9th March False Teeth Day

While researching Tooth Fairy Day I learned there is actually a day for  false teeth. Do we still need this day? It is celebrated on the day that Charles Graham was issued with a patent for his invention of artificial teeth. It was designed initially to make us think about teeth care too. 

I wonder if children actually have knowledge of false teeth today. Their grandparents probably have implants or a small plate, not dentures. I thought immediately of the book Grandad's Teeth by Rod Clements which used to make children really laugh. If you are going to read it aloud, you need to practise first because Grandad's speech without his teeth is hard to say. 

I was surprised to find that we had other false teeth books in the library. There are false teeth in 

• Crabtree by Jon and Tucker Nichols

This tall book is about Alfred Crabtree who has lost his false teeth. He knows he will find them if he tidies up his clutter. He sets out to organise his life.  

and in 

• Dave and the Tooth Fairy by Verna Wilkins and Carl Pearce.

Despite being about the tooth fairy, this book also talks about grandad's false teeth.

Your library might also have these:

1st November Brush Day

In America National Brush Day is celebrated annually on1st November, immediately following Halloween, to promote good oral hygiene and remind children and families to brush for two minutes, twice a day. That's a good choice of day!

There are lots of opportunities in the year to think about oral hygiene and teeth.

National Dentist Day is 6th March.

World Oral Health Day is on 20th March.

Dental Health Week is celebrated in Australia at the beginning of August. This year 3rd - 9th August.

Then there's Tooth Fairy Day on 28th February and again on 22nd August and False Teeth Day on the 9th March.

There are so many board books for toddlers that focus on teeth brushing, but at the school library we have more scientific books about why brushing teeth is a good idea.

Last week in the run up to Halloween I read The Scariest Monster in the World  by Lee Weatherly to a preschool class and all they could talk about afterwards was the monster's green teeth. So many of them pointed out the fact that he needed to brush his teeth.

The newest book in the library about teeth brushing is this lighthearted one:

This book, My Toothbrush is Missing  by Jan Thomas is fun!

And this one,  A Tale of a Toothbrush  by M.G.Leonard has a much more serious message.