Is it really lying?

So, I don't know where I went wrong with my kids, but they have this weird thing about losing teeth. Gabi has been trying to keep hold of her teeth for as long as she could. Some of you know that Gabi is a thumb-sucker (just like mom was) and her teeth are starting to show it. Her new permanent teeth grew in behind her baby teeth and the baby teeth were hanging on for dear life. Gabi wasn't about to take them out. So, for a very long time, she had 4 teeth instead of 2 at the bottom front of her mouth. We tried getting excited about her loose teeth so she would wiggle them out, but she started brushing around them and eating around them so they wouldn't move. Eventually, one of the teeth completely died and turned purple, so she finally wiggled it and it came out right away (because it wasn't being held in by anything.) Well, this other tooth has been in there FOREVER! and the teeth behind it will not move forward. Saturday afternoon, I had had enough! Gabi will whine and cry and carry on if anyone even mentions her mouth. Something had to be done. I called her over and sweet-talked her into opening her mouth for me. I looked at her teeth and just said, "Oh, Gabi. You're teeth are so dirty, let me clean them for you." I had Gracie fetch the floss.
"What are you gonna do, Mommy?" Gabi whined.
"I'm just going to clean the teeth around the loose one, I'll be careful."
So I put the floss in her mouth, moved it around a little, then hooked it right under that tooth and flipped it out.
"Oh, no! I'm so sorry, it just got in the way!" (yeah right)
Mission accomplished and we won't have to pay the dentist to pull out a loose tooth. Luca complained that I was being mean, but I was sick and tired of the battle. What you you all think? Was I being mean? or just being Mom?