Nothing But the Tooth

Because what better day to write about teeth than on Halloween, the Scourge of Dentists?

Also, because my kid had extensive dental work done yesterday. Poor little muffin. She was really anxious and scared beforehand, and then the appointment took over an hour; the dentist discovered an unexpected cavity as well as the other hole we’d already known about. He also “shaved” some other teeth that are getting in each other’s way (ow!) and pulled out one stubborn long-rooted baby tooth.

I wasn’t terribly surprised about that extra cavity. My girl has quite the sweet tooth, and dental care, especially tooth brushing, is a constant struggle in our house. We’ve tried nagging, sticker rewards, sparkly pink toothpaste …and still she weeps and stalls and carries on as if we’ve demanded that she stick needles in her mouth, not a fancy motorized Hello Kitty toothbrush.

Finally, earlier this fall, I gave bibliotherapy a shot, and brought home a few tooth-related books from the library. She brushed aside the factual and didactic titles, but glommed onto Open Wide: Tooth School Inside by the inimitable Laurie Keller. Not only is it packed with fascinating (really!) tidbits about teeth, but also with sly and silly jokes, puns, and sarcastic asides. For several days I was able to convince her to brush her teeth just by promising to sing the Tooth School anthem (“We are the teeth, we do the chewin’…” sung to the tune of “We Are the World”) while she brushed.

Another story that tickles the funny bone is Sweet Tooth, by Margie Palatini, wherein Stewart’s tooth tries to take over his life, demanding cake and candy at every turn, until he fights back with (argghh!) crunchy vegetables. Palatini has a light touch and is good with the funny stuff, but it’s Jack Davis’s illustrations that take the cake: his goofy, slapstick riffs on proportion and perspective are almost surrealistic, as befits the whole concept of a obnoxious, bullying tooth.

Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World, by Selby Beeler, is one of my favorite tooth books. Dozens of kids from all over the globe briefly explain what they do when their baby teeth fall out. The Tooth Fairy doesn’t fly everywhere, it emerges (though sometimes a mouse or another spirit might be involved in tooth pickup) and teeth don’t always go under a pillow; they’re just as likely to be thrown on the roof, buried in the ground, or even fed to a dog! This book would make a perfect nonfiction companion to Penda Diakite’s I Lost My Tooth in Africa, in which the African tooth fairy visits Anima while she’s visiting her family in Mali and leaves her two hens!

No hens were left at our house last night, but we did awake this morning to the cry of a jubilant—if still swollen-lipped—girl. Let’s just say the Tooth Fairy is very generous in compensation for surgically extracted teeth.

Wishing everyone a sweet and happy Halloween…and don’t forget to brush!

October 31, 2008

Comments

[Susan]

A few years back, I needed bibliotherapy for CG, and she ended up obsessed with Barney Goes to the Dentist (it, and Mr. Roger's book on the same theme, are the two best books in terms of illustrating to younger kids what actually happens at the dentist for a checkup, with realistic photos of a dental office). But the Barney book lacks in narrative complexity, shall we say, and I was happy when it faded into oblivion on the bookshelf.

Still, those are my picks for how to get introduced to the dentist, despite the Barney fatigue!

[Tara Lazar]

I love "Sweet Tooth"! It's hilarious. My favorite part is the last page and all the tooth puns, although most had to be explained to my five year-old!

[Brisbane dentists]

Any Blog even a dental one is an expression of it author vision on a certain topic. So whatever dentist as a professional might be thinking about will find reflection in his blog.

[orange county cosmetic dentistry]

This is my first visit to your website and looking on, I'm impressed! Great design! I like your content!

-HEATHER-

[orange county cosmetic dentistry]

I'm back! I like the story of Sweet Tooth, by Margie Palatini, it is very funny. Read this and i promise this one relieves your stress. thanks

-heather-