Happy Passover and Easter Celebrations!
Hello all of my little friends! I see that all of you are still doing very well with your brushing and flossing New Year’s Resolutions! I am so very proud of you all and loved your submissions for the coloring contest for Children’s Dental Health Month. I am so delighted that we are ending the “Ides of March” and Spring is here! I hear all of my little feathered friends singing happily in the morning’s rising sun. It is music to us fairies!
You know how much I adore your pearly whites and want you to keep them strong, healthy and beautiful for your entire life!!! I find we are in another month where a lot of celebration happens around sweets. In fact, I had to have a talk with one of the big offenders. Can you guess who I mean? No, not the Leprechauns or the elves.
Osterhase
Who do you know that brings candy in the Spring? If you guessed the Easter Bunny, Osterhase you are correct!! Osterhase is a German name but we call EB (Easter Bunny), Oscar. Don’t confuse Oscar with his cousin, Peter Rabbit.
Easter is a religious holiday but many traditions associated with Easter go back hundreds of years. Easter eggs were around in the 13th century when eggs were forbidden during the season known as Lent. People would decorate the eggs in celebration of Easter, because they could eat them again on Easter Sunday.
Easter Treats
Well, in the 1300’s I was still a pretty young fairy. I did love my little darling teeth even when I was a young fairy 😊. All of us enchanted beings all knew each other like the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, the fairies, elves and Leprechauns. Herbie and I have been working for a long time to teach even them good oral health habits. In those early days, Oscar did not hand out candy but mainly eggs. Children just like you, made nests outside for Oscar to leave his eggs. When German people came over to America in the 1700’s, they brought the tradition of the Easter Bunny over with them. Oscar has a lot of children who naturally followed in the family business. Unfortunately, one of his kids, Harold, broke tradition and being in Pennsylvania, where much of our candy was invented, started delivering sweet treats. Harold was trying to be unique, but little did he know he brought the demeantors and bogarts to life. You remember those guys; they are the bad fellows who hurt our little darlings. Later in the 1950’s candy manufacturer “Just Born” invented marshmallow peeps and Harold added them to his baskets. Marshmallow Peeps now come in a sugar free version.
Harold persuaded the big chocolate companies in Pennsylvania such as Hershey, Reeses and Just Born to make Easter themed sweets. Well, they did. Harold also persuaded artists to weave brightly colored baskets for his bunny army to deliver. Harold then added the worst type of candy you can have to those baskets of destruction, uh, I mean pretty baskets, He added Jelly Beans! Jelly beans are essentially sugar drops with a little flavoring and some pectin to make the jelly center. Although these treats date back thousands of years to the BC/AD era, this confection was known as Turkish Delights.
Turkish Delights are now called Jelly Beans. Harold, that rascal, persuaded Brach’s Confectionary to make these little sugar bombs. Did you know that over 16,000,000,000 (16 billion) jelly beans are made each year just for the Easter Season? There is a company called Jelly Belly that makes sugar free jelly beans too. The sugar free versions are not any better for your waistline but are certainly better for your teeth.
Protect Your Teeth
So, what can you do to protect your little darlings from the assault of the dementors and bogarts? In addition to brushing twice a day, brush after eating your sweet treats! Use a toothpaste that has fluoride in it and of course, don’t forget to floss! When you go to your doctor’s office for a visit, make certain he or she puts some fluoride varnish on your teeth. Remember, fluoride is just like a petronus for your little darlings. In addition, a trip to the dentist is in order every six months. Your hygienist will clean your teeth and the doctor will come in and look for any signs that the demeantors and bogarts have been hard at work. Don’t forget, it is probably time to get a new toothbrush!
Tata my little buddies! Have a Happy Passover and Easter! Don’t forget, you can always contact me with email or call my friends at the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership! My friends there would definitely love to hear from some of you out there as you brighten up their day!
Dr. Tooth Fairy
855-CT-DENTAL Monday-Friday 8AM – 5PM
