As a parent, it can be a struggle to get your kids to practice good oral hygiene. However, the earlier they see brushing and flossing as something they want to do, the better their oral health will be throughout their life. Making oral hygiene fun might sound like a bit of a stretch, but using incentives for kids to brush can always help. A great incentive for kids is to share the story of the magical Tooth Fairy.
When they know the Tooth Fairy is on an eternal quest to exchange money for healthy baby teeth your child no longer needs, they’ll be anxious to know how to keep their teeth healthy so they can find a little surprise under their pillows. Here we offer tips to help embellish the Tooth Fairy’s story to encourage your kids to brush and make the Tooth Fairy proud.
Tell Your Kids The Story Of The Tooth Fairy
Just as many parents teach kids about the rewards of receiving gifts from Santa at Christmas, you can use Tooth Fairy folklore as an incentive to get your kids to brush. Although this story has been lost for some families, many remember the tale from childhood. The Tooth Fairy is said to bring money to children who leave their baby teeth under their pillows.
You can tell your kids the story at the age they will typically start losing their baby teeth, generally when they start school, so they learn to brush their teeth to keep the Tooth Fairy happy. So why exactly does the Tooth Fairy collect teeth? There are a few versions to choose from:
- The fairy uses the teeth to build a castle
- Teeth are used for fairy dust
- Baby teeth are sent into the sky to create stars
You can choose the version of the story that works best for your kids, but the key is to let children know the fairy only collects healthy teeth.
Include Bacteria As The Tooth Fairy’s Enemy
All good fairy tales include a villain or ogre, for the traditional good vs evil twist. In the case of the Tooth Fairy, the true villain is bacteria. You can explain that bacteria doesn’t want the Tooth Fairy to do any of the happy things listed above, and so it tries to ruin children’s teeth so they can’t be used. Your child becomes the hero in the story by helping defend baby teeth against bacteria so the Tooth Fairy can collect the teeth to use for good.
The Magic Wand To Fight Bacteria
Making the story even more fun, tell your kids the best way to defend their teeth for the Tooth Fairy is to use their magic wand – also known as their toothbrush. They can use their toothbrush to destroy evil bacteria that want to damage their teeth so the Tooth Fairy can’t use them. Show them how to use their wand to remove bacteria with a small pearl of toothpaste. Bacteria hate the taste of toothpaste and will try to run away. However, by brushing at a 45-degree angle to remove the food and plaque that attract bacteria they can help scare bacteria off. By doing this twice a day just to be safe, they banish bacteria from their valuable teeth.
Other Magical Tools To Defend Against Bacteria
Every hero has an arsenal of weapons to fight for good. So, while their magic wand ‘the toothbrush’ is their mightiest weapon, they can also prevent sneakier bacteria from penetrating their teeth using other magical tools. Explain how bacteria have learned how to hide between teeth to avoid their mighty magic wand.
These spots are so well protected they only have one tool to get at bacteria, and that is dental floss. These tools remove the biofilm where bacteria seek protection so bacteria have nowhere to hide. They can use their floss to outsmart sneaky bacteria and banish them from their teeth once a day.
Superfoods To Sustain The Hero
For added protection, your hero needs to stay strong by eating bacteria-fighting foods like fresh fruits and veggies. Bacteria waits in the shadows to steal the sugar on kids’ teeth to make them strong enough to damage teeth. So, your child’s job is to avoid foods that help the bacteria, and only eat the foods that will help them stay strong.
Sugar helps create an environment where bacteria can thrive, but your little hero can get the vitamins and antioxidants they need to fight bacteria with healthy foods and snacks. Not only do these foods keep your hero healthy, but they also produce more saliva, to wash away bacteria while keeping teeth in perfect condition, which keeps the Tooth Fairy happy.
Visiting The Land Of The Tooth Fairy
If your child hates the dentist, the dental office can become part of the tale. This is the magical land where Tooth Fairies come from, and also the place they send their heroes to help keep up their bacteria-fighting powers. Without the dentist, kids aren’t strong enough to continue fighting bacteria. They need the protection of the dentist to strengthen their teeth and make the Tooth Fairy proud.
The dentist finds all the bacteria that has masterly avoided your little hero’s magic wand and magical tools and makes sure it is banished. They also help repair the damage bacteria cause. Your child helps keep new bacteria from damaging their teeth by brushing and flossing until they can make their journey back to the dentist to start the process again.
Healthy Smiles Are The Tooth Fairy’s Secret Weapon
The final part of the story is: smiles are the Tooth Fairy’s secret weapon. When your child can flash those healthy white teeth, it sends magical powers to the Tooth Fairy to sustain her on her quest to find healthy baby teeth. By continuing to protect their teeth, and send out the powers of their happy smiles, they ensure the Tooth Fairy can complete her quest. She rewards each child with a gift of money under their pillows in exchange for the baby teeth they took such good care of. The happily-ever-after ending is a little loonie or toonie found under their pillow in place of their perfect little baby tooth.
That’s quite a story and could be just what your little ones need to develop healthy oral hygiene habits for life.
To help care for your child’s magical teeth, call today to schedule an appointment at 905-775-5307 or click here to request an appointment.