National Tooth Fairy Day - August 22, 2022
National Tooth Fairy Day on August 22 celebrates the excitement and wonder of kids losing their teeth!
National Tooth Fairy Day is a reminder for kids, young and old, to relive the fun of visits from the Tooth Fairy when a newly lost tooth was exchanged for a fun surprise as they looked under their pillow in the morning.
The origin of fairies dates back to 13th-century England when they were described for the first time by Gervase of Tilbury. The tradition of a child receiving a gift for a lost tooth can be traced back to medieval Europe. In a collection of writings called the “Eddas” about the Norse and Northern European traditions, there is a reference to a ‘tand fe,’ which directly translates to ‘tooth fee.’ As part of this tradition, children would receive a small fee from their parents when they lost their first tooth. This is because teeth were a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Some Viking warriors would even wear a string of teeth as a necklace during battle to protect them.
The closest counterpart of the modern Tooth Fairy came in the form of an 18th-century French fairytale, “La Bonne Petite Souris” (“The Little Good Mouse”). However, the first written American record of a reference to the ‘Tooth Fairy’ dates back to a 1908 “Chicago Tribune” article in which the author, Lillian Brown, provided parents with a magical suggestion on how to get their children to have their loose milk teeth pulled. That suggestion was, you guessed it, telling their kids that the Tooth Fairy would leave five cents under their pillow for every tooth they lost. In 1927, an eight-page script for a children’s play titled “The Tooth Fairy” was written by Esther Watkins Arnold. The play became widely popular, with schools reenacting it and imaginations being stirred with thoughts of a tooth fairy collecting teeth in exchange for money or presents. Since then, the Tooth Fairy has become a global phenomenon, reportedly paying visits to children in the U.K., Canada, and Australia.
How to Celebrate National Tooth Fairy Day
- Read a book about the tooth fairy
- Book a dentist appointment
- Make a daily habit to take OraTicx Kids probiotics
