Tooth Fairy Faces Jury for Tooth Lodged in Boy's Ear

Okay, so joking aside, I had to laugh and grimace when I read a recent news article that told the tale of a young boy and his lost tooth. An 8-year-old boy suffered from a serious runny nose for three years before his parents finallly took him to an allergy specialist and discovered that one of the boy's lost teeth was lodged in his ear canal.

When the allergist took X-rays of the boy's ear they discovered severely inflamed sinuses and a calcified foreign body–the boy's tooth. After the boy lost his tooth, he placed it under his pillow to wait for his prize from the tooth fairy. However, he says that he instead woke up and was in extreme distress as the tooth was lodged into his left ear. His parents dismissed his fears and waited three years before taking his complaints seriously.

Okay, so obviously the tooth fairy isn't to blame, but there is a message here. ADA spokesman Jonathan Shenkin says that you can enhance lost tooth safey by placing the errant tooth in a small container or envelope before putting it under your child's pillow. That way the tooth cannot sneak its way into any orifice, but it isn't likely that it would anyway. Shenkin says he hasn't dealt with such a case in his pediatric dentistry practice in August, ME. I guess the tooth fairy gets away scot free this time!