{"id":275,"date":"2014-03-25T18:30:32","date_gmt":"2014-03-25T18:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.libertyvilledentist.com\/PlottingwithPotts\/?p=275"},"modified":"2022-08-11T11:10:11","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T16:10:11","slug":"pursuit-tooth-fairy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libertyvilledentist.com\/PlottingwithPotts\/2014\/03\/25\/pursuit-tooth-fairy\/","title":{"rendered":"In Pursuit of the Tooth Fairy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The history of the tooth fairy<\/a> is a vague one. Compared to other mythical entities we’ve come to know and love in our youths\u2014Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny\u2014the tooth fairy’s origins are little known. In response to this gross lack of information, a professor at the Northwestern University Dental School, Rosemary Wells undertook a massive, thorough search into the history of this mythical being.\u00a0Where others may have found a one page article on the tooth fairy’s origins and settled for that, Wells dug deeper, searching through hundreds of articles and even conducted a survey for 2,000 parents for info. In other words, Rosemary Wells is the authority on the tooth fairy.<\/p>\n

The Tooth Tradition<\/h2>\n

Wells’s long study found some startling facts. For one, though the tooth fairy seems like a timeless fixture of folklore, Wells discovered that the tooth fairy is a rather recent phenomenon. For instance, the first time the tooth fairy appears in print is in a short play written by\u00a0Esther Watkins Arnold<\/a> from 1927. The oldest oral references date her to around the turn of the 20th century. But tooth tradition long predate the tooth fairy. These traditions are so ingrained in human culture that a research\u00a0B. R. Townend narrowed down the traditions into a set of 9 types:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The tooth was thrown into a fire<\/li>\n
  2. Thrown into the sun<\/li>\n
  3. Thrown between the legs<\/li>\n
  4. Thrown onto or over the roof of the house, often with an invocation to some animal or individual<\/li>\n
  5. Tooth is placed in a mouse hole near the stove or hearth or offered to some other animal<\/li>\n
  6. Tooth is buried<\/li>\n
  7. Hidden where animals could not get it<\/li>\n
  8. Placed in a tree or on a wall<\/li>\n
  9. Tooth is swallowed by the mother, child or animal<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Tooth Mouse<\/h2>\n

    What is very interesting is that there seems to be a widely practiced ritual\u2014one performed across much of the globe\u2014is offering the lost tooth to a mouse or rat. The belief here is that the parents hope that their children’s teeth will be as strong as a rodent’s. In much of the Old World as well as Latin American<\/a> countries, mythical rodents related to this practice sprung up: in France, \u00a0La Petite Souris<\/a>, Rat\u00f3ncito P\u00e9rez<\/a> in Spain. So it isn’t a giant leap to substitute out the rodent with the tooth fairy as this tooth-taking-gifter. The reason for this change still remains uncertain. In all cases, the rodent or tooth fairy acts as a sort of benevolent spirit during a time that can be stressful or confusing. A\u00a0lot of times those teeth don’t just fall out. \u00a0They hurt as they came out and these mythical entities could mollify the pain and psychological stress from this rite of passage. It’s unlikely that the tooth fairy’s going anywhere. According to Wells’s survey, 97% of parents hold a positive or neutral view of her, so the fairy’s legacy with carry on.<\/p>\n

    \"dr.potts\"<\/a>Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you. Check out our Twitter, Facebook page, and website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The history of the tooth fairy is a vague one. Compared to other mythical entities we’ve come to know and love in our youths\u2014Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny\u2014the tooth fairy’s origins are little known. In response to this gross lack of information, a professor at the Northwestern University Dental School, Rosemary Wells undertook a massive, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[43,10,235,112,18,16,17,230,231,232,234,233,229],"class_list":{"0":"post-275","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-dentistry","7":"tag-dental-health","8":"tag-dr-potts","9":"tag-esther-watkins-arnold","10":"tag-history","11":"tag-lake-county-dental","12":"tag-libertyville","13":"tag-libertyville-dentist","14":"tag-mythical","15":"tag-origins","16":"tag-past","17":"tag-rosemary-wells","18":"tag-story","19":"tag-tooth-fairy","20":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nIn Pursuit of the Tooth Fairy - 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