Personalized Pillow Cases to Commemorate Your Child's Lost Teeth

• A pair of plain white or pastel cotton pillowcases
• A digital camera
• A computer with photo editing software installed
• A printer
• A sheet of iron-on transfer paper
• A pair of scissors
• An iron and ironing board

1. Take a picture of your child smiling to show his or her lost tooth.
2. Upload the photo to your computer.
3. Open the photo in your photo editing software.
4. Click the icon in the software to add text.
5. Add your child's first name and the date the tooth fell out to the picture. The words often look best below the facial area but you can experiment with it by clicking the undo icon and moving the text around to see where it looks best. Then leave the words wherever you feel they look right.
6. Resize the photo to make it about three inches tall. This is so you'll have plenty of room to add new photos as your child loses more teeth.
7. Copy the edited photo into a document two times, so you can make transfers for two pillowcases with one sheet of transfer paper. This gives you one for your child to enjoy now and one to store as a memento.
8. Check the directions on the transfer paper and then put the iron-on transfer paper in your printer.
9. Click the print icon in the photo editing software.
10. Remove the printed transfer paper from your printer's tray and use the scissors to trim off the excess paper around the photo's outer edge.
11. Check the directions on the transfer paper to confirm the heat setting for the iron. Then, get your ironing board and iron ready.
12. Put the photo in one of the pillowcase's corners and use firm pressure with the hot iron to transfer the photo to the pillowcase. Repeat on the other pillowcase.

• It's a good idea to save the edited photos to a folder on your computer labeled with your child's name, in case something happens to your pillowcases and you need to make replacements.
  
  
• If you add a new picture every time your child loses a tooth, these personalized pillow cases create a record of these small, but important, milestone's in your child's life.
  
  
• Transferred photos can peel off with heavy use, and that's why it's such a good idea to make a spare personalized pillow case to put up. That way, if one wears out you still have one for your child to treasure later. You might also only want to use these decorated pillowcases on nights when your child is expecting a visit from the tooth fairy.
  
  
• When you're ready to wash the pillowcases, turn them inside out and run them through the washing machine on the gentle cycle. Either dry the pillowcases on low heat or line dry them to keep the pictures from peeling.

Oral Care Center articles are reviewed by an oral health medical professional. This information is for educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist, physician or other qualified healthcare provider.