Have you ever felt one of your teeth start to wiggle just a little bit?
When you were a very small baby, you didn't have any teeth at all. Then, as you started to grow, a set of small teeth grew in. These are often called baby teeth. They were the perfect size for your small mouth.
But as you get bigger, your jaw—the bone that holds your teeth—grows bigger, too. Your small baby teeth are not big enough or strong enough for your growing body. You need a new set of teeth that will fit your bigger mouth and last for a very long time.
Underneath your gums, a new team of teeth has been waiting quietly. These are your adult teeth, also called permanent teeth. Permanent means they are meant to stay with you for the rest of your life.
When the time is right, a new adult tooth starts to grow up toward the spot where a baby tooth is. It gently pushes on the bottom of the baby tooth. This pushing tells the roots of the baby tooth that it’s time to let go.
The roots are like tiny anchors that hold the tooth in your gums. As the new tooth pushes up, those little roots slowly dissolve and get smaller, until there is almost nothing left holding the baby tooth in place.
That’s when the baby tooth starts to feel loose and wobbly. Soon, it will fall out on its own, making a perfect space for the new, bigger adult tooth to come in.
Losing a baby tooth is just a quiet, clever way your body makes room for the strong teeth you will need as you grow up.