From the desk of Janet Coon, Dental Assistant Department Head:
As the holidays approach and I sit pondering a dental topic of interest for December, I couldn’t help but start to sing the cute song “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”. As a self-proclaimed dental enthusiast, I wondered what the history of the song was. So with a little help from the internet, I have a few answers…
“All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” is a novelty Christmas song written in 1944 by Donald Yetter Gardner while teaching music at public schools in Smithtown, New York. According to Wikipedia, he asked his second-grade class what they wanted for Christmas, and saw that the majority of his class had at least one front tooth missing when they answered him in a resounding lisp. This inspired Gardner to write the song in only 30 minutes. Originally, his song was recorded by Spike Jones & His City Slickers on December 6, 1947, reaching the top of the charts in early 1949. The song was also recorded by numerous other singers and performers, including George Strait, The Platters, The Andrews Sisters, Nat King Cole, and the cast of Sesame Street.
Now for the dental facts of our “Two Front Teeth”…
Our permanent two front teeth are called our Maxillary Central Incisors and charted in the Universal Numbering System as numbers 8 and 9. They replace primary (baby) teeth E and F at the textbook age of 7-8 years. The maxillary central incisors are usually the most visible of all teeth in the mouth. As with all incisors, their function is for shearing or cutting food during chewing. There is typically a single cusp on each tooth, called an incisal edge. Formation of these teeth begins at 3–4 months of age.
Maxillary Central Incisors
I hope you have enjoyed a little holiday dental history and a few facts about teeth. No matter what is on your holiday wish-list, my hope for you is an overflowing amount of health and abundance of happiness. Happy Holidays from the Dental Assistant Program at Community Care College!