Happy Friday! Scott and I went on a fantastic "old stomping grounds tour" vacation which somewhat interfered with my sacred Happy Friday writing time during the past couple of weeks. We flew into Hartford CT /Springfield MA and visited with his family, then drove west to Tanglewood, Cooperstown, Syracuse, Rochester and the Finger Lakes, enjoying symphony (Tanglewood), opera (Cooperstown), jazz and a lake cruise (Seneca Lake), wine tasting (Keuka Lake), good food and, most importantly, visiting with some of our long-time (not to be confused with "old") friends who we haven't seen in many years (all of the above destinations).
Today is National Tooth Fairy Day. I know: "seriously??" I always wondered where the practice of exchanging lost "baby teeth" for cash came from. And you know me - this will lead to something else.
National Tooth Fairy Day is celebrated twice a year. Why? Because that's how often we are supposed to have professional dental exams and cleanings. The other day is February 28.
The origin of the Tooth Fairy is somewhat obscure. During the Middle Ages, English children burned their baby teeth so they wouldn't have to search for them in the afterlife (okay, that is macabre). Another reason to torch the tooth was fear of witches, as lore taught that they could assume power over someone if they could obtain one of their teeth.
The Tooth Fairy as we know it in the US was published in 1908 in Lillian Brown's "Household Hints" column in the Chicago Daily Tribune. As an enticement for a "refractory child" to allow a loose tooth to be removed, they were to place it under the pillow at bedtime. The Tooth Fairy would sneak in during the night and replace the tooth with a gift. The idea was propagated in the 1920s, along with other "fairies" depicted in ads and classes to promote good health practices to young children, among which was brushing their teeth. Ester Watkins Arnold wrote a short children's play called "The Tooth Fairy" in 1927 which was first performed in 1928, portraying children placed their freshly lost teeth under their pillows at night in anticipation of a visit from the Tooth Fairy.
The Tooth Fairy's appearance is subject to interpretation and imagination. Said fairy has been depicted as a man, a woman, a fairy with wings and a magic wand (Tinkerbell style), a dragon, a flying ballerina, a bear and a dentist, among other things. A 2013 survey found that the average Tooth Fairy gift was $3.70 USD, with the payout rising with inflation and the S&P 500 index. The first tooth lost tends to get the highest return. Some experts recommend that parents advise their children early on that the gift is higher for a healthy tooth than a decayed one.
There are many variations of the Tooth Fairy worldwide, most commonly as a mouse. El Ratoncito Pérez (Perez the Little Mouse) and El Ratón de los Dientes (The Tooth Mouse) frequent pillows in Latin America, and La Petite Souris (The Little Mouse) visits in France and parts of Belgium. Italian children can expect a gift from Fatina dei denti (The Tooth Fairy), Topolino (the name of a tiny mouse*), formichina (little ant) or Saint Apollonia. The latter is the patron saint of dentistry and is often illustrated holding a tooth. Leaving a tooth in a shoe to be replaced with money by Tandemuis (tooth Mouse) is practiced in parts of South Africa.
Throwing lost teeth is common in Asia and the Middle East. For example, upper teeth are thrown straight down and lower teeth straight up to encourage straight incoming teeth. Throwing teeth on the roof is said to bring good luck in Korea where the magpie (Korea's national bird) will find them. Children in Islamic countries in the Middle Esat throw a baby tooth up to the sky, a tradition that originated in the 13th century.
Humans are fortunate that we lose our deciduous (baby) teeth and get a second chance for having good teeth, stressing the importance of good dental hygiene. Cavities and gum disease are the most common causes of tooth loss. It is estimated that almost 60% of adolescents and over 90% of adults in the US have had cavities in their permanent teeth! There is also an economic cost to poor dental care – 34 million school hours and 92 million work hours are lost each year in the US for emergency dental care, costing over $46 billion dollars of lost productivity yearly (2015 statistics). People in many other countries are even less fortunate in this regard. Fluoridation of community water and dental sealants help to prevent tooth decay.
Oral health has been linked to endocarditis (infection of the inner lining of the heart) and other types of heart disease, premature birth and low birth weight babies, and pneumonia. Having diabetes increases those risks. Studies show that daily flossing is associated with a lower risk of gum disease, heart disease, kidney disease, some cancers and dementia (this does not imply cause and effect).
Recommendations for protecting your oral health include (per the Mayo Clinic):
- Brush your teeth at least twice daily for 2 minutes each time (the Happy Birthday song method is inadequate) with a soft-bristled brush and fluoride toothpaste. Also brush your tongue. Good technique is important and includes the angle of the brush. Check it out online.
- Floss daily with dental floss or a water flosser (brushing only eliminates 60% of plaque).
- Limit sugary foods and drinks.
- Replace your toothbrush at least every 3-4 months, sooner if the bristles are worn.
- See a dentist for a professional cleaning and exam at least twice yearly.
- Don't use tobacco (stain and oral cancer risk).
- Protect them! Use mouth guards when appropriate and avoid using your teeth as tools.
My mother died at age 96 with her own teeth. My father didn't do so well – he had bad gum disease and had to have his teeth extracted and wore dentures for decades. Thus, I'm rather fastidious about oral care because I want to hang on to my permanent teeth permanently without any visits from the Tooth Fairy.
Have a great weekend and take care of your beautiful smile!
Deb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7TolEcnKbs
*Aha, that's how Ed Sullivan's mouse puppet got his name! (Topo Gigio). Eddie, give me a kiss!