Blog Layout

The Tale of the Tooth Fairy

Admin • April 17, 2017

Your Complete Guide to Toothpaste

Although many countries around the world have unique traditions to mark the loss of a child’s baby teeth, the tooth fairy is an American creation which is quite recent compared to other beloved holiday characters. The first known reference to the tooth fairy was in a 1908 “Household Hints” item in the Chicago Daily Tribune where it was suggested that children might be less reluctant to remove wiggly teeth if they knew the tooth fairy would visit at night and exchange it for a gift.

Cold cash or creativity?

The 2017 going rate for baby teeth is all over the board with some parents paying a dollar, five dollars, or whatever they happen to have in their wallets when they suddenly realize that something needs to go under the pillow, and fast! More recently, the emphasis has turned away from the amount of money to the creative presentation and fanfare of the event.

For the creatively competitive parent, it is no longer sufficient to wrap Junior’s bicuspid in a square of tissue and slide it under the pillow. There are miniature “fairy doors” that can be installed to allow magical entry to the child’s room. Then, you must decide among the myriad of storage options now available to cradle the precious cargo until it is retrieved. Choose from a range of personalized pillows, boxes, tins, door hangers or pouches that can be purchased or made. Once the fairy door has been installed and the receptacle has been selected, you must decide the method and amount of payment. Here are some creative ideas:
  • Gold Sacagawea coins – a single dollar or two carries much more weight when it’s a shiny gold coin.
  • Two dollar bill – a rarely seen novelty, the two dollar bill is a fun alternative to the ho-hum bills that everyone else receives.
  • Origami – If you are the dexterous type, try folding a one or five-dollar bill into any number of fun shapes.
  • Fairy dust – Glitter from the craft store can be sprinkled on and around the money, the window sill, the fairy door or other places the tooth fairy may have alighted. Some parents even put teeny tiny footprints in the glitter!
  • Miniature letter – If you have excellent penmanship, a magnifying glass and a very small piece of paper, you can craft a minuscule personalized letter from the tooth fairy to go with the money.
  • Receipt – Proof of the transaction can be printed as a receipt which details the date, amount paid and conditions of the sale.
  • Report card – What better way to encourage proper oral hygiene than to leave a fairy-sized report card on the condition of the tooth?
  • Chocolate coins – A bit counter to the oral hygiene message, but who doesn’t love gold chocolate coins?
  • Foreign money – Since the tooth fairy visits children all over the world, sometimes she gets the money mixed up and may leave a stash of coins from a far off land.
  • Proof positive – Amaze your child with proof that the tooth fairy came to visit! Apps such as Catchacharacter will allow you to “photograph” the tooth fairy in your child’s room.
If you have any questions or concerns about the care and development of your child’s teeth, contact us today. At Town & Country Dental, we have the experience and skills to serve the dental needs of the whole family.
Share by: