Tooth Fairy as a Teaching Tool

August 22^nd is National Tooth Fairy Day and at Artful Smiles Dental Studio we gladly celebrate this magical pixie since she is a helpful tool in teaching kids good oral health habits.

The Tooth Fairy is a time-honored tradition to make the process of inevitable loss of baby teeth more tolerable for children. As worrisome as it can be for a child to lose the first tooth, the promise of a Tooth Fairy’s visit- and the rewards she leaves- can make the experience just another milestone and help your child to look forward to the gain of adult teeth. While it may seem that the health of baby teeth is nothing to be concerned about- after all, those teeth will be gone before your child reaches adolescence- it’s vital that dental hygiene is part of a child’s daily life. Not only does the groundwork help establish lifelong habits, but the health of baby teeth can also actually benefit the incoming adult teeth.

Here are a few ideas of how utilizing the Tooth Fairy as a tool can help your child approach dental health cheerfully.

Introduce the Tooth Fairy Early

Kids will start losing baby teeth around age 6. Early on, parents can teach kids about the Tooth Fairy and let them know that good oral health habits and healthy teeth make her happy. Healthy teeth are pretty and children are naturally inclined to like attractive things. Use this as an opportunity to brush up on a child’s everyday dental routine. Kids not wanting to brush and floss? Remind them that the Tooth Fairy is only looking for pretty teeth, not teeth with cavities. This activity will help get kids excited about routine oral hygiene tasks.

Leave a Note from the Tooth Fairy Reinforcing Good Dental Habits

A personalized note from the Tooth Fairy could be nearly as exciting for kids as the gift itself. Parents should include tips for important oral health habits that the Tooth Fairy wants kids to practice, such as brushing twice a day, flossing once a day and visiting the dentist twice a year. Encourage excellent dental hygiene with a note from the Tooth Fairy congratulating your child. Positive reinforcement is the strongest tool in parent’s box and it’s even more rewarding to a kid when it comes from a magical fairy.

Give Dental Health Gifts

Although the Tooth Fairy left cash for kids in 99 percent of homes she visited, a few children received toys, gum or other gifts. Consider forgoing cash and reinforce good oral health habits by providing a new toothbrush with their favorite cartoon character or fun-flavored toothpaste. How about a new book? There are several children’s books about Tooth Fairy adventures that can add to the Tooth Fairy excitement. Also gone are the days of worrying about not being able to find the tiny tooth under your child’s pillow in the middle of the night. Special Tooth Fairy pillows with tiny, tooth-sized pockets attached are now available in many themes and can even be customized with your child’s name. But if the family tradition has always included money, you don’t have to stop. Consider giving both cash and a new toothbrush to reinforce good oral health habits.

Teaching Tool for Your Family

The Tooth Fairy visited more than 80% percent of U.S. homes with children who lost a tooth. What kid doesn’t love a magical fairy that leaves goodies beneath their pillow? Having this little lady firmly on your side opens the door for making the routine tasks more exciting for a child and provides an excellent tool for teaching the importance of oral health.

Make sure that you schedule regular dental checkups for your child, and our staff will reinforce the habits that you are teaching. Call us today to schedule an appointment for a dental exam.

Reference:

https://blog.deltadental.com/2014/02/27/use-the-tooth-fairy-as-a-teaching-tool/

http://www.kidsdentalspecialists.com/blog/use-the-tooth-fairy-to-teach-good-dental-habits/