A Short History of the Tooth Fairy

September 21, 2012

Santa Claus may get more press, but ask just about any child who the Tooth Fairy is and they’ll know who you’re talking about. In fact, there’s nothing more exciting to a young kid who’s lost a tooth than putting that tooth under their pillow at night and waking the next morning up to find that—gasp—it’s been replaced by money!

Of course, we parents know what’s really going on, but that doesn’t make the Tooth Fairy legend any less endearing. Many of us have similar memories from our own childhoods.

But how exactly did this whole Tooth Fairy thing get started?

As far as anyone can tell, it all started with a simple tradition in Europe. When a child lost a baby tooth, the child’s parents would take that tooth and bury it in the garden. Why did they do this? Maybe they did it to encourage a new tooth to grow, or maybe they did it for a superstitious reason, like preventing a witch from using the tooth to put a curse on their child.

Whatever the reason, the tradition persisted, but as families moved into towns and cities with more people, the tradition changed. Instead of burying the tooth underground it was put under a pillow, while the witch figure eventually became a generous, helpful fairy who would exchange the tooth for a gift like money.

For More Information

Want to learn more about the Tooth Fairy and its history? Check out Wikipedia and this helpful site to learn more. And if you’d like to schedule a checkup for yourself or your child, call one of our offices today. We have offices in Painesville, Jefferson, and Chardon.

Helping Young Chardon-Area Athletes Protect Their Smile

August 31, 2012

Recently, our offices in Chardon, Jefferson, and Painesville launched a special athletic mouthguard program to help young athletes from local high schools protect their smiles. With this program, we were able to provide students from Chardon, Harvey, Riverside and Jefferson High Schools with a custom-made mouthguard absolutely free of charge.

Why did we do it?

Because we’re firm believers in protecting young smiles from the harm that can be incurred while on the field or the court. It’s been estimated that as much as 40% of all sports injuries involve the face. What’s more, anywhere between 13-39% of all dental injuries are connected to sports. But with a custom-made athletic mouthguard, we’re able to help students protect their smiles from this kind of harm.

But, you might be wondering, what sets a custom-made athletic mouthguard apart from the kind you can buy from a sporting goods store?

The answer is simple: the mouthguards you find in a sporting goods store aren’t made to provide a custom fit. As a result, athletes who wear generic mouthguards are forced to hold it in place by biting down, which makes speaking and breathing difficult. What’s more, continued biting releases a stress hormone that creates feelings of exhaustion and inhibits both performance and concentration.

So, in other words, young athletes with a custom-made mouthguard can look forward to two things: a safer smile and a better performance while playing.

Our program is at an end for now, but we’d still love to talk to you and your young athlete about athletic mouthguards and their importance. Call any three of our offices today. We’d be happy to help your child with any dental needs that he or she has.

Enjoy a Whiter, More Confident Smile with Teeth Whitening

August 21, 2012

If you have stained teeth, smiling confidently can be difficult. As a result, instead of feeling like yourself when you’re with friends and family, you can feel withdrawn or isolated. The good news is that your friends at Painesville Dental Group have a cosmetic dentistry solution that can change all that. With professional teeth whitening from Zoom, we can help you overcome embarrassing stains so you can be yourself again.

Professional Teeth Whitening Options

At our Painesville and Chardon dental offices, we offer fast and effective teeth whitening with Zoom! Whitening. With in-office teeth whitening from Zoom! it takes just one visit to dramatically brighten teeth using a specially formulated gel and targeted light. The entire process is safe and comfortable, not to mention easy. If you have a special event coming up and need a whiter smile in a hurry, in-office teeth whitening with Zoom! may be what you need.

But teeth whitening with Zoom! isn’t the only option we have. For patients who are looking for a way to whiten their smile at home, or who would like to supplement their Zoom! whitened smile with at-home touch-ups, your doctor at Painesville Dental Group can also provide a take-home teeth whitening kit.

To find out more about teeth whitening, our whitening options, and what causes stains in the first place, visit our teeth whitening page. You can also call one of our offices to reserve a consultation appointment with us. We gladly serve patients from Painesville, Chardon, and Jefferson.

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