Access Dental: Tooth Fairy

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Fun Facts About the Tooth Fairy

Did you know February 28th is National Tooth Fairy Day? In honor of this exciting time, Access Dental & Dentures wants to feature some fun facts about the Tooth Fairy. As your trusted dentist in Springfield, MO, we want to encourage your kids to take good care of their teeth. It's important to brush your pearly whites twice each day and floss at least once in order to keep your smile happy and healthy. The Tooth Fairy prefers nice clean teeth when she makes her rounds!

The Tooth Fairy is the "New Kid".

Much younger than her friends, Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy has been traced back to 1908, while the others originated further back in time. The story of the Tooth Fairy was originally in a newspaper article and later made more popular as a child's play. Since then a number of stories and books have been written about the Tooth Fairy.

Celebrating Teeth has been around awhile.

Many cultures around the world have been celebrating a child losing a tooth for many, many years. Throwing a baby tooth into the sky is a long-standing practice in Middle Eastern cultures. In Turkey, Mexica, & Greece, children are taught to throw their teeth over the roof of their home. Other parents in Norway and Finland teach their kids.

What is a tooth worth?

The average tooth in the United States is worth $3.19. Thirty-two percent of children receive one dollar in exchange for their tooth. Only five percent of kids receive $20 or more per tooth! According to Delta Dental, the Tooth Fair dished out a total of $256 million dollars in 2015! WOW - that's a lot of teeth!

The Tooth Fairy's appearance.

While Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny have a distinct look, there is no set look for the Tooth Fairy. This creature is typically a female fairy with a wand and sparkles from head to toe, much like Tinkerbell. 74% of Americans imagine the Tooth Fairy as a female, while another 12% envision the Fairy as a non-gender specific character.

The Tooth Fairy has TWO days!

National Tooth Fairy Day is on February 28th... and August 22nd. This special fairy is celebrated on TWO separate days. Take advantage of these days to help promote proper oral care to your children!

Now that you know some of these fun facts about the Tooth Fairy, you can share them with your little ones. As you talk about this, it's a great opportunity to discuss proper oral care and it's importance. As the best dentist in southern Missouri, we look forward to helping you and your kids have good dental hygiene. Call today to schedule an appointment with our dentist in Springfield, MO!

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile!

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Springfield Office Rolla Office Osage Beach Office Mountain Grove Office
(417) 501-1048 (573) 426-5447 (573) 348-1466 (417) 926-1160
1701 West Sunshine 416 S. Bishop Ave. 4320 Osage Beach Pkwy 921 N. Main St.

Springfield, MO 65807 Rolla, MO 65401 Osage Beach, MO. 65065 Mountain Grove

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Legend of the Tooth Fairy

Just like Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy is an iconic childhood fable. As many of you know, the American Tooth Fairy comes to collect a child's tooth that has fallen out, while they sleep, and usually leaves behind a treasure for the child to find in the morning. While there are many variations of the Tooth Fairy, your trusted dentist in southern MO has gathered some information about this figure from different countries. No matter what traditions your Tooth Fairy practices, it's a great way to get your child excited about oral care.

It's an English tradition that a child must drop their tooth into a fire to help keep themselves demon-free.

In Early European culture, a lost tooth was to be buried in order to spare the child from hardships in the next life.

Centuries ago in Europe, it's tradition for a baby tooth to be buried in the ground. This can help keep a witch from gaining possession of the tooth, allowing her to put a curse on the child. When more people migrated to America, there was a limited amount of dirt in cities. Eventually the ritual transitioned to putting a tooth under the child's pillow.

In Russia, Spain, and many Asian countries, a mouse would creep into a child's room and remove their baby teeth.

The Viking children would trade a tooth in, when later the teeth were strung together to make jewelry. Wearing a child's tooth supposedly brought power and good luck when in battle.

Many of the population believe a "Tooth Mouse" will come collect a child's tooth and leave a treat or prize behind for the child who lost their baby tooth.

In other parts of the world, many mothers would hide a child's tooth from animals. It was believed if an animal found the tooth, an animal tooth would grow in the child's mouth.

All over the world, there are different traditions of what to do with a child's tooth, after it has fallen out. Take a look at a few more ways to dispose of teeth, according to rituals:

-Throw tooth into the sun.
-Burn the tooth in a fire.
-Toss the tooth backwards between the legs.
-Throw it onto the roof of a dwelling.
-Put the tooth inside a tree or wall.

Now that you know about all the different Tooth Fairy traditions around the world, you can share your new-found knowledge with your kids. It can be a fun way to learn about different cultures, as well as promote proper oral care. As your children start to lose teeth, remind them of the importance of taking care of the teeth they have. Remember to brush twice each day, floss once every day, and monitor the sugar intake of your little ones. The best dentist near Springfield, Missouri is here for all of your oral care needs - give us a call at 877-DENTIST to set up and appointment for your kids today!

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile!

Springfield, MO 65807 Rolla, MO 65401 Osage Beach, MO. 65065 Mountain Grove