Denise Ditto Satterfield is the tooth fairy. Late in life she found her calling, and in the past decade she has written books, a play, designed special pillows and created a world that embraces the fairy tale while promoting dental hygiene.
“I always wanted to write books and I found my passion in the tooth fairy, of all things,” she said.
Satterfield, who lives part time on Galveston’s West End, said she has no background in the dental industry — although her initials are DDS — but has studied and learned enough to pass on good habits to her readers. And in February, which is National Children’s Dental Health Month, designed to promote good oral health habits for children and raise awareness of the importance of dental care, Satterfield is busy spreading the word about the magical land Brushelot where the tooth fairies live.
She has completed a trio of chapter books in a series from the “Tooth Collector Fairies,” involving characters such as the fairy Batina, with huge, oversized wings; a cat/unicorn named Enamelina; and a little boy fairy called Lucas. Satterfield is near completing a fourth book. The theme of the books is to encourage readers to brush their teeth before their 20 baby teeth are replaced with their permanent ones. A visit from the tooth fairy could result in a gift if the tooth inspectors verify the removed tooth was in good condition.
The theory and message in her award-winning books are good-quality teeth turn into fairy dust, allowing the fairies to continue giving gifts.
“The book enforces dental hygiene through the drama of the stories and characters,” she said. “They are learning lessons here.”
A theater group in Katy, Texas, liked the stories so much its members asked Satterfield to write a script and musical lyrics for a play they would perform. The show was successfully staged and presented in 2016 and again by another theater group the next year.
Satterfield realized she could publicize her books at local festivals and national conventions and expanded her product line, she said. She started making little pillows with pockets for the fallen-out teeth that could be left for a generous tooth fairy’s gift. Note, the going rate today is $5 per tooth, a far cry from the 25 cents she used to get as a child, she said.
And she started designing and building fairy doors as a way “for the tooth fairy to come into the room.”
“You can’t open the doors, only fairies can,” she said. “They bring great comfort for children who worry about how the tooth fairy will get into their room.”
Some of the most interesting places she attends — in full fairy costume, by the way — are dental conventions.
“The dentists love me,” she said. “They like the messages in the books and flock to my booth at the convention.”
She was surprised by her popularity at a major dental convention recently in Atlanta, she said.
“This whole thing — fairies, dental hygiene, brushings — never occurred to me,” she said. “It was not planned. I don’t know what my plan was, but I know it was not this. But now I eat and breathe the tooth fairy stories and can’t think of anything more fun.”
Read the whole thing here: Coastal Monthly
