Then again, I guess that only makes sense. After all that candy . . .
The American Dental Association held the first national observance of Children's Dental Health Day on February 8, 1949. This single day observance grew to a week-long event in 1955. In 1981, the program was extended to a month-long celebration known today as National Children's Dental Health Month (NCDHM).
Of course, as adults, taking care of our teeth is important, but let's face it--when you're a kid, the only true dental observance is when the Tooth Fairy visits.
But did you know the Tooth Fairy started off as a mouse? Huh?
There is a theory that the Tooth Fairy evolved from a tooth mouse depicted in an 18th century French fairy tale, "La Bonne Petite Souris. " A mouse changes into a fairy to help a good queen defeat an evil king by hiding under his pillow to knock out all his teeth.
Ouch.
In Spanish-speaking countries, you have Ratoncito Pérez, a little mouse with a common surname, or just "ratón de los dientes" (Tooth Mouse). The "Ratoncito Pérez" character was created around 1894 by the priest Luis Coloma (1851–1915), a member of the Real Academia Española since 1908, when the Crown asked Coloma to write a tale for the eight-year old Alfonso XIII, as one of his teeth had fallen out. A Ratón Pérez appeared in the tale of the Vain Little Mouse. The Ratoncito Pérez was used by Colgate marketing in Venezuela and Spain.
In Italy, it's a small mouse (topino). In France, La Petite Souris ("The Little Mouse"). From parts of Lowland Scotland, comes a tradition similar to the fairy mouse: a white fairy rat which purchases the teeth with coins.
In some Asian countries, the tradition was to throw upper lost teeth down and lower lost teeth up--because that's the direction they grow, and the wish is for them to grow in straight. This tradition of the mouse is based on the fact the teeth of mice go on growing for their whole life, a characteristic of all rodents.
In parts of India, children offer their discarded baby tooth to the sun, sometimes wrapped in a tiny rag of cotton.
Okay, that's not the sweet image we have of her today. The idea of an actual fairy originated in the US around 1900. The Tooth Fairy, a three-act playlet for children by Esther Watkins Arnold, was published in 1927. On May 28, 1938, released The Little Rascals short entitled, The Awful Tooth, in which the gang agreed to pull their teeth out to make money from the tooth fairy. And in 1949, the book, "The Tooth Fairy" by Lee Rothgow came out.
In 1993, Dr. Rosemary Wells opened a Tooth Fairy Museum in her Deerfield, Illinois museum, which she operated until her death.
But going back even further, centuries ago in Europe the tradition was to bury children's lost teeth in the ground--probably in the garden or fields surrounding the home--so a new permanent tooth would replace it, and also because if a witch found the tooth, she would place a curse on the child. When people moved to towns and cities, they buried the teeth in flower pots or planter boxes, then eventually under the child's pillow.
And during the night, the Tooth Fairy tiptoes in and leaves a treat or a coin.
Or, if you're lucky, a dollar bill.
Wouldn't you rather have a fairy than a mouse?
But of course everyone--especially kids--know that there was never any question about the Tooth Fairy being a sweet little fairy.
And since the Tooth Fairy is being so sweet, here's a little reminder that the third week of February is Friendship week and Random Acts of Kindness week.
But you don't need to limit your kindness to one week out of the year. The Tooth Fairy certainly doesn't!
Make it a good one!
Links:
National Children's Dental Health Month--American Dental Association --lots of kid printables
American Dental Association Homepage
More kid crafts and activities
Activities and games for kids--great for teachers too!
Even more games and activities-- Colgate website
History of the holiday and more links
Kid's dental facts--toothfairy.org
Wiki history of the Tooth Fairy
Tooth Fairy History
"The Straight Dope" History of the Tooth Fairy
Acts of Kindness site
Personalized Letters from the Tooth Fairy (Disclaimer--This is my website!)
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