Tater, I did misunderstand – I thought you and your husband were separated or divorced. Given this new info, I’m changing my advice. I’m going with Democritus and Argeable – if the kid loses the tooth on the trip, just have your husband save it and bring it home. Explain to your son beforehand that if he loses the tooth on vacation, his Daddy will save it for him and the Tooth Fairy will come to your house after they are home. BTW, my husband is in the Navy, so I understand the problems of separations. Good for you letting your ‘men’ go off without you. It’ll help them bond and be a nice chance for your husband to experience the daily grind without you there as a buffer.
The secret to pulling teeth is to twist them. I was sort of an amateur dentist in elementary school… all the kids came to me when they had a loose tooth, because I could pull them quickly and painlessly. Just grab a Kleenex or paper towel, grab on, and twist like a bottle top. Pop! off comes the tooth.
Opalcat, when you say “Pop! Off comes the tooth.” do you mean it literally goes “Pop!”, as in that sickening sound you get when something in your body breaks. Or do you mean “Pop” as in “Viola! Zee tooth, eet iz gone.” ?
Right now, the tooth is pushed forward at about a 35 degree angle. It will only move backwards about 10 degrees. I don’t no what these facts mean, just vaguely hoping that somewhere on this board there is an actual dentist who can tell me the precise moment when the tooth with fall.
Dragonlady, you’re back! How was Vegas? Is the puppy doing well? Does it need any cute doggie hair accessories? BTW, remember that gameboy I needed delivered by today? It came!! The bad news is, I went looking to buy him an extra game to ship to his Grandma’s, and they cost up to $50 :eek: I thought diapers were expensive!
Jess, thanks so much for your support. I’m glad that my two guys are going to get to bond…it’s just kind of scary because this is sort of a reconcilliation trip for my husband and his parents. I have no idea how it will work out, and I’m hoping that there is no ugliness. When we moved from Memphis, my mother in law refused to come tell Nicholas goodbye because she was mad at me & hubby; I really, really hope things have changed since then.
See, I just knew someone was going to think I was serious… Never overestimate the power of :D.
Thanks though.
Actually it’s more like the sound of breaking a small piece of celery. Doesn’t hurt though, if you do it fast. Don’t pull down while twisting, it will just ruin your grip. Twist, THEN pull. Should come right off.
Here’s one way that my father had done to him.
The usual string around the tooth job, but my father was smart enough to move with the door. His father then picked up a glowing ember with the tongs and feigned a jab to my fathers face with it.
my father jumped about 10 feet backwards.
the tooth departed company at about 3.
Oh my god! How evil! 
Too bad I don’t have a fireplace…
Well, Nicholas left this morning, tooth still in place. I tested the tooth one last time last night, and it didn’t seem quite ready. Now it’s up to us to all do our Doper best to will the tooth to stay in for another week.
Okay, slightly related rant time. You want to know why my kid isn’t interested in the tooth fairies dollar? I’ll tell you why, it’s all my dear father’s fault. Last night he calls me and says he’s going to stop by after work to give Nicholas a little money for his trip. I’m thinking he means 20, maybe 40 dollars, just enough to buy a game at the mall or something. Nooooo. He comes over and first counts $100 into Nicholas right hand, which is way too much, then he counts another $100 into his left hand. I just about had a cow! Who gives a not quite five year old $200 for spending money?? It’s not even his birthday! I don’t know if I’m more sickened or jealous. I think I’m going to have to have a long talk with Dad sometime soon.
Jeez! What’s your dad going to give Nicholas for his confirmation or bar mitzvah?
My mom’s theory about the tooth-string-door exercise was that the tooth actually comes out during all the fooling around tying the string to it. I’m amazed to hear that people have successfully tied a string to a tooth, especially knowing how small a baby tooth is.
This thread is making me wish I still had teeth to lose.
Why? I’m not sure.
The husband called me last night at 2:00am to let me know that they arrived safely, and that Nicholas’s tooth fell out somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. It’s worse, it didn’t just fall out, Nicholas asked his father to pull it because it was bothering him while he was playing gameboy. 
I have decided to hold a grudge against Democritus, since he is the one who convinced me to let it fall out on it’s own. 
Finally, I have an enemy!
Rilchiam, at this rate, he’s going to have to buy him a Ferrari when he gets his learner’s permit. There is something very disturbing hearing a four year old shouting “I’ve got 200 smackeroos, I’m rich, I’m rich”
Mega, I sometimes wish that, too. I think ages 5-8 are probably the happiest in a person’s life; you have zero responsibility but you’re old enough to do cool things like play Atari.
Tatertot,
Is your father looking for a long lost son, who just happens to be me?