By Advance Your Health Dental | Dr. Dirk Thompson, D.D.S. | Calgary Dentist
Losing your first tooth is a big milestone for children. Not only is it exciting to lose your first tooth, the anticipation of the arrival of the tooth fairy while your wee one sleeps has been a magical experience enjoyed for generations. Here are some creative and fun ideas to help the tooth fairy in making this time-honoured tradition both fun and memorable.
Of course, the most popular tradition is for the tooth fairy to leave some cold hard cash under your child’s pillow while they sleep.
When our Calgary dentist, Dr. Dirk Thompson, was a young boy, the going rate for a lost tooth was a cool $0.25. But what is the going rate for a lost tooth these days? According to an article by Global News, the most popular payout for a baby tooth in Canada is the ever-popular toonie. Some lucky kids, however, are scoring more than $20.00 for a baby tooth. According to this article, moms who are “assisting” the tooth fairy are slightly more generous than dads, giving an average of $.10 more for a tooth.
When your child loses a tooth, it’s not only a great time to have a little fun and create some wonderful memories, it’s also a time to take the opportunity to discuss the importance of your child’s dental health. With a little creativity, a visit from the tooth fairy can be both fun and educational, and as a bonus, can be budget friendly too! Here are some fantastic ideas from the American Dental Association.
MAKE A TOOTH FAIRY RECEIPT
When the tooth fairy leaves a little gift under your child’s pillow and takes the tooth in exchange, it’s only fair that it also leave a receipt for taking the tooth! You can make your own receipt by writing down the date, your child’s name and the tooth that was taken. You can even include some interesting details about how the tooth came out. Was it pulled by the dentist? By mom? By dad? By the door? The tooth fairy can also jot down what was left in exchange for the tooth. Don’t forget to add some personal touches like having the tooth fairy thank your child for the cutest little tooth ever and encouraging them to keep up with their brushing and flossing.
Not only is this exciting for your child to receive when they wake up, but it also would make a great addition to a memory box for your child to look at in future years. If you are at the office of our Calgary dentist, you can ask us for some of our pre-printed tooth fairy receipts and we’d be happy to share them with you! Or, you can print this out from the American Dental Association Mouth Healthy website and have them ready for the next tooth lost by your little one.
LEAVE A TOOTHBRUSHING CALENDAR – ASK OUR CALGARY DENTIST FOR ONE OR MAKE YOUR OWN!
When your child loses a tooth, it’s a great time to sneak in some education about the importance of your child’s oral health. One of the ways that you can do this is by leaving a toothbrushing calendar in addition to the tooth fairy’s usual little gift. It’s easy to make your own simple toothbrushing calendar that you and your child can colour and decorate together, or at your next visit to our Calgary dentist office, you can ask us for one of our toothbrushing calendars. Alternatively, you can download this one found at the American Dental Association website.
Every time your child brushes or flosses their teeth, you can either have your child mark it with a crayon or you can even purchase some budget friendly stickers from your local dollar store to place on the calendar. To make the toothbrush calendar reusable, you can even laminate it so it can be wiped and reused each month with washable markers.
POST A NOTE FOR THE TOOTH FAIRY
Perhaps you’ve already been asked how it is that the tooth fairy knows when a child loses a tooth. Although we all know that the tooth fairy is a magical sprite and knows all, even the tooth fairy can use a little help. Ask your child to leave the tooth fairy a note that they have a lost tooth and are keenly awaiting a visit. The note can include some details about how the tooth was lost and how they’ve been so diligent in looking after their smiles! You can even make a doorknocker for your child’s door, letting the tooth fairy know that a tooth is ready for pick-up! If you need some ideas, have a look at these adorable tooth fairy notes and door knockers from the American Dental Association that are ready to be coloured and decorated by your child.
MAKE A TOOTH SCRAPBOOK
Kids love to be creative and making a tooth scrapbook is a great way to not only foster this creativity but also to make lasting and fun memories. Each time your child loses a tooth, take a photo of your child and ask them to write a description of how the tooth fell out. Make a space for them to write about where they put their tooth for the tooth fairy (under their pillow? in a special container?). Have them decorate the page with crayons, stickers or whatever else you have on hand. Do a separate page for each tooth lost (you might have to do it yourself once the tween years start!) and then make the pages into a book for a special keepsake for your child. Need some ideas? Look here for some great templates to get you started.
YOUR CHILD’S DENTAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT! ASK OUR CALGARY DENTIST HOW WE’RE HERE TO HELP!
The earlier you begin to educate your child about the importance of their oral health the better their chance of keeping their smiles healthy for a lifetime. Using the arrival of the tooth fairy as an opportunity to engage with your child about the importance of brushing, flossing and eating healthy is a great way to introduce these concepts in a fun and memorable way. By the time your child has lost their first tooth, a regular schedule to your Calgary dentist should already have been established as the health of your child’s baby teeth is just as important as their adult teeth.
Our Calgary dentist office loves to see children and we take great pride in making every effort to ensure your child’s dental visits are comfortable and even fun! If you’d like to make an appointment for your child with our Calgary dentist, please call our office at 403.283.4252 today! Your child’s smile is worth it!
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