In the United States, millions of children anxiously await the coming of the tooth fairy to take their lost tooth from under their pillow, replacing it with a small treasure or coin. Losing teeth is an exciting time for children, and you can make it even more special by inviting the magic of the tooth fairy into your home. Find out where the tooth fairy got its start and how it makes children excited to lose their baby teeth!

Losing Teeth

An infant is not born with teeth already in their mouth. In very rare cases, a child is born with teeth. However, for the majority of babies, they have teeth come in one-by-one, starting between 4 and 9 months. Children will get a total of 20 baby teeth that will be small in comparison to an adult’s teeth. The only way to get adult teeth is to shed those smaller baby teeth. Just like they came into the mouth, a child will start to lose their teeth one-by-one, generally in the order that their teeth started coming in. This is a time when the tooth fairy starts to visit.

Do You Know the Tooth Fairy?

If you grew up in the United States, then you might be familiar with the tooth fairy tradition. For many children, the tooth fairy is a right of passage that comes when each baby tooth is lost. Children go to sleep at night, careful to place their newly-lost tooth underneath their pillow. When they awake in the morning, they find money in place of the tooth. Depending on your family’s traditions, a child may even find a small treasure or toy instead of money. Some lucky children even receive a handwritten note from this special fairy commending them on yet another tooth lost. The tradition varies between families, but among American children, the idea is generally the same: lose a tooth, place it under a pillow, find something from the tooth fairy the next morning.

It All Started with a Mouse

When you think of the tooth fairy, you probably think of a sweet fairy, pixie dust and all things beautiful and nice. However, the original tale of the tooth fairy wasn’t so sweet and pleasant. Many cultures have different tales about the mysterious tooth fairy, but most have a certain tale in common that starts with a mouse. To summarize, the fairy tale La Bonne Petite Souris features an imprisoned queen who seeks the help of a mouse to help free her. That mouse turns out to be a fairy, who knocks out a king’s teeth to help free the queen. The mouse then hides those teeth under a pillow and the king eventually is killed. Not so bright and beautiful, right?

Despite how the original tale of the tooth fairy started, the introduction of Disney movies paved the way for a much nicer depiction of a sweet fairy that visits children. In fact, Disney played a major role in changing the legend of the tooth fairy into what it is today. Instead of violent creatures, fairies are depicted as magical, helpful and kind in many the Disney movies created—especially around the 1950s. Eventually Americans started taking on the tradition of the tooth fairy, taking bits and pieces from the original story and adding it to their own ideas. Many cultures celebrate the loss of each baby tooth, and the tooth fairy is how Americans celebrate it.

Making the Tooth Fairy Special

Every family will follow the tradition of the tooth fairy in their own special way. Some children will always get money under their pillow, whereas other children will get a toy. It all depends on how you want to do this tradition. Some ways that you can make the tooth fairy special include:

• Getting someone to write a special note from the tooth fairy. Use special paper and have a family friend write a note from the tooth fairy. Children won’t be able to compare handwriting to yours and they will have a special keepsake for years.
• Get special coins such as half-dollars or one-dollar coins to put under a child’s pillow instead of a dollar.
• Some families have a tooth fairy box where they put a child’s lost tooth. That box then goes under a child’s pillow.
• Make a trail of confetti or something similar into a child’s room that leads to their pillow and the treasure the tooth fairy left them.

Making Oral Care Important

Involving the tooth fairy in your family’s traditions can be quite fun for little ones and adults alike. However, with the fun also comes the importance of oral health. Take the time to teach children about brushing and flossing their teeth and why it’s so important every single day. Even adults forget to brush and floss their teeth. Studies show that many people forget to brush and even go more than a day without it. Many more don’t floss often or at all. It’s no wonder that tooth decay, gum disease, tooth loss, and many other oral health problems are so common!

Teach kids to brush and floss and how to do both properly. Help them each morning and night to perform these tasks and you’ll see that they have much healthier smiles in the long run. Whether it’s the tooth fairy or simply brushing your teeth, any activity you do with your child can be special! To learn more about what you can do to help children’s oral health, call Mountain Aire Dentistry today at (303) 731-7755!