As a parent, you know exactly who the tooth fairy is. As you do with Santa at Christmas time, you embody the spirit of this beloved icon when your children lose baby teeth.
With the deftness of a ninja, you sneak around in the darkness of night, slip your hand beneath the pillow and retrieve the tooth, leaving cold, hard cash in its place with nary a disturbance of your little one’s dreams.
This rite of passage is celebrated the same way in Australia, England, Canada and the United States, but your dentist in Melbourne has unearthed its origins and other traditions around the world.
Does the Tooth Fairy Visit Everyone?
The tooth fairy as we know her today has only been in existence since the early 1900s. In European cultures prior to this time, parents would bury baby teeth in the garden to guarantee the growth of healthy permanent teeth. Planting the teeth deep in the earth also ensured that witches wouldn’t get their hands on them and place a curse on the child.
In some traditions, if an animal dug up the tooth and ate it, parents feared that the child’s adult teeth would resemble those of the animal. As the world became more industrialised and more people started living in cities, the ritual of burying teeth moved from gardens to flower pots, and the tradition eventually transformed into “burying” the tooth under a pillow in exchange for money.
In some countries, such as France and Spain, the “tooth fairy” is actually a rat or mouse that leaves treats in exchange for a tooth. In other parts of the world, the tooth is thrown on the roof for a bird, pig or squirrel to take. Children may or may not receive a treat, and the animal may even reject the tooth if it’s not in good condition.
What Happens to All of Those Baby Teeth?
According to children, who fancy themselves experts on the matter, the tooth fairy uses the teeth in her collection in a variety of ways. Many think that the tooth fairy carefully labels and displays teeth in a museum-like setting. Others think that tooth fairy land is full of castles constructed with baby teeth. Some children believe the tooth fairy makes jewellery out of teeth or grinds them into fairy dust that helps her fly.
In reality, your little one’s teeth are probably safely nestled in a special container and tucked away in a drawer. After all, it’s your job to keep them away from the witches.
To help keep your permanent teeth permanent, you need regular dental checkups and cleanings from your Toorak dentist. Contact Simply Smiles Dental today to schedule your Melbourne dental consultation with our gentle dentist in Toorak.
Growing Up Smiling
From January 2014 the Federal Government introduced a new dental scheme, Growing Up Smiling (Child Dental Benefits Schedule) to replace the previous Medicare Teen Dental Plan. The new scheme is designed to assist children between the ages of 2 and 17.
If you are eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, let us know.
During your appointment, we’ll discuss your child’s treatment and any associated costs with you before providing the services.
You will need to sign a consent form and then we can arrange to bulk bill you on the day for any services performed under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.
“Everybody Deserves To Smile”
At Simply Smiles Dental, we believe that dentistry is not a luxury, and that everybody deserves to smile. That’s why we keep our prices fair and offer solutions to suit every budget.
We make this investment in you because we’re pretty confident that you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you meet us. Our level of work and patient care ethic is first class.
Contact our Toorak dental office on (03) 9826 2220.
(We are located in the Toorak Village, in the heart of Toorak and serve patients from Toorak, South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor, Southbank, South Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Malvern, Albert Park, Melbourne CBD, and from all Melbourne metro areas.)