A Visit to the local ToothTugger

Did you hear about Mr Ree who went to the dentist for a single extraction. When he had finished his treatment his bill said:-

1 2 3 4 5 & 6

Being somewhat puzzled he asked the dental assistant what it all meant
"Oh it's quite straight forward," she replied. "It simply says One Tooth Ree for five and six."

(Those of you who remember the old money £ s d will probably get it!)

So let's start today with a smile!

It’s the annual visit to the dentists today, and we have managed to survive without dentures, although I seem to have lost one or two teeth along the way! I have a crown in my upper jaw which seems to delight in coming out at every possible opportunity. It has been out now for a little while, so I will no doubt be having another “Superglue” job from the dentist in the not too distant future. Although the number of times it has come out does little to recommend the brand of “superglue” he uses. He tells me I have a strong lateral bite - (which makes it sound as thought 1) I eat sideways or 2) I only eat at the side of my mouth.), and it is this that causes it to work loose so quickly. I had thought of suggesting that he welded it in, but then thought about the effects of a welding gun in my mouth.

This all got me round to thinking about teeth – so here are a few interesting facts about your teeth:-


Humans usually have 20 primary teeth (usually known as baby, or milk teeth) and 32 permanent teeth. Among primary teeth, 10 are found in the (upper) maxilla and the other 10 in the (lower) mandible. Teeth are classified as incisors, canines, and molars. In the primary set of teeth, there are two types of incisors, centrals and laterals, and two types of molars, first and second. All primary teeth are replaced with permanent counterparts except for molars, which are replaced by permanent premolars. Among permanent teeth, 16 are found in the maxilla (upper jaw) with the other 16 in the mandible (lower jaw). The maxillary (upper jaw) teeth are the central incisor, lateral incisor, canine, first premolar, second premolar, first molar, second molar, and third molar. The mandibular (lower jaw) teeth are the central incisor, lateral incisor, canine, first premolar, second premolar, first molar, second molar, and third molar. (If you’ve added that lot up you will find it totals 16 but there are a pair of each named tooth, which gives you a mouthful of 32 teeth!) Third molars are commonly called "wisdom teeth" and may never erupt into the mouth or form at all. If any additional teeth form, for example, fourth and fifth molars, which are rare, they are referred to as supernumerary teeth

.

Noticing that all our primary teeth are lost reminded me of the "Tooth Fairy” – who is a character from English folklore.

When a child loses one of its milk teeth, this is put in a safe place (usually under the child's pillow, but sometimes in an egg-cup or under a carpet), and the child is told that fairies will take it in the night, and leave a coin instead—or actually turn it into a coin. Between the wars, this was generally a silver three penny piece.

They always maintained that the silver coin was far superior to their school friends, who maybe received 6d.’ Nowadays, the money given has increased to 50p or even £1.

There is an allusion in Kenneth Graham's The Golden Age (1898: 133) to older boys being customarily tipped half a crown when a tooth is extracted by a dentist, which is a related idea.

There is one early source which links fairies and children's teeth, namely Robert Herrick's poem on ‘Oberon's Palace’ (1648); he describes this as a grotto adorned with various small and useless objects from the human world, ‘brought hither by the elves’—

....................and for to pave

The excellency of this Cave,

Squirrils and childrens teeth late shed

Are neatly here enchequerèd

Herrick's poem matches half the modern tale, namely that fairies collect shed teeth; the other half, the money left in exchange, may have grown out of the old belief that fairies will reward a hard-working servant by leaving sixpence in her shoe at night, a gift presumably placed there secretly by her employer; the child too is being rewarded, for being brave and not making a fuss.Up to the 1950s, the tooth-takers were generally referred to as ‘fairies’, in the plural, but now people more often speak of the Tooth Fairy, possibly under American influence.

A retired dental nurse in Lincolnshire recalls how ‘We kept special tiny envelopes for children to take their teeth home in for the tooth fairy; I used to write on the envelope “For the fairy”. The fantasy can become more elaborate; in letters to the Guardian in October 1988, parents said that when their children asked why fairies wanted human teeth, they replied that it was to make bricks for their houses, or to carve them into toys and ornaments.

Following my research into the tooth fairy, I found that there is a whole industry based on the tooth fairy.

Did you know that you can purchase umpteen books with stories about the tooth fairy, a DVD, a video, a sterling silver tooth fairy box with the tooth fairy (in gold plate) sat on top of a silver mushroom pot – in which can be placed the first tooth [only £34.95],

a make your own tooth fairy keepsake box, a boys (or girls) tooth fairy pillow, a tooth fairy mouse pad, a personal letter from the tooth fairy (only £12.67 – presumably at this price it includes VAT!), and a tooth fairy wash bag. There are four pages of tooth fairy gifts on Amazon!


Keep Smiling (as long as you have your own teeth!)