinner, child approaching at inopportune times with drops of blood dramatically on a white tissue, and child entering this blogger’s bedroom late at night to ask when the wiggly, squirmy tooth is going to finally fall out.

Last week we discovered that the new replacement tooth had appeared behind the obstinate baby tooth and was trying desperately to find some space. The level of urgency this gave the matter – in Emma’s opinion – was just too much for me to handle. I needed a way out. That tooth needed a way out.

Thank God for my saving grace, my neighbor friend Laura, conveyor of The Floss Trick!

The Floss Trick: Should your child have a very loose baby tooth hanging on by a thread, be it a dead but stubborn root, a tiny millimeter of skin, or sheer nasty will, you’ve got to try this. Simply take a length of floss, loop it behind the loose tooth so that the floss also lies on either side of the tooth then….quickly and firmly criss-cross the two ends of floss across the front-bottom of the loose tooth. Whatever has been keeping that tooth from allowing peaceful sleep in your home will be cut and the tooth will – careful now! – fly out of your child’s mouth.

We found Emma’s under the sun room chair.

Tonight the Tooth Fairy will visit our daughter for this first time and bring her two shiny gold Sacajawea dollar coins in a little gossamer bag. Emma will get to keep the tooth because after all, even the Tooth Fairy agrees she deserves a souvenir of her first lost tooth.

And this mommy deserves a memento from those fifteen long months of waiting for that tooth to arrive….plus those six weeks of waiting for it to depart.

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17 Comments

  • lisa

    WORKED WONDERS!! My daughters tooth was extremely stubborn and wouldn’t come out, i searched google and came upon this suggestion… tried it right away and POP out came the tooth. THANKS

    • That’s awesome! Thanks for reading and thanks for the comment.

  • jess

    We ended up trying it tonight. It popped right out! Great tip!!

  • Adme

    I liked the floss idea. Will try it tonight to my daughter. Pray for me.

  • Stacey

    Im a bit confused about how you wrapped the floss help!

    • When you cross the two lines of floss, it cuts the remaining roots of the tooth!

  • Lavanay

    It worked wonders on my daughters teeth with no pain at all.
    Thanks again for great tip.

  • Deb

    Worked like a charm! We fought with the tooth for hours, twisting, pulling – you name it – we tried it. Used the floss trick and it came right out in less than 5 seconds. No pain! Thank you!!!

  • Gabriella

    THANK YOU !!!!
    I am eleven and reasescrhing crazyly to see some home remedies and it actually worked with no pain !!!!!!

  • Leah

    Worked like a charm! I was more nervous than my 6 year son, but we counted to 3 and out came the tooth. Completely painless!!! My son thanked me 5 times, he was so happy.

  • Mom of a 6 yr old

    My son’s tooth is super wiggly but won’t come out. I’m hesitant to finish the job so I give him a dental floss stick each night after brushing. He can finagle it under the tooth to the root. If he gets it out then fine but he usually gets to a point of it hurting so we stop. Still too soon!

  • Mom of a 7 year old girl

    Do not use it for your tooth. It does not work. I tried it and it did not work.

  • Nicki

    This worked instantly!!! The front tooth was hanging by the corner and I used this trick and it pooped right out!

    • Amy Lupold Bair

      I’m so glad! I don’t miss the days of scraggly loose teeth and squeamish kiddos 🙂

  • This Is A Fake Name But A Real Comment

    This is freaking genius. Worked great for us with a tooth that we just couldn’t get rid of. Thank you!

  • Rachael

    This worked perfect for my 6 year old’s front tooth that was hanging on by a thread. I think the key is that the tooth has to be really ready and you have to be very quick when you cross the floss strings. Thanks for this tip!!! Very helpful 🙂

  • Kermy

    This worked wonderfully. Poor little girl was crying all day because the bloody tooth was hanging on stubbornly and she couldn’t eat it was so uncomfortable. Her JOY (and ours…) was intense when the tooth POPPED out so easily!!!