One of the fun parts of parenting is stimulating your child’s sense of wonderment with tall tales and legends. These myths help us celebrate the small things in life. When something as mundane as losing your first tooth feels magical, it’s easier to believe that special moments are created through shared stories and rituals.
If your child just lost a tooth, congratulations! To help you honor this milestone, here are some truly fascinating dental traditions you can share with your little one.
Tales as Old as Time
The term “dark ages” is something of a misnomer, but it’s hard not to conjure it up with tales like this one. In medieval Europe, families feared that if a witch got a hold of their baby’s teeth, she would be able to control them forever. Yikes!
Old England believed that you would spend the afterlife searching for your baby teeth unless you burned them. Fun fact: teeth don’t burn until they reach well over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. So I think we know what Old Englanders are doing right now.
Perhaps the earliest records of dental legends lie with Norse Vikings. Parents exchanged currency for their children’s lost teeth, then strung them into necklaces for good luck on the battlefield. This superstition is much more endearing than fire and brimstone!
Returning to Modern Day with Tooth Mouse
Tooth Mouse is as adorable as it sounds. Kids in French- and Spanish-speaking countries are visited by a mouse who goes by many names. Sometimes he makes monetary exchanges from under a pillow, like our Tooth Fairy, but other times Tooth Mouse has to drink an entire glass of water to get to a child’s soaking tooth.
How Did the Tooth Fairy Reach the US?
Our Tooth Fairy has very, shall we say, American beginnings. The idea of dental rituals was most likely brought over from Europe through stories like tooth mouse. The very specific idea of a Tooth Tairy pulling children’s baby teeth out from underneath pillows and leaving behind cold, hard cash came from the Chicago Tribune in 1908.
The Chicago Tribune walked so that Esther Watkins Arnold could run. She published The Tooth Fairy: Three-Act Playlet for Children in 1927. After hitting “Broadway”, the Tooth Fairy legend grew in popularity until it was big enough for Walt Disney himself to capitalize on.
Who would have thought that we had the Vikings to thank for Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s role in the hilarious 2010 film Tooth Fairy? If you decide to watch this movie with your little one, don’t forget to contact your dentist once it’s over. They’ll make sure your child’s oral health is still on track after losing their baby tooth – and can help clean out any popcorn kernels that might be trying to stowaway.
About the Practice
Our family-oriented team at Papageorgiou Dental Associates is excited to help you celebrate your child’s dental milestone! We offer checkups for children as young as two, and love helping kids learn about their oral health. To contact our office, call 508-545-1126. For a full list of our services, feel free to explore our website.