The Flutter Blog is Full of Tooth Fairy Tales

Want to learn more about the Tooth Fairy? Did you know that the Tooth Fairy collects over 300,000 teeth per night! Wow! That’s a lot of teeth! Did you ever wonder where all those teeth go? You can find that out and more when you read our Tooth Fairy tales on the FlutterBlog.

Can Baby Teeth Last Forever? | Learn more about Forever Teeth!

Tooth Fairy Blog | Flutterpop Tooth Fairy Tips
26 Sep
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That missing tooth gap might look silly and cute in photos, but it won’t last forever, and that’s a good thing! After your child has lost a baby tooth, stashed it under the pillow, and experienced a visit from the Tooth Fairy, their next question might be “where’s my new tooth?” You might find him or her open-mouthed and facing a mirror, examining the empty gums, poking at the gap. Getting forever teeth is exciting, so it’s no surprise that kids get impatient. But as you wait with your child to see that white thing poke through the gums, it’s a good idea to help him or her understand what it means to have forever teeth. 

The Waiting Game

When you see your child strike that gaping, open-mouthed stare, so close that the mirror gets foggy, talk about the fact that brand new forever tooth will crest the gum line in anywhere between a week and six months. This tooth will steadily descend until it’s fully in place. Since loose baby teeth are caused by forever teeth pushing them out, you can expect the permanent teeth to appear in the order that their corresponding baby teeth popped free. As your child waits patiently, encourage the regular brushing and flossing routine, as this is crucial to the health of both gums and new teeth.

What’s the Difference?

This biggest difference between baby teeth and their permanent counterparts is that forever teeth last, well, forever! But there are several more subtle differences you’ll notice:

  • To accommodate a growing mouth and body, your child’s forever teeth will be larger. The first few that come in might look comically large, too big for a child’s mouth. But don’t worry, they’ll grow into them. 
  • Look closely and you’ll also notice a color difference. Forever teeth are not quite as pearly white as baby teeth, so don’t be alarmed if they come in looking slightly less vibrant – this isn’t an indication of tooth health or decay. 
  • Because they’re permanent, forever teeth have to be stronger and more durable, so their enamel is quite a bit harder. However, this doesn’t mean that dental hygiene is less important for permanent teeth. On the contrary, these chompers need to last a lifetime, so encourage your child to continue healthy tooth habits.
  • There are more of them! Kids have a total of 20 baby teeth, but a full mouth of forever teeth amount to 32. Let’s break that down: it includes eight incisors, four canines (cuspids), eight premolars, and 12 molars. While that seems like a lot, they emerge gradually, with the final molars (the wisdom teeth) often appearing in the late teens. 

Healthy Habits for a Lifetime

Brushing, flossing, and rinsing as part of a daily routine is incredibly important for both baby teeth and forever teeth. Baby teeth are softer and more fragile, allowing cavities to spread quickly, so keeping them clean is vital. And forever teeth need to last a long time, which requires routine maintenance. Establishing a dental routine for baby teeth will prepare your child to keep it going once their forever teeth emerge. Toothbrushes featuring Disney princesses or Marvel superheroes or fun animal-themed flossers can make teeth time exciting and help establish healthy habits. 

It’s also important to discourage habits like thumb sucking. When forever teeth are emerging, a child’s gums and jaw are still forming, and thumb sucking can alter their alignments, causing conditions like overbite, incorrect teeth spacing, and more. 

And let’s not forget the dentist! Both kids and adults should visit the dentist for regular cleanings and checkups every six months. This is especially important for children who are in the process of losing baby teeth and gaining permanent ones, to ensure that those forever teeth are coming in straight and true. 

As you and your child navigate the baby teeth to forever teeth journey, keep these facts in mind, and keep up with great information like this by following Flutterpop on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Your Step-By-Step Guide to the Tooth Fairy

Tooth Fairy Blog | Flutterpop Tooth Fairy Tips
11 Sep
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She’s small, she has wings, she uses magic, and she loves teeth. Can you guess who it is? That’s right. The Tooth Fairy! If you have a wiggling, wobbling loose tooth right now, or you’re waiting for your first one, that means she’ll be heading to your house soon. The Tooth Fairy is a magical little friend who lives in Fairyland and loves keeping your teeth strong and safe. After you lose a tooth, she comes in the middle of the night (while you’re asleep) to collect it. But she doesn’t just steal it and leave – she leaves a reward for being brave and keeping your teeth healthy! This might sound strange at first, but don’t worry. If you follow these steps, before you know it, you’ll be waking up to a tiny treasure under your pillow.

Step 1: Losing Your Tooth

This part can be a little bit scary, but also exciting. Losing your baby teeth means you’re growing up and your forever teeth are on their way. So, when you bite into an apple and your tooth starts moving, don’t panic. This is completely normal, and it actually means that you have a healthy, happy mouth. Plus, the Tooth Fairy can sense every child’s loose tooth and she will immediately start preparing a gift! You might want to play with your tooth – wiggling, spinning, and moving it back and forth. This is totally fine, but don’t pull on it. The Tooth Fairy likes teeth that fall out naturally. Just be patient and in no time that tooth will pop out in your food or while you’re brushing, and you won’t feel it at all.

Step 2: Keep Your Tooth Safe

You did it! You stayed calm and courageous when your tooth came out. Now what? Chances are that it didn’t happen right as you were getting into bed, so you need to store it in a safe spot until the Tooth Fairy arrives. You want to show her what good care you took of your tooth, don’t you? She’s going to be so proud. So be careful not to misplace it. If you’re at school, the nurse can get you a tiny container or plastic bag. If you’re at home, ask a parent to hold it for you or find a safe place. Don’t just put it in your pocket or backpack! You might forget it’s there. A keepsake box is a great choice instead.

Step 3: Stash it Under Your Pillow

You’re getting close to your first Tooth Fairy encounter. In fact, as you brush, floss, and get ready for bed, she’s probably already on her way. So get ready quick! Got your tooth? Carefully place it under your pillow, or in your special tooth pillow. You can even leave your keepsake box or tooth container next to you bed. The Tooth Fairy isn’t picky, as long as she can find it. If she can’t, then she’ll be unable to leave a gift. Now for a very important part: go to sleep! We know what you’re thinking: “I’m going to stay up so I can sneak a peek at the Tooth Fairy.” But here’s the deal: her magic only works if you’re sound asleep, so she won’t be able to poof into your room if you’re awake. Plus, the sooner you sleep, the sooner you’ll wake up to a surprise.

Step 4: Find Your Gift

This is what you’ve been waiting for – the Tooth Fairy’s gift! She loves finding healthy teeth so much that she can’t help but reward you for keeping them clean. When you wake up, check the place where you left your tooth and you’ll find a treasure. If you want to thank the Tooth Fairy, or just say hi, you can write her a letter.

Step 5: Keep It Up!

You’ve accepted your first Tooth Fairy gift, but guess what. There’s a lot more where that came from! This is only the beginning of your Tooth Fairy friendship. She has a lot more magic, and you have a lot more teeth, so keep up your brushing and flossing routine and soon, another one will start to wiggle. Then another and another (not all at once, of course). And a couple weeks after each tooth falls out, you’ll find a forever tooth coming in its place. These are your adult teeth! Whenever you lose a tooth, repeat steps one through four and you’ll have a whole collection of magical gifts.

How do you feel now? Hopefully, you’re excited to lose your first tooth and get to know the Tooth Fairy a little better. If you want to keep up with fun Tooth Fairy stories, games, and more, ask your parents if you can check out Flutterpop’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

A Spin on the Traditional Tooth Fairy Experience

Tooth Fairy Blog | Flutterpop Tooth Fairy Tales Tooth Fairy Tips
04 Sep
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While money is the most common gift children receive from the tooth fairy, there are no actual rules on the topic. The Original Tooth Fairy Poll cites that the current national average reward is $3.70 per tooth. That’s $74 for all 20 teeth per child! That’s a hefty price tag, especially if you have a large family. Economics aside, parents might have any number of reasons why leaving money for lost teeth is not the right fit.

As it turns out, the tooth fairy is quite an accommodating little sprite! She is more than happy to deliver the rewards that meet each family’s needs. We’ve compiled a list of 8 creative non-money tooth rewards:

Practical Tooth Fairy Rewards

  1. Toothbrushes, dental floss, and toothpaste are great rewards to reinforce excellent oral health habits. The tooth fairy loves to encourage keeping teeth healthy, so this one is an easy choice. Remember that your child’s travel toothbrush needs to be replaced regularly, as well, so keep that in mind if the tooth fairy already brought a new home toothbrush.
  2. Books about the tooth fairy can be found in our shop and are a great way to keep the magic alive. Of course, there’s no need for every reward to be a book about teeth, but we do recommend it for the first few to help your child get comfortable with this time of change.

Tooth Rewards for the Crafty Family

  1. Building a fairy garden is a fun and creative way to celebrate the magic of the tooth fairy. This is a project that parents and kids can start as the first teeth begin to wiggle, and the tooth fairy will bring special pieces to add to the garden with each lost tooth.
  2. A small jar of fairy dust is an artistic option to encourage your child’s imagination in crafts or outdoor play. Some kids may collect the special glitter for daydreaming, while others will excitedly add it to crafts or sprinkle outside to create magic.
  3. A tiny personalized letter from the tooth fairy is a great idea for parents with a steady hand. Your child will feel special at the personal attention bestowed upon him or her by the tooth fairy.

Special Teeth Keepsakes

  1. A pressed penny collection is something your child can use to keep track of how many teeth he or she has lost. Since pressed pennies are often found at museums and cultural tourist attractions, your child might choose to start a collection of pennies from all of your family travels.
  2. A tooth keepsake box is something you and your child can use together to track teeth as they come out. The tooth fairy can deliver the box for the first lost tooth, and then follow up with a certificate for each tooth after that. The tooth fairy will of course let your child know that the tooth was checked into her log and then returned home for safe keeping.

A Special Surprise

  1. Mark milestones, such as every 5 teeth, with a coupon for a visit to a children’s museum or special activity. Take this time with your child to celebrate how he or she is growing up and how proud you are.

While celebrating your child’s transition into adolescence is an important time for teaching and bonding, no parent should have to go broke or trade in values to mark the occasion. We hope these fun ideas help you come up with your own non-monetary plan for tooth fairy rewards.  

FlutterPop supports parents in coming up with all kinds of ways to be the best tooth fairy. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up on all of our new ideas.

Everything You Need to Know About Losing Teeth

Healthy Teeth/Oral Hygiene Tooth Fairy Blog | Flutterpop Tooth Fairy Tips
28 Aug
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Why Do Baby Teeth Fall Out?

Have you lost your first tooth yet? If yes, congratulations! You’re on your way to growing big, strong, permanent teeth that will help you talk and chew for the rest of your life. Doesn’t it seem strange that we only have baby teeth for a little while, but we have adult teeth forever? It’s really all about size and growth. Babies are tiny, so those first teeth need to be small enough to fit in a baby’s mouth. Did you know that we are born with all of our baby teeth already inside our gums? Babies grow pretty fast from birth until they are little kids starting school, and that’s about when baby teeth start coming out.

Can you imagine how silly your smile might be if you still had tiny little front teeth at age 10 or 11? Permanent teeth are bigger to fit the mouth you’ll have as a grownup. Baby teeth have short roots that hold them in place. These roots are strong enough while mouths are small, but once the permanent teeth form under the gums and your mouth gets bigger, those short roots aren’t long enough to keep the tooth in place. The tooth gets loose, the root starts to dissolve, and the permanent tooth starts pushing up into the mouth all at the same time. Permanent teeth have long, strong roots that help them stay put for your whole life. Ask your dentist if you can look at your X-ray pictures and see the difference in roots from your baby teeth to your adult teeth.

Does it Hurt When Teeth Come Out?

Even though baby tooth roots are short and not designed to last forever, they still have a job to do while the tooth is in your mouth. If you tug or wiggle a tooth that isn’t ready to come out, that root is still holding strong, and you might hurt yourself. The best plan of action when a tooth starts to get loose is to be patient and keep wiggling it. Eventually, the roots will know that their job is done, and the tooth will come all the way out.

It can be frustrating to wait for a tooth to come all the way out. Sometimes it might get really hard to eat or talk, or the new tooth might be pushing in and the baby tooth is really in the way. If you have to pull a tooth out by force, it might hurt for a moment, and you might taste some blood for a little while. In these cases, it’s best if your parents can help you. Also, get a wet washcloth ready to bite once the tooth is out to help stop the bleeding. Swish warm salt-water in your mouth a few times before bed, and it should start to feel better in the morning.

The baby molars that come in later are meant to stick around a little longer, and they are bigger teeth with bigger roots. These teeth will hurt a little more coming out. In fact, sometimes the dentist will pull these teeth for you to help make room for your growing permanent molars. If the dentist does this, he or she might give you some medicine to numb your mouth. The numb feeling will go away after a few hours, but you have to be careful not to bite your tongue or cheek before that!

Why Do I Have to Take Care of Baby Teeth?

If baby teeth are going to fall out anyway, why is it important to brush and floss? Almost every kid asks this question, and it’s a good one! Even though baby teeth will come out, they are very important while you have them. Baby teeth help you chew and talk, and they hold a place in your mouth for the permanent teeth that will replace them. If you don’t take care of the teeth you have while they are still working hard for you, that can cause big trouble.

When baby teeth get cavities, it can hurt to chew, but it can also make you sick. When teeth have infections, those germs can go down into the gums and get into your blood and your nerves. This can really hurt, and it can also give you a fever. It’s possible to get cavities even if you are really good at brushing and flossing, but taking care of your teeth is still the best way to prevent them. If you do get a cavity, your dentist will clean out all the dirt and then put in a filling that stops the cavity from getting any worse.

If a baby tooth comes out too early, maybe because you had an accident that knocked it out, the permanent tooth might not be in the right place under the gums just yet. What can happen in that case is that the other teeth will move a little bit into the empty space, and all the permanent teeth under your gums in that area will get shifted out of place. This can cause your adult teeth to grow in too close together in some spots. When permanent teeth grow in a little out of place, which can happen to anyone, the dentist will send you to an orthodontist to get braces that move all the teeth into straight rows.

Hopefully, you’re quickly becoming a pro at losing teeth and patiently waiting for your permanent teeth. We know how hard it is to eat pizza without those front teeth! Make sure you keep brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist to keep both your baby teeth and permanent teeth strong and healthy!  

FlutterPop is invested in creating healthy teeth habits as early as possible. If you are as excited as we are about caring for teeth in the digital age, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

National Tooth Fairy Day (August 22)

Tooth Fairy Blog | Flutterpop Tooth Fairy News
22 Aug
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After slurping popsicles all summer, and with Halloween candy feasts right around the corner, August is a perfect time to promote dental health. And what better way to do so than with a pearly white party for the Tooth Fairy! She puts in a lot of hard work throughout the year, fluttering from house to house, collecting and storing teeth, and generously giving gifts. So on August 22, take a moment – or the whole day – to honor her. It’s a fun and festive way to learn more about our favorite fairy and remember good dental habits. Here are a few ways you can celebrate with your kids:

Learn the Tooth Fairy’s history

The Tooth Fairy hasn’t always been the tiny, shining sprite we know and love. In fact, she’s taken several forms over the centuries. Turn her biography into a storytelling session, where you trace her origins up to modern-day. Your kids will love seeing how the beloved figure came to be. You can even use it as an opportunity to talk about the evolution of dental hygiene and why it’s important. 

Watch a Tooth Fairy-Themed Movie

She’s graced the big screen several times, once as a bubbly hummingbird, once as Dwayne “The Rock” Johson, and another time as a disillusioned dentist. Movies like Rise of the Guardians, The Tooth Fairy, and Toothless present her in unique, hilarious, heartwarming ways. Put one on and you’re guaranteed an evening of laughs with your kids. Just make sure that you munch on tooth-friendly snacks like fruits and veggies instead of traditional movie-going enamel busters like popcorn and candy.

Do a Tooth Fairy-Themed Art Project

Break out the markers, glitter, and glue, and let your kids’ imaginations run wild as they create their versions of the Tooth Fairy. Maybe she’s a silver-and-gold princess, complete with crown and scepter. Or she might be a covert agent somersaulting into bedrooms, stealthily grabbing teeth and leaving gifts without drawing attention. However they see her, this is a great way to get creative, get messy, and bring the Tooth Fairy to life. 

Write the Tooth Fairy a Letter

After long nights collecting teeth, there’s nothing the Tooth Fairy loves more than kicking back with a healthy snack and reading letters from her admirers. Whether your child has questions for the Tooth Fairy or just wants to say thanks, it’s fun writing to a magical pen pal. We have a pretty good rapport with the Tooth Fairy, so we can make sure she sees it. And who knows? Maybe she’ll respond. 

Read a Tooth Fairy Book

Plop down on the couch, huddle together, and dive into a book featuring the Tooth Fairy. There are plenty of great options that will spark your child’s imagination and teach him or her about good dental habits. Some of our favorites include:

  • The Night Before The Tooth Fairy – Natasha Wing
  • The Berenstain Bears and the Tooth Fairy – Jan Berenstain
  • My Tooth is About to Fall Out – Grace Maccarone
  • Loose Tooth – Lola M. Schaefer
  • Pete the Cat and the Lost Tooth – James Dean
  • The Tooth Fairy (Peppa Pig) – Scholastic
  • The Tooth Fairy Kit – Robin Cruise
  • Fancy Nancy and the Too-Loose Tooth – Jane O’Connor

Practice a Dental Routine Together

This is what the Tooth Fairy is all about – taking care of our teeth. She’s a great reminder for both kids and adults to brush and floss regularly, keeping our smiles shining and mouths healthy. Take the opportunity to explain how each important part of the routine fortifies teeth and makes the Tooth Fairy happy.

Of course, National Tooth Fairy Day isn’t the only day you can celebrate our cherished pixie friend. Tooth collecting, like dental health, is a year-round job. Even after the holiday has passed, you can continue to teach your kids about tooth-friendly habits while you eagerly await her return. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for new, fun ways to get excited about the Tooth Fairy.

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