Rocket + String + Loose Tooth =

[geckzilla]

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

[rstevenson]

If I were that idiotic parent, I'd worry about a visit from the local child protection agency. That has to one of the stupidist things I've ever seen.

Rob

[geckzilla]

Why?

[Chris Peterson]

If I were that idiotic parent, I'd worry about a visit from the local child protection agency. That has to one of the stupidist things I've ever seen.

Seems harmless enough to me. The kid was a safe distance from the rocket, the launch technique was safe and in his own hands, the string was nothing more than dental floss. As safe a way as any of pulling a loose milk tooth, and way cool for the kid.

[geckzilla]

Yeah!!! I wish I had such a cool way to pull a tooth when I was a kid. Beats the old apple trick.

[bystander]

I think it's remarkable they recovered the tooth. I assume it didn't go far. Way cool.

[rstevenson]

... the launch technique was safe and in his own hands, ...

At that age he had no idea what he was doing. What if the tooth wasn't quite loose enough? What if he closed his mouth in concentration as he pushed the button? What if...? What if...? There were numerous ways this could have gone wrong. After the fact, it's easy to say the kid was happy with the result. Before the fact, the parent was almost criminally dumb.

Rob

[Chris Peterson]

At that age he had no idea what he was doing. What if the tooth wasn't quite loose enough? What if he closed his mouth in concentration as he pushed the button? What if...? What if...? There were numerous ways this could have gone wrong. After the fact, it's easy to say the kid was happy with the result. Before the fact, the parent was almost criminally dumb.

I let kids younger than that launch similar rockets, and they know what they are doing. Seriously, I can't think of anything likely to go wrong. The tooth was obviously just connected to a bit of the gums- it could have been pulled out by hand. If the floss had been tied to a solid tooth, it would have either broken the floss or slipped off the tooth. Those little rockets don't exert much force... you can easily hold one in your hand during its thrust phase. If he closed his mouth, the tooth would still have been pulled past his lips. Seriously, it was perfectly safe.