Time to have a little fun again and revisit a familiar topic. Previously, we have examined several of the various myths around the tooth fairy, what the King of Spain said about losing teeth and other mysteries like “Can you get your teeth tattooed?” (Answer…”Yes!”) Today we will continue the tradition with a quick trip around the world including stops in Africa, Mongolia and Middle Ages England too.
In South Africa, rather than placing lost teeth under the pillow and hoping the tooth fairy will visit, children place lost teeth into their slippers at night! They are still hoping, like North American children, to receive some money in place of the tooth but this practice brings a whole new meaning to the expression “on a shoestring budget!”
In Mongolia, in times of old (and still considered traditional today) children would place the lost tooth into some fat and feed it to the family dog! The idea behind this tradition was that the incoming adult tooth would be as strong as a dog’s tooth. What to do if the family doesn’t have a dog? Why, bury the tooth near a tree of course. (To encourage strong roots.)
If ancient England or Norse culture is more your style, our final foray into myths and mysteries today takes us to the Middle Ages where in England, children would burn their teeth in order to avoid an eternity in the afterlife of searching for them in vain. We’re not even sure you can burn a tooth but hey, we are just reporting on traditions not verifying them for accuracy! As for the Norse and Scandinavians of the day, children’s teeth were considered good luck for warriors in battle so they often waded into the foray wearing teeth on a string around their necks. Now you know.
We hope you enjoyed this third little trip around the world looking at traditions of other cultures. If you are looking for something a little more traditional from a North America perspective, plan to visit the traditionally appointed and always beautiful offices of the Brampton Brinkley Dental Team. We would be happy to treat you to some good old-fashioned traditional Dentistry including great service and where we strive to make patients feel comfortable and relaxed. You might even consider taking off your shoes and we’ll promise not to put any teeth in them while you’re not looking! Call Brinkley Dental anytime to schedule an appointment and in the meantime: ”don’t forget to be a BFF with your mouth and Brush that SMILE!”
With: www.mentalfloss.com and www.wikipedia.org
