My youngest child just lost his first tooth. If you need me, I’ll be in the corner crying and mourning the fact that his baby days are going, going, gone. His reaction was much different than mine. He’s been ready for the tooth fairy since…well, forever, and even though I’m not really ready for him to grow up, I did do some legwork and when his first tooth came out, we were ready for the tooth fairy. Here are some tooth fairy tips to help my other mamas out.
Also? If you have something negative to say about “doing the tooth fairy” or the dangers of “encouraging your children to believe in fairies and other things of semi-questionable existence” I’m gonna need you to just move along.
This conversation has been sponsored by Jefferson Dental Clinics. I received compensation for writing this blog post but all opinions and experiences are my own. This post may also contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase from a link in on my site, I may receive a small commission from the seller.
Epic Tooth Fairy Tips (whether you’re ready for them or not, mamas.)
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As soon as your child’s tooth gets wiggly, install a tooth fairy door to your wall to welcome her into your home. For a mess-free wall, use removable hanging strips like 3M to adhere the door and any accessories to your wall.
Is this adorable or what?
The fairy can get in and out through this fun little door…how else do you think she gets in and out of your kid’s room?
You can order this tooth fairy door from Etsy
Kids can’t open the door (grownups can’t either) but fairy magic works like a charm.
This toothbrush chart is actually a mirror decal. How fun, right?
Add a little magic to the tooth fairy’s visit by writing letters, or by leaving a sparkly trail of tooth fairy glitter near the door or pillow where your child leaves his/her tooth.
Yeah, I know. Glitter is the dust of Satan and the Herpes of the craft world, blah blah blah. Get over it mamas. It comes up with a vacuum and the wonder in the eyes of your small human will be worth the fact that you’ll still be finding shiny stuff in your bra or your nostril three months from now. Kids love glitter. Glitter is happy.
Since the tooth fairy loves healthy teeth, her first delivery can also include a fun new toothbrush or other dental care accessories for your little ones.
You don’t have to get crazy and turn the Tooth Fairy into a gift-giving machine but little gifts of things that promote dental health are fun and will pay dividends on down the line. My kids go nuts for new toothbrushes and those need to be replaced often anyway, so why not give some credit to the Tooth Fairy?
Create fairy money by spraying glitter hair spray over a $1, $5 or $10 bill.
Our tooth fairy gives $1.00 per tooth. You might want to consider giving some extra if your child loses two teeth back-to-back, if they lose a tooth on their birthday or Christmas or if it’s their last tooth. Totally up to you. My son Zack was so excited for the Tooth Fairy to bring “a golden coin” for his tooth…I’m not sure where he came up with that one but we went the glitter hairspray route and he was so happy to see his “fairy money” under his pillow the next day.
Prepare for the tooth fairy’s arrival! Kids need dental care even before their first tooth erupts. Start by cleaning babies’ gums after feedings. Once a child’s first tooth comes in, begin the habit of brushing with a soft toothbrush and age-appropriate toothpaste.
It’s never too early to start.
Kids should start flossing as soon as they have two teeth that touch. Help little ones with flossing until they can manually floss between every tooth without issue.
Again, never too early to start. Our kids love it when we use dental floss on their teeth – they’re too young to be able to effectively manage it on their own.
Most importantly, while baby teeth may fall out and soon be replaced, healthy primary teeth and gums set the base for healthy permanent teeth to grow in. Remind your child that the tooth fairy loves to collect healthy, cavity-free teeth!
This is a great incentive when you’re reminding nagging your kids to brush well. We supervise nightly tooth brushing…if we don’t, our kids will wet their toothbrushes and suck the toothpaste off.
Personalized tooth fairy box – so cute, right?
Throw your tooth on the roof!
Not really, but it’s fun to learn about what kids around the world do with their baby teeth. Not every country and culture slips the tooth under the pillow for the tooth fairy…I know that idea is pretty engraved in our way of thinking but if you lived in another part of the world, you might be prepping your kid for a rat named El Raton to come grab that tooth (eek!) or making jewelry out of baby teeth.
Also? Did you know that tooth decay is the number one childhood disease in America? Tooth decay is five times more common than asthma and four times more common than childhood obesity. So, take care of those little teeth!
February is Children’s Dental Health Month but paying attention to our kid’s mouths year round is super important. Oral health makes a difference in the way your child chews, speaks, and impacts their overall self-esteem. If you’re kiddos are still in the tooth losing stages, I hope you enjoy these tooth fairy tips.
For more info on children’s dental health check out Jefferson Dental Clinics on the web or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
There is something super nostalgic about your kid losing their baby teeth. Maybe losing the first baby tooth will be what gets you. Maybe it will be the last. Maybe it will be some other different thing entirely that serves as your “Oh, mah baby is growing up” trigger point.
But grow up they do. Lose teeth they do. Look forward to the tooth fairy they do. Sigh. I want to stop time and tell them to quit growing so fast already but losing teeth – especially the first one – is such a big deal to our small humans. And it should be!
Tell me your tooth fairy fun/tooth fairy traditions by leaving a comment!
If you’d like to shop, here’s a recap:
Personalized wooden tooth fairy box
Colgate Kid’s Toothpaste 3 pack
removable hanging strips like 3M
Colgate Toothbrushes for Kids 5+
“Throw Your Tooth on the Roof – Traditions from Around the World”
Great article, Jill. So many points and information you brought up that I didn’t know about. I really like the tooth-fairy door! I’m going to get one 🙂
tooth-fairy door idea was awesome! thanks for this information.
Great advice! I can’t believe 1/4 of younger children suffer from tooth decay. But making use of your cute tooth fairy and oral care gifts really give the incentive to take care of teeth early on!
“Oral health affects a child speech and self esteem” These are big reasons to take care of teeth starting early on. Thank you for the tips on how to motivate children to take care of their teeth.
Yudith recently posted…Free Yourself Of Low Self Esteem And Shine Your Greatness
These epic tooth fairy tips discussed above in this article are worth implementing for obvious dental care.