Rocket Extraction

Kid Attaches Loose Tooth To Rocket - Watch more Funny Videos

Classic! I love when parents can help the kids get over the fear of losing teeth (and dentistry in general) by doing things like this. Who knows? Perhaps grown-ups who come in for extractions would elect for the super-awesome "Rocket Extraction". I know if I had to lose a tooth, launching it with a rocket might make me feel a little better.

Losing a real tooth in a fake fight? Priceless.

We all know that playing hockey can be hazardous to your teeth, but what about professional wrestling?

I'm not talking about mixed martial arts, I mean the performance wrestling. You know, fake? Pretend? Just don't tell this guy:




While you're thanking the performers "for all that you've done to your bodies", be sure to thank John Cena, who recently sacrificed one of his pearly whites in his bout vs. Batista. Cena tweeted that he spent 3 hours at the dentist the next day.

This of course begs the question, did Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson visit him that night?

Happy National Tooth Fairy Day

That's right. According to the Census Bureau Daily, February 28th is National Tooth Fairy Day. To celebrate, the Dental Ninja is giving you some "Tooth Fairy Fun Facts."

• In early European times, it was custom to bury one's baby teeth. This is likely due to the superstition that if a witch happens to get a hold of it, she could put a curse on you. The best way to keep it away from the witches is to bury it.
  
• Spanish-speaking countries believe in a "tooth mouse" rather than fairy. The character, known as the "Ratón Pérez" first appeared in a story written for eight-year old Alfonso XIII, as one of his teeth had fallen out. The story stuck, and the character has even been used by Colgate for marketing in Venezuela and Spain.
• The 18th century French fairy tale "La Bonne Petite Souris" depicts a tooth mouse who morphs into a fairy to help a good queen defeat an evil king by hiding under his pillow. She then tortures him by knocking out all his teeth! This begs the question, why hasn't Disney turned this lovely little tale into a movie?
  
• Scotland's lowland areas have a tradition which, like the French fairy tale, combines a mouse and a fairy. The little lads and lassies eagerly await the visit from a white fairy mouse which purchases the teeth with coins.
  
• India, Korea, and Vietnam have traditions similar to that of the Japanese in that they throw the exfoliated teeth, however, they aren't as concerned with throwing them straight. Instead, these children throw it and shout a request for the tooth to be replaced by a rodent's tooth. It has something to do with the fact that rodent teeth never stop growing.
• Children in parts of India will offer their discarded teeth to the sun.
• The Tooth Fairy as we know her today isn't actually that old. Folklore researchers find the first references around 1900.
  

Since so many cultures believe in a mouse-fairy combo, I've taken it upon myself to create this composite image to help my fellow Americans visualize what a mouse-fairy might look like:

And, just in case you need a little help explaining the whole Tooth Fairy concept to your little ones, here's a little example from our friends Chris and Brian:

There's no Tooth Fairy - at least not in Japan

That's right, according to a kotaku.com blog entry earlier this week, when little Japanese boys and girls lose a tooth they don't bother putting it under the pillow. Instead, the custom is to give it a good toss. Maxillary teeth get thrown down towards the ground and mandibular teeth are thrown into the air (the same direction they grow). The trick is to throw the tooth as straight as possible because this ensures that the permanent tooth comes in straight.

While this may seem like a bad deal for the child, if it actually worked the family would come out way ahead because of the decreased need for pricey orthodontic work! I'd gladly give my son $10 for each tooth he can get to grow in straight. Better go work on that aim.

Tooth Prices Dropping

At least in the UK, that is. Their current economic crisis dubbed the "credit crunch" has forced the tooth fairy to become slightly more stingy then she was six months ago. This article states that the average price of a tooth has gone from £1.22 to 87p, with 38% of Brittish children receiving absolutely nothing! 1000 parents were surveyed to find out what the tooth fairly had left their children.

Why is this? My theory is that the Tooth Fairy foolishly got locked into an adjustable rate mortgage. Think about it - the tooth fairy is always all dolled up in her fairy clothes and waving around that fancy fairy wand. Her hair and makeup is always perfect. She's obviously concerned with what others think of her and to keep up appearances she splurged on a mini-mansion she really couldn't afford. What other explanation is there? Gas prices shouldn't matter - being a fairy, she has the ability to fly. The worldwide increase in food prices? She's six inches tall, how much can she eat? Silly pretentious fairy. Now British children have less money for their Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and Fizzing Whizbees.

The silver lining? This should encourage more Brits to keep their teeth! Zing!