photo by  RobynJ93

GoddessMichelle can't believe her 5-year-old daughter's tooth fell out. Just like that, she bit into an apple and...bye-bye tooth. Her worry is that baby teeth are supposed to fall out at 6, aren't they? Good thing for other moms who openly share their stories.

On the thread, other mommys tell GoddessMichelle to relax, plenty kids lose their teeth at only 5. I'd like to chime in that my 4 1/2 year old lost all four of his bottom front teeth in a matter of two months. I was panicked too, took him to the dentist and of course, everything was okey-dokey.

The thing is, when comparing your child's physical development to the "typical age" for something--it's important to remember that those are usually averages and each child really develops differently. First teeth are supposed to come in at about 6 months, for example, but my boy's came in at 3 months! Go figure. Don't believe me about varying ages? Here's a Parents.com article about baby teeth that says they can fall out as early as 4 or as late as 8. The crucial thing with baby teeth, however, is their maintenance (brush, brush, floss!). Even though they will all fall out eventually, some of them hang around until late puberty--and tooth decay in a child's mouth is torture for everyone. How old was your child when he lost his first tooth?