According to history, All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth was written by Donald Yetter Gardner at the age of 31. Donald Yetter Gardner and his wife were helping second graders in a New York Elementary School in 1944. He asked them to complete the sentence, “All I want for Christmas is….”. Mr. Gardner noted that over half of the children were missing one or both of their front teeth as they responded to him. It was that moment that compelled Mr. Gardner to compose All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.
The song was written because Mr. Gardner noted children exfoliating their primary dentition. Deciduous teeth, also known as baby teeth, are necessary for the development of the oral cavity. Baby teeth have a very important role in the mouth from speech development to spacing and eruption guide for permanent teeth. Children will lose all 20 of their primary teeth over the first 12 years of their life. As a general rule, a child’s permanent teeth will erupt shortly after the loss of the baby tooth. Exceptions do apply. By the age of 13, most of the permanent teeth will erupt. The wisdom teeth are the final teeth to erupt between the ages of 17-21.
Healthy smiles begin by caring for the baby teeth with proper brushing, flossing, and dental care.
Remember to brush twice a day for two minutes, floss, and get regular dental checkups!
Until Next time,
Keep smiling, sharing, and caring!
