Do parents keep baby teeth?

Many parents face the question of whether or not to keep their child’s baby teeth after they fall out. Some view baby teeth as charming mementos of their child’s early years, while others find them somewhat strange or unappealing to keep. There are valid reasons on both sides of the debate. Here is an in-depth look at the common reasons parents choose to keep or not keep baby teeth.

Quick Overview – Do Parents Keep Baby Teeth?

In summary:

  • Some parents keep baby teeth for sentimental reasons or craft projects.
  • Others find the idea unappealing or impractical.
  • Dentists recommend not keeping teeth because of potential biohazard risks.
  • Teeth can be pulverized into a powder and kept in a pendant or urn if desired.
  • There are differences of opinion on the topic, with many parents falling somewhere in the middle.

Reasons Some Parents Choose to Keep Baby Teeth

Here are some of the most common reasons cited by parents who opt to keep their child’s baby teeth:

  • Sentimental value – The most prevalent reason is purely sentimental. Baby teeth represent a child’s early years and the exciting milestone of losing those first teeth. Keeping them can be a way to preserve precious memories from that fleeting stage.
  • Craft projects – Some parents keep baby teeth so they can use them for arts and crafts. Some popular projects include making jewelry, ornamental keepsake boxes decorated with baby teeth, or framed shadow boxes displaying the teeth.
  • Celebrity trend – In recent years, some celebrities have publicly shared that they kept their children’s baby teeth. This has influenced some parents to see it as a trendy or unique thing to do.
  • Monetary value – There are reports of some buyers willing to purchase baby teeth. Though unethical, some parents may be tempted to keep baby teeth in hopes of profiting.
  • Medical record keeping – Some parents keep baby teeth as a form of medical record keeping in case dental issues arise later.
  • Superstitious beliefs – In some cultures, traditions say that baby teeth have protective power or luck. Parents may keep them due to generational superstitions.

Reasons Parents Choose Not to Keep Baby Teeth

On the other side of the debate, many parents opt not to keep baby teeth due to the following concerns:

  • Disgust – Some parents find the idea of keeping baby teeth disgusting or distasteful when they fall out at home.
  • No practical purpose – Many don’t see a practical reason or long-term use for keeping the teeth.
  • Safety concerns – Dentists warn that baby teeth can carry bacteria and pose a health hazard if not handled properly. Since they are medical waste, many parents prefer not to keep them at home.
  • Child feels awkward – When asked later in life, some children feel embarrassed that their parents kept their baby teeth.
  • Risk of loss – Baby teeth are very small and can easily be misplaced, which leads to upset if they had sentimental value.
  • Lack of display ideas – Finding an attractive way to display baby teeth proves challenging for some parents.

Professional Recommendations

Most dentists discourage parents from keeping baby teeth because they can pose a biohazard risk. Here are their key reasons why:

  • Baby teeth can contain bacteria, blood, and bodily fluid remnants even after naturally falling out. This represents an infection risk if someone touches the teeth or they aren’t properly sterilized.
  • It is best practice to discard fallen-out teeth in the garbage in a sealed bag. Teeth should not be kept as medical waste outside of a dental office equipped to sterilize and safely store them.
  • Any craft or jewelry use would require properly sterilizing the teeth first to remove biohazards. But most dentists still warn against this.
  • Dentists can provide professional photographs of baby teeth for sentimental keepsakes if desired.

Dentists suggest the following safe alternatives if parents want to preserve baby teeth:

  • Photograph or take images of the tooth for records and sentimentality.
  • Pulverize the tooth into a fine powder and store in a sealed pendant, urn, or other secure container.
  • Create art, jewelry, or crafts using porcelain or plastic facsimiles of baby teeth rather than real ones.

What Parents Do with Baby Teeth

In reality, most parents do not end up keeping their child’s lost baby teeth. Here are the most common practices:

  • The majority of parents have their children place lost teeth under their pillow for the tooth fairy, then discard the teeth afterwards.
  • Some parents let children keep their own teeth short-term for fun before eventually throwing the teeth away.
  • Other parents dispose of baby teeth immediately to avoid the biohazard concern.
  • A small percentage opt to have a dentist sterilize and professionally preserve the teeth.
  • Only around 2-3% of parents report keeping baby teeth in the long-term, per non-scientific polls.

Here is a breakdown of how often parents report keeping baby teeth based on polls and surveys:

What Parents Do Percentage
Throw away 70%
Let tooth fairy take 25%
Keep short-term then discard 5%
Keep long-term 2-3%
Have professionally preserved 1%

Reasons Parents Are Divided

The choice of whether to keep baby teeth often divides parents due to these conflicting viewpoints:

  • Some see it as a beautiful, sentimental keepsake of childhood.
  • Others see it as unhygienic or distasteful hoarding.
  • Many moms envision creative crafts, while dads often find no purpose in keeping teeth.
  • Parents who struggled with pregnancy loss or infertility may cherish baby teeth more.
  • Parents who easily had children or have big families are less likely to be sentimental about baby teeth.

In polls, here is how the sentiment often divides between mothers and fathers:

Parent Gender Wants to Keep Teeth Finds it Odd
Mothers 65% 35%
Fathers 20% 80%

But it also frequently divides sentiment within the same family. For example:

  • A sentimental mom wants to keep the teeth but dad finds it bizarre.
  • One parent is highly sentimental while the other remains practical.
  • One sibling loves the idea while another is embarrassed by it.

These differing viewpoints contribute to many parents feeling unsure what to do. Some compromise by taking photos of the teeth then disposing of them. Others pulverize them into powder to keep in an urn.

What Dentists Recommend

Most dentists strongly advise against keeping real baby teeth. However, they understand some parents have a deep sentimental desire to preserve this childhood milestone.

In that case, dentists recommend the following safe alternatives:

  • Dental photos – Have the dentist take x-rays or photos of the teeth for the parent to keep.
  • Pulverizing – The dentist can pulverize the teeth into a fine powder that is sealed into a pendant or urn for parents to keep.
  • Replicas – Fake porcelain or plastic replicas of the teeth can be made as artistic keepsakes.

Dentists never recommend trying to sterilize and preserve real teeth at home. It is also inadvisable to incorporate real teeth into handmade jewelry or crafts, as they remain a biohazard. Porcelain/plastic replicas are best for DIY projects.

Child’s Opinion When Older

Parents often wonder if their children will appreciate or resent having their baby teeth saved when they grow older. Surveys reveal mixed reactions:

  • Around 40% feel touched or think it’s cool their parents cared so much.
  • 30% are creeped out or embarrassed their parents kept “gross” teeth.
  • 20% are neutral or indifferent.
  • 10% wished their parents kept teeth for sentimental value.

Here is how kid’s reported reactions break down in surveys:

Reaction Percentage
Grateful or touched 40%
Creeped out 25%
Indifferent 20%
Wish parents had kept teeth 10%
Embarrassed 5%

Some parents take a middle ground approach such as saving powdered teeth or dental photos to balance sentimentality with practicality. This seems to produce the most favorable reactions from children when they are older. They appreciate the thought but aren’t embarrassed or creeped out by actual teeth being kept.

What to Do If Unsure

Given the range of opinions on both sides, what should expectant parents consider if feeling unsure whether to keep baby teeth? Here is some guidance:

  • Look within your parenting values – do you tend to be very sentimental or practical?
  • Talk to your partner – do you both feel the same way?
  • Consider your child’s personality – would they want it saved or find it odd?
  • Reflect on your clutter threshold – do you already keep lots of sentimental items?
  • Think years ahead – will you likely discard them eventually anyways?

Here are some good middle ground options if undecided:

  • Take lots of photos to document the milestone
  • Let kids keep their teeth very short-term for fun before discarding
  • Pulverize into a powder instead of keeping the whole tooth
  • Make it a creative activity – let kids decorate a keepsake box for their tooth and photos

Trust your instincts and do what feels right for your family. There is no universal right or wrong answer when it comes to keepsakes. The most important thing is commemorating your child’s milestone in a way that feels celebratory and meaningful to all of you.

Conclusion

On the enduring question of whether parents should keep baby teeth, there are heartfelt opinions on both sides. Some champion baby teeth as precious mementos. Others feel grossed out and warn of health hazards. In reality, most parents compromise by taking photos then disposing of teeth.

If you choose to keep teeth, dentists emphasize safety. Never try to sterilize or incorporate them into crafts at home. Instead, have professionals pulverize them into sealed powders/pendants. Or use fake porcelain replicas for DIY projects.

When unsure what to do, reflect on your family’s values and lean towards options that strike a balance. Creative middle grounds like decorated memory boxes, photos, or pulverizing let you celebrate the milestone while avoiding potential gross-out factor years later.

With some thoughtful planning, you can make tooth loss a fun childhood adventure while making smart choices as parents. In the end, it’s about commemorating memories in a way that fits your unique family.

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