My son's front top tooth has been loose for almost two weeks, and he can push it up 45 degrees out of his mouth. He knows it needs to come out but is too reluctant to face the pain of severing those last little nerves. So he brainstormed a better way than with string. If I pull out his tooth while he's sleeping, he won't feel a thing! There's just something about pulling a child's tooth out of his head while he peacefully slumbers that I can't quite get over, though.
So in the morning, we play around in bed a little. I tell him he can get out of bed, but he needs to leave his tooth here because it's so loose. He just laughs at me. He likes to push his tooth out with his tongue, and he does it without thinking. I quickly brush my hand across his face (I did NOT slap him!) and the side of my hand catches his tooth and carries it away!