Tooth Fairy Experience makes stops in Moses Lake

The tooth fairy made a magical stop in Moses Lake on Monday, visiting children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of The Columbia Basin’s McGraw Clubhouse and North Elementary School as part of The Tooth Fairy Experience program funded and developed by Delta Dental of Washington.

At her two stops, the tooth fairy talked with kids about the importance of good dental health. The presentation included science experiments, games and activities for the kids, in addition to a reading of the program’s own storybook, “The Clean Teeth Club: A Tooth Fairy Tale,” developed and illustrated by Seattle author Kelly Rae Bahr. Children received a free copy of the book, in addition to a tooth fairy-themed pouch complete with timer, toothbrush, toothpaste and a few other items.

Molli Berube is a marketing manager for The Tooth Fairy Experience and said the campaign originally started under the title “Smile Power.” She said the original goal was traveling all over the state and sharing acts of kindness and honoring people in communities who helped spread smiles themselves. A big part of that was going into schools, and it was discovered how receptive the kids were to the tooth fairy.

“If anyone was going to be able to teach kids how to take care of their teeth and encourage them and make it fun, it was going to be the tooth fairy,” Berube said.

Expanding on Smile Power a few years ago, The Tooth Fairy Experience was born. The program consists of traveling around the state with the Delta Dental Tooth Fairy, giving a presentation and interacting with the kids through fun activities. Berube said she initially played the part of the tooth fairy when the program was founded. More recently, the program has focused on having a diverse range of fairies so every kid can see someone they can identify with.

The program has continued to grow each year since it started, adding more locations and more “fairies” into the mix each year. Berube said the program reached more than 20,000 kids across the state despite the pandemic’s limitations. During the pandemic, she said the program had to adjust to virtual presentations with goody bags sent over to schools ahead of time.

In addition to the visits to children across the state, the program offers a variety of downloadable materials for parents and teachers. Parents can request a personalized letter for their kids or call the hotline and let their children chat with the tooth fairy if they’re having difficulty staying on top of taking care of their teeth.