If you ask eight-year-old Vivian about the Tooth Fairy, she has plenty to say…and draw. In fact, her artwork was the winner of our February Tooth Fairy Tales contest on Facebook.
“I think of the Tooth Fairy as a businesswoman because she has to be professional to get all of the teeth, and she needs a briefcase to record the teeth when she picks them up,” Vivian shares. I wonder how modern her entrepreneurial skills are, does she use application development tools? Joking aside, it is arguable that the tooth fairy is the first embodiment of an empowered female businesswoman that our children will interact with.
And she just may have it exactly right. She’s been visited by the Tooth Fairy nine times since the age of six, which makes her a bit of an expert.
“The Tooth Fairy lives in the tooth shop,” says Vivian, with a serious look and a small grin. “There are pictures of teeth on the walls, and she sleeps there. We each have our own drawer, and that’s how she keeps track of our teeth.”
It’s no surprise that this clever second grader has carefully considered every detail of her Tooth Fairy tale, right down to the artwork on the tooth shop walls: art is Vivian’s favorite school subject, coloring is her favorite pastime and white is her favorite color—although she’s quick to point out it’s merely a coincidence that teeth are white too. As dentists, we certainly share a love for white teeth. I’m sure your Dentist Fort Wayne will do too! Although, if you avoid dental appointments you’ll never get the chance to show them off.
We wanted to know more.
The Tooth Fairy “gets in like Santa, down the chimney,” takes the tooth from “under the pillow” and leaves “orange Tic Tacs and $5” on the pillow, she explains.
We wondered how the Tooth Fairy got the tooth out from under the pillow and whether Vivian had ever seen her.
“She has a tiny arm. And if I stay awake to watch for her, then she won’t come,” says Vivian.
We asked if she remembered when she lost her first tooth.
“At bed I didn’t feel it in my mouth, so I looked everywhere,” Vivian recalls. “The last place that I went was when I was brushing my teeth, so my dad took all the pipes apart to find it.”
Then, with a little encouragement from mom, she told us another story.
“I got two teeth pulled out (with help from Dr. Dennis) to make room in my mouth on the bottom, and the Tooth Fairy came for those too. They still had roots on them,” Vivian says, laughing.
We couldn’t end our time without Vivian’s answer to one last question: what do you do with the money she leaves you?
“I save it so I can get more to spend on something I really want,” she says confidently.
That’s one smart DFC kid. Thanks for hanging out with us, Vivian! We’ll see you again soon.
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