My View: Catherine Scott

NATIONAL Smile Month has taken a certain special meaning in our house. My youngest, who happens to turn six tomorrow, lost one of her front teeth at the weekend. It was a relief actually as the tooth had been dangling from a thread for days as she tried her best to pull it out, while the rest of the family ran screaming from the sight.

Eventually, while on a camping trip, the precarious gnasher eventually did the decent thing and came out, much to everyone’s relief.

She is now sporting a gap the size of the Grand Canyon with a lisp which would give Violet Elizabeth a run for her money. Of course we were then left with the prospect of the Tooth Fairy arriving and the debate of just how much she would be bankrupted for this time.

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Anyone who talks over the school gates will know that Tooth Fairy inflation is a hotly debated topic. According to a new survey by the British Dental Health Foundation, children in Yorkshire and the Humber are visited by the most generous Tooth Fairies in the UK. On average, children in the region receive £1.45 per tooth compared with a UK average of £1.08. Children in the West Midlands receive the least with an average of 86p per tooth.

In total, Tooth Fairies across the UK are leaving more than £16.5m each year under the pillows of children in exchange for their milk teeth. The survey has also found that £1 is the most common amount left by the Tooth Fairy, with more than six out of every 10 children finding the shiny coin when they wake up.

Nearly 65 per cent of children received £1 for each of their milk teeth. Just over one in 10 were lucky enough to receive £2 or more each time for their missing tooth.

Well, the Tooth Fairy in our village is pretty much in line with the going rate. Although that is just for “big front teeth”, it drops to 50p for the smaller ones.

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Luckily, on this occasion she did not disappoint, and a shiny pound coin was found in exchange for the pearly white milk tooth.

However, according to the same survey, not all teeth handed over to the Tooth Fairy are in such good condition.

Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said: “Children have around 20 milk teeth so it is no surprise that the Tooth Fairy is so busy. Unfortunately, around one in three children are leaving teeth for the Tooth Fairy which show signs of visible dental decay.”

The organisation is using National Smile Month, which runs until June 15, to remind children how to brush their teeth, but any parent knows it is not easy to get them to brush as recommended by the BDA.

I must say I feel I have done a good job if I get them to brush twice a day for any length of time, but I have found life easier with the purchase of electric toothbrushes – fab.

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