Visiting the Tooth Fairy

 

Yesterday, I had a fair(l)y unadventurous visit to the dentist. Just a regular check-up, which I "passed with flying colours" - i.e. nothing detected that needed fixing. 

Later in the day, trying to think of something to blog about but coming up with absolutely nothing, I turned to Bing Image Creator to ask for an illustration of a visit to "the Tooth Fairy".  From several attempts to rephrase my request, the most interesting image that came up was the one above. It did not really feel very relevant, though, so I gave up.

Today, looking at this image again, I decided to ask Copilot if I could upload an image and ask for a story to go with it. He (surely it's a he?) said yes, absolutely. It took me some time to figure out how, though. But it turned out that was just because not enough of the web page was visible on my screen - and strangely I had to enlarge rather than diminish to make that happen! Once I did succeed to upload the image from yesterday, though, the story came faster than I was able to read... But it didn't include anything to do with teeth!

Once upon a time, in the mystical land of Eldoria, there was a castle known for its enchanting beauty and the magical beings that resided within. The castle, built from the finest stone bricks, stood proudly amidst the rolling green hills, its conical roofs reaching towards the sky.

One early morning, as the sun began to rise, casting a golden hue over the land, two fairies named Liora and Thalia prepared for a momentous occasion. Liora, the elder fairy, wore a gown that shimmered like the morning dew, while Thalia’s attire sparkled with the vibrant colors of dawn.

Beside them stood an ancient wizard, Alaric, with a long white beard and wise eyes that had seen centuries unfold. In his hand, he held a set of keys, forged from starlight and imbued with powerful magic. These keys, he explained, would unlock the hidden chambers of the castle, revealing secrets and powers that had been dormant for ages.

Liora, with her wisdom and grace, was to guide Thalia, the brave and curious younger fairy, through the mysteries that awaited them. As they approached the arched doorway, Thalia’s heart fluttered with excitement. Her wings, delicate and colorful like a butterfly’s, left a trail of sparkling dust in the air.

The wizard Alaric whispered an incantation, and the keys glowed with an ethereal light. The door creaked open, revealing a world within that was both wondrous and strange. Lush green plants and vibrant mushrooms lined the path, leading them deeper into the castle’s heart.

As they ventured forth, the stained glass windows above cast warm, colorful patterns on the stone floor, guiding their way. The air was filled with the scent of ancient spells and the promise of discovery.

And so, Liora and Thalia embarked on their journey, their spirits high and their minds open to the endless possibilities that lay before them. The kingdom of Eldoria buzzed with anticipation, for the tale of magic, power, and discovery that unfolded that day would be told for generations to come.

And they all lived magically ever after.

Copilot then suggested that perhaps I wanted to know more about Eldoria? As he sounded quite eager to go on, I went along with that; and then got a whole background structure about this enchanted kingdom, its inhabitants, the land and the architecture. Feeling rather overwhelmed, I stopped there... 

Curiosity might tempt me to return another day to see if Copilot then still remembers Eldoria, though. And if I can get him to explain the presence of the tooth symbol on the castle, in the window above the door...

Magic Transformation

 

Happiness is having one's mouth full of teeth again - after a few weeks of having had to make do without one of them! Yesterday the Tooth Fairy (i.e. my dentist) waved her magic again, and I got my new crown put in place. Turned out a perfect fit, so will hopefully make daily life easier again for a while (until who-knows-what-may-happen-next). 

* * *

Coming out from the dentists' , I still had sort of a contrary feeling of deserving an extra "reward" for going through the process. So before I went back home, I ended up also going to a shoe-shop to buy myself a new pair of warm indoor slippers. Well - it wasn't really an impulse purchase, as I'd had it in mind for for a while. ;-) And probably not one that would have ended up on my blog, if not for a certain detail. I tried on a few different ones, but here is the pair that I ended up buying:

See that little tag? It "sealed the deal" for me...

Recycling magic! :-)

Tooth Fairies and Trolls

 

(Tooth Trolls; drawing by Thorbjørn Egner)

 In the English-speaking tradition, there is the Tooth Fairy, who comes to collect children's teeth (and pays good money for them!). In the Scandinavian tradition, we have Tooth Trolls. I remember them from a book in my childhood; but when I check the facts now, I find that the original is Norwegian - created by Thorbjørn Egner. The trolls were called Karius and Bactus, and they lived in cavities in the teeth of a boy - thriving when he ate sweets and forgot to brush his teeth; but finally driven away by better dental hygiene. 

What brought them to mind for me this week was another visit to the dentist (less than two months after my annual checkup in January, when they found nothing wrong). It happened at lunch on Sunday. Whether it was fairies or trolls at work, they didn't quite succeed: An old artificial tooth crown came loose, but I somehow managed to salvage it rather than swallow it. Phoned the dentist's on Monday morning and got an appointment for Tuesday. In the meantime, I kept a kind of half-fasting diet of soup and yoghurt + meticulous use of toothbrush... And as the dentist saw no evidence of trolls having moved in, he was able to put the crown back. Phew. (For how long this time, remains to be seen!)

Long gone are the days when teeth grew back of themselves and the tooth fairy left money behind for the ones she took away... Nevertheless, I have to say that on the whole, I'm rather thankful for the advances made in dental care since back in my childhood!

 Fairy tale illustration by John Bauer (1882-1918)

December 25 - The Tooth Fairy & Co

These are some of the new additions to my collection of "odd" Christmas ornaments, found in the parcels waiting under my tree yesterday. (It's mostly a passive kind of collection, mind... They just keep coming, and the population keeps growing...) 

The little grumpy-looking grey creature really came bearing another name (the original sign says "data virus"); but was renamed by me towards the end of the evening (Christmas Eve) - when I happened to break a tooth! Only three weeks after my annual check-up at the dentist's... And it was neither fudge nor toffee nor chocolate that did it... But a piece of dentist-prescribed fluoride chewing gum! Believable story, eh? (Sigh.)

It was one of the four corners of a molar that went. The filling in the middle is still in place, though, and I'm not in pain. The answering machine at my dentist's informs me they'll be back on Monday morning, so I think I'll manage to survive until then - even if it involves some slight changes in the Christmas menu.

Ah well, as I'm spending a quiet Christmas in my own company this year, it's not as if I had all that much of a special menu planned in advance anyway... Plenty of food though; no worries about that. So today I chopped some ham very fine and put it in a quiche (very tasty and hardly requires any chewing at all).

Outside, a Christmas storm with rain has been raging most of the day today. Protected by some more friendly Christmas fairy (perhaps), I managed a short walk in the late morning, in between showers. Five minutes after I got back in, the rain was hitting my windows hard again. Anyway I have been quite happy to stay in the rest of the day.

Yesterday morning at 11 am (before the tooth incident), I also managed a visit to a Nativity church service.

Toothday

You may think it’s Thursday, but to me it’s been Toothday.  I had a visit from the Evil Tooth Fairy last night - the kind that takes your tooth AND your money!

So first thing in the morning I got on the phone to my dentist’s office; only to be told by their answering machine that the whole gang of them were away for education, and won’t be back until Monday.

Somehow that feels typical, although I suppose if I had kept proper statistics over my tooth emergencies over the years, I’m sure I’d find that my dentist has been available more often than not. In fact I’ve had the same dentist for well over 20 years, and I think it has only happened once before during that period that I had to seek help from a different dental practice.

Today however, they were referring emergencies to another dentist/number; and since four days seemed too long to just wait and worry, I took the plunge.

Luckily they were able to fit me in already at 8:40 am, so no complaints about the service. I took a taxi and got there in time. It was an old crown that had got broken off – together with a piece of the original tooth it was attached to. Luckily it was one that already had a root-filling, so no pain. He gave the rugged remains a bit of a polish and put a temporary protective filling on top. So at least now there’s a smooth surface and no sharp edges to cut my tongue on. This will hopefully keep until I can discuss the more permanent solution with my regular dentist.

There will be no steak for dinner over the weekend. 

Picture from http://www.supercoloring.com/

“The folklore states that when a child loses a baby tooth, if he or she places it beneath the bed pillow, the tooth fairy will visit while the child sleeps, replacing the lost tooth with a small payment.” Wikipedia

I can’t really recall any stories about the tooth fairy in my childhood, but I think I did get coins when I lost my baby teeth.  - What about you?