Did you even know that children could lose teeth at age 4? I thought I’d have until at least 6 until my 4-year-old (OK, almost 5) came running to me, tooth in hand, but apparently not.
I learned this while running errands with the kids. Kaitlyn was in the seat of the cart and Hailey was sitting in the large part of the cart. The lady at the counter had just handed us our sandwich when I looked over to see Hailey holding her mouth, eyes wide, and blood dripping down her hand. WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!
As soon as I looked at her, she started crying. Hailey was so freaked out that I had to pull out my fake “mom-is-totally-chill-this is no-big-deal” facade. Through heaves and tears she told me she bumped her mouth on the cart and the tooth had come out in her hand. She was so surprised and confused that she threw it on the floor. Thus began the great tooth search. The ladies behind the counter came out, congratulating Hailey, telling her how exciting this was, and gently sweeping the floor looking for the tooth. 10 minutes later, which felt like an eternity, I saw it, laying on the tile, the tiniest tooth you ever did see. I scooped it up and showed it to Hailey before apologizing to and profusely thanking the kind ladies that had helped us.
I wrapped the tooth in a napkin and pushed the cart toward the checkout while still holding my four year old. Once I had seen that the entire tooth had come out and the one next to it was slightly wiggly, I was no longer super concerned about damage, but the floodgates opened on my emotions. Here I was, holding my sweet firstborn, 2 months shy of being 5 years old. She was wrapped around me and I still felt like she was my baby. Yet, she now had a gap in her smile, a telltale sign of time passing and her growing up. Though I held it together, even smiling and celebrating as I read her the tooth fairy book before her rest time, as soon as I closed the door, my tears came.
[Tweet “My four year old lost a tooth… and here is how I reacted via @ahealthyslice. #preschooler #toothfairy #momlife”]
When did my baby get so big? They aren’t supposed to loose teeth at 4. She’s only FOUR.
Wanting to make sure her teeth weren’t falling out from decay or damage, I called my dentist for an emergency afternoon appointment.
Hailey was excited to sit in the big chair and she was so proud because everyone at the office told her what a good job she was doing. The dentist took a quick x-ray of her front teeth and sure enough, her two bottom adult teeth are starting to emerge. He warned us that the other bottom tooth would probably come out soon. So yes, all this is normal, despite it feeling too soon for this mama’s heart.
Hailey wanted to write a note to share the story of what happened with the tooth fairy and that night she tucked the note and her tooth into her special pillow.
The pillow has a crocheted tooth fairy on one side and a special pocket for the tooth on the other. I have one just like it from when I was a kid and both pillows were made by one of my Grandma Betty’s dear friends. It is super special!
In the morning she bounded downstairs to tell us that the tooth fairy came! She left a note, answering Hailey’s question about her favorite color (gold), and also left 4 golden coins.
And just like that I marked another “first” down for my firstborn and I recognized the bittersweet, proud ache of watching her grow. It all really does happen so fast.
How old were you when you lost your first tooth?
Do you remember what the tooth fairy brought you?
Marci Gilbert says
I like the part about having to keep your cool when you’re really freaking out. Isn’t that what motherhood is most of the time?! Congrats to her! It would catch me off guard at age 4 too!
Heather says
Oh my goodness! My daughter is 2 months shy of 5 as well and this would really freak me out in the same way!! Way to handle it like a pro though and Hailey looks so excited!! I’m going to be a bit more aware of the possibility of this happening to my family soon!
Jeannie says
What an awesome story she has now regarding her first tooth!
Enjoy your week off! It’s great to take a week off once in a blue. We all deserve it. Enjoy your family!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
I can’t remember how old I was when I lost my first tooth, but congrats to Hailey!!
Lynn Thow says
What a story to tell!! I love the stationary and the pillow. So sweet!
Enjoy your week and don’t blink!!
erin says
As with just about everything kid related, there is such a wide range of normal. It’s crazy. My nephew had lost 4 teeth by the time he turned 5. My son is about to turn 7 and just lost his first tooth, with no sign of another coming out anytime soon.
Great job handling it like a pro. i am surprised you found it. I was shocked at just how small those teeth are!
Christy says
My 4 year old JUST lost one of her front teeth. She had been complaining about a toothache for awhile, and when I took her to the dentist (my dad), the x-ray revealed that the tooth was dead, most likely from a trauma when she was a toddler. Alas, the tooth had to be pulled. She was a pro, but I was a mess! I just kept thinking…I’m not ready for this phase yet, she’s still my baby! Her little gap-toothed smile is adorable, which is good because her grown up teeth are nowhere near ready to come in. Her daddy was at the ready with a silver dollar, and my alpha-female daughter was thrilled to be the FIRST of her friends to loose a tooth. 🙂
Congrats to Hailey, and enjoy your week!
Alyssa @ Renaissancerunnergirl says
Such a sweet little pillow!
To be honest – I was nearly 7 when I lost my first tooth (still 6 until the summer, but May of 1st Grade) and I was the absolute last kid to lose a tooth. Most started to lose them in kindergarten. I was sad because I finally lost a baby tooth the very last week in school, and usually you got to get a sticker on the “tooth chart” and choose a book from the book basket to keep – I got my book (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!) but not a sticker since the chart was already down and packed up. Since I was such a late bloomer I didn’t lose my last tooth until sophomore year of high school! So Hailey is probably right on track with it all.
Kate says
Wow, what a big milestone! I love your description of how you acted all in control.
I don’t remember when I lost my first tooth, but I do remember that I lost one while playing tennis, and I was so bummed because I couldn’t find the tooth.
Have a great weekend and a great stay-cation!
Sandra says
So well written Brittany – you guys are just adorable!
Heather says
Way to handle it like a pro! I tend to slightly panic when mouths are involved and there is blood, which is something I’m trying to reign in so as not to completely freak my kids out. I definitely thought 4 was too young to lose teeth, though! Good to know it could happen much sooner since I have a 4.5 year old! Have a wonderful week off from blogging!
Laura @FitMamaLove says
Oh wow, congrats Hailey! I didn’t know that could happen so early! My 6-year-old still hasn’t lost his first one yet. Enjoy your week off!
Lauren @ Oh Hey! I Like That! says
Awww, congratulations Hailey! I can’t remember losing my first tooth, BUT I once lost a tooth at a sleepover with a friend and was TERRIFIED that the tooth fairy wouldn’t be able to find me at a friend’s house. Luckily, she still managed to find me and leave me a note and a gift 😉
Lauren Brennan says
This made me teary-eyed! Such sweet sentiments about a special milestone! Congrats to Hailey!
Kate @ Mom's Radius says
So fun! I lost my first tooth at 6 I think, and I got a quarter I think – maybe a dollar. I’m not sure. My son lost his first tooth at 5 1/2, and we gave him a dollar bill in a tooth fairy pillow I made (to match the one I had when I was young). In the last 9 months, he’s lost 3 more teeth. He’s so excited every time! 🙂
Susan says
It was a really,really, really long time ago when I lost my first tooth. I was 4 or 5 in kindergarten (I started early.) The tooth fairy left me a quarter! So happy for Hailey, she looks very proud!
Amy says
So glad everything is normal. Now you need a tooth charm for the summer necklace. Love those gapped smiles.
Brittany Dixon says
We plan on going to look for a tooth charm this week- ha! Great minds 🙂
John J. says
A “breakthrough” moment in the life of Mother and Child! Seems like Hailey handled it better than Mom! Tough watching your kids grow older.
Lauren says
Awww! Kids growing up is so bittersweet. My little guy is 3 and very independent. It’s hard sometimes, but fun to watch nonetheless.
I was 4.5 or so when I lost my first tooth. I know I was in preschool, so it was a big deal. I was out with my aunt and bit into a pretzel and saw blood. We accidentally threw it out too, which added to the drama 😉
Elisa says
My baby didn’t even *have* a tooth yet before he lost his first one! One of the top front teeth slipped out the day after he fell forward and bonked his mouth while standing at the open dryer door. 8 months old? Now he’s almost 2 and has the cutest smile with nearly all his baby teeth except that front one– plus we’re waiting on all the canines to fully appear. I was shocked he could lose a tooth like that but his dentist said it does happen!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh wow, that is crazy! I bet he has the cutest little grin ever. 🙂
Chantal says
Oh no! My daughter turns 5 in December! Say it isn’t so.
Cornelle says
What a beautiful post :-). I have been reading your blog since you were pregnant with Hailey, so I almost shed a tear as well. Also I have a three-year old – it is sometimes hard to see them grow so quickly and at the same time being thankful that they are developing so beautifully. Talk about mixed feelings!! One of the joys of motherhood I guess…. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Oh wow, thank you for being such a longtime reader! I think you put the sentiment of mixed feelings so beautifully- something only another mom can understand <3
Molly says
What a great story! My oldest is right around the same age and I know we would all be shocked if she lost a tooth right now!
On a side note (maybe I missed this on your blog)… Are you sending Hailey to Kindergarten this year (as the youngest in her class) or will you wait and have her start Kindergarten next year? Just curious because we are having a difficult time deciding whether or not to send our daughter or hold her. Our “problem” is that she’s ready but I’m not sure I want her to be *the youngest* in her class!
Brittany Dixon says
Hailey misses the cut of (sept 1 here) by 2 weeks so doesn’t have an option to go to kindergarten this year. She is scheduled to start next fall (2017), but we are testing the waters of homeschooling this year and might go that direction. We will see how it goes though!
I am a September birthday and was always the oldest in my class and think it served me really well, for whatever that’s worth 🙂 Good luck in your decision. I’m sure whichever way you go, she’ll be great with such an involved mom and dad!
Mila says
Hi. Congrats on loosing your first tooth Hailey. I’m a mommy and I have a 4 1/2 year old little girl we call Mackie. Mackie lost her first tooth Saturday night. It was wiggly and bloody. I freaked out. I thought no way, that’s too early. She was eating dominoes pizza with her baby cousins when it happens. I called her dentist immediately. We have an appointment in two days. Can’t wait to hear what dentist has to say. My opinion the tooth came out super early. Great story!
Emily J says
Have a great week off!!! Be sure to save those teeth! Both my sisters were married this spring (Within a MONTH of eachother). For each as a wedding present, my dad gave them a memory box filled with their teeth, the stories he wrote about how they were lost, and our letters back to the tooth fairy. Shame I’ll be in school FOREVER and will never get to see my baby teeth 🙂 🙂 You guys are adorable!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh what a crazy busy spring it must have been for your family!! How fun! I have a box of my teeth too and David thinks it is so creepy haha 🙂 I LOVE what your dad did though with keeping the stories and letters- that is so incredibly thoughtful!
Morgan says
Aw, she is too cute! I’m sure she was excited for this milestone! Congratulations to your little one!
Monica says
Two things – first, did your dentist mention any possibility of a third set of teeth? My college boyfriend’s baby teeth fell out super early, and he got in another set, then much to his mother’s horror, THOSE teeth fell out, and he got his final (very nice and healthy!) adult teeth!
Second… Am I the only person who kept her puppy’s baby teeth? She’s six now, and I still have them in a little tiny box. Super weird? Yeah, totally…
Alli says
My 4.25 year old just lost one of her top front teeth after 2 bad falls! Reading this made me feel better- I felt the same emotions as you!! The dentist said she is likely to lose the other top tooth soon. I’m getting used to her cute gap smile! I love following your blog from Boston. Happy new year!
Brittany Dixon says
It feels so crazy when they lose their first tooth, right?! H has two wiggly top teeth now so it’s only a matter of time until she has a complete gap! A bittersweet ache for my mom heart but it really is pretty cute. Thanks for reading and commenting- happy new year to you! 🙂
Denise Porter says
Thanks to your blog, I didn’t worry (as much) when my almost four-year-old son lost his first tooth. A month before his birthday his 2 lower central incisors pushed forward and became shaky. Shortly after, one of them fell out. We took him to the dentist and he said that kids lose their teeth at 5/6. So some kind of “trauma or injury is the only way a 3-yr-old could lose his teeth”. The dentist was no help at all.
I searched the internet and came across this post. After reading, I was finally able to sleep at night lol.
By the time his birthday came, my four-year-old had two permanent teeth!! 🦷 🦷 😬🥰😢
Aleisha Miller says
My four year old just told me yesterday her tooth is loose. She just turned 4, so I was concerned and found this. Thanks for being so calm and freaking out at the same time. 🤣😂 Cause I was kinda doing the same when she told me that. I was like did you hit your mouth? Did something happen? No and no. And then she ask me why it’s loose, so I tell her cause she is a big girl and her big girl teeth are coming in so her baby teeth have to fall out . She starts to cry and tell me I don’t want them to fall out. So j tell her it’s ok. And my 7 year old tells her the tooth fairy will bring you money, you like money don’t you, and all of a sudden she is all smiles again. Who knew a 7 year old had the answer lol who don’t like money though. Lol 🤣
Elizabeth Morrill says
I stumbled across this blog post as I madly googled “can four-year-olds even lose their teeth?!” and I was so glad to see such a calm and measured response in your article! It helped me keep my cool as I was freaking out! My daughter is four years and five months old, and I’m just a puddle over here — it’s too soon! Thanks to your description, I thought to call the dentist to have an x-ray taken, and sure enough, there were her permanent teeth popping up. I only wish I had some magical tooth fairy supplies on hand! I am totally unprepared!
Jesse Schlaud says
My oldest is 2 month shy of her 5th birthday. When I picked her up from daycare today she greeted me with a big gap-toothed smile and a plastic baggy containing one tiny tooth. I was a little freaked out, as it just seemed way too early.
We’ll be taking her to the dentist on Monday to make sure everything is OK but I want to thank you for writing this post, it helped to ease my mind!
Brittany Dixon says
It seems so early doesn’t it?! Excited for her though; such a fun milestone 🙂
Tracie says
THANK YOU for sharing this story. My daughter who is 2mos shy of 5yo just lost her first tooth last night and I have been freaking out!!! Googling everything in hopes that nothing serious is wrong…this just seems too early! :/ We can’t get in to see her dentist for a few days so my anxiety has not stopped yet but reading and relating to your story has really helped. Kids grow at their own pace…….and we as Mama’s just need to keep our cool and keep up!!! 😉
Brittany Dixon says
I’m so glad it was helpful!! She’s 11 now and all her teeth and perfectly normal and fine, so rest easy mama 🙂
Jen says
Thank you for this! My four year old (almost 5) came running in this morning with a very wiggly tooth; the same exact one. I was panicked! He needs to stop growing up RIGHT NOW!
Rebecca says
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, My four year old, soon to be five in two months lost his first tooth and I have been so worried because I thought it was too early for that. knowing that I am not the first to have this experience has really helped calm me down. thank you once more!
Alicia Hursley says
My 4-year-old lost his tooth too, but his was because his father accidentally hit him with a football while playing catch haha Definitely earlier than I thought and I was freaking out trying to come up with a toothfairy plan. Between that and freaking out about the blood stains on my carpet, I was a wreck. Your story helped me out a lot thought and I can’t thank you, and the carpet cleaner who came to my rescue enough!