Tooth fairy 101: History, tradition, and how to make healthy teeth fun for children (2024)

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Did you anxiously await the arrival of the tooth fairy as a child? In some ways, the tooth fairy is even better than Santa. After all, she leaves money you can spend on whatever you want and she visits at unplanned times of the year.

Regardless, the tooth fairy can make the scary experience of losing teeth a little more bearable.

Have you ever stopped to think about how the tooth fairy tradition began? Here is some insight to the story.

When did the tooth fairy tradition start and what is it?

In the United States, the origins of the modern tooth fairy have been traced to a 1908 publication in the Chicago Daily Tribune. The author, Lillian Brown, was offering parents the suggestion to have their child leave their lost tooth under their pillow. In the night, the tooth fairy would come and leave a small gift that the parent conveniently picked up from the 5-cent store.

But, what is the tooth fairy exactly? And what does it look like? Unlike Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, there isn’t a well-defined “look” for the tooth fairy.

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Most people today agree that she’s female and has a Tinkerbell-like appearance, which became predominant with the rise of Disney’s portrayal of fairies. However, the tooth fairy has been reimagined in various forms including a child with wings, a pixie, a dragon, a bear, a dental hygienist, a flying ballerina, and more.

Interestingly, throughout much of Europe and in Spanish-speaking countries, the tooth fairy is envisioned as a mouse. He is called El Ratóncito Pérez in Spanish, La Petite Souris in French, and Fatina dei Denti in Italian.

Regardless of how you picture the tooth fairy, she has been calming the fears of children as they lose their baby teeth for generations. Plus, she has helped parents encourage their children towards good dental health and to be excited to find a dentist.

The history behind the tooth fairy

As is often the case with modern traditions, the history of the tooth fairy dates back much farther than the early 1900s. Various traditions from many different cultures have influenced the creation and perception of the tooth fairy over the years.

Across northern Europe, there is the tradition of the Tand-fé (tooth fee) which children received when losing their first baby tooth. This tradition dates back as far as the earliest written Norse records, around 1200.

In the same culture, it was thought that children’s teeth could bring good luck in battle. Many a Scandinavian warrior wouldn’t dare touch foot on the battlefield without a string of children’s teeth around his neck.

Later on, other superstitions developed around children’s teeth. Children in England were told to bury their baby teeth so they wouldn’t suffer hardship in the afterlife. The Vikings would pay children for their teeth.

In medieval times, Europeans thought that if a witch possessed your teeth, they could have total power over you. This led many people to burn or bury their children’s baby teeth to keep themselves safe.

After Lillian Brown’s article in 1908, the U.S. tradition became solidly established in modern culture and spread around the world. In 2011 and 2012, the Royal Canadian Mint created Tooth Fairy quarters. In 2020, the Royal Australian Mint started creating “Tooth Fairy kits” with commemorative $2 coins.

How much money should the tooth fairy leave?

How much money the tooth fairy leaves is often dependent on the family’s socioeconomic status and the amount the child’s friends are receiving. Typical amounts that today’s parents may have received as children range from a quarter to a dollar.

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Kids these days are receiving considerably more. A recent poll reveals that the tooth fairy is dolling out an average of $4.70 per tooth! Payouts for the first tooth are often higher and sometimes the tooth fairy will pay more for shiny, clean teeth.

Fun ways to welcome the tooth fairy

Ultimately, the whole point of the tooth fairy is to encourage your kids to develop good dental habits. So, aside from the excitement of finding money under their pillow, there are other ways that you can make it special when those baby teeth come out. Here are a few ideas.

Pick out a tooth fairy dish

Traditionally, children simply put their teeth under their pillows. But you can up the fun factor by taking your child to pick out a special dish for their tooth to leave on a nightstand. Make it a unique craft project and paint your own or look for something unique at a thrift store or antique shop.

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Give a receipt

Kids will think it’s great if the tooth fairy leaves them a little receipt for their tooth. It can even include an encouraging message about how great they are doing keeping up with their dental care!

Create a keepsake book

Take the receipt idea one step further and get a little notebook where your child can leave notes for the tooth fairy as well. Then, when the tooth fairy leaves the money, she can also add an encouraging or informative note about their next dentist appointment.

Tooth fairy stories

The tooth fairy for kids has popped up in various ways in children’s books, stories, and videos. She is featured in popular books like The Berenstain Bears and the Tooth Fairy or How to Catch the Tooth Fairy by Adam Wallace.

“The Rock” even makes an appearance as the tooth fairy in the 2010 film The Tooth Fairy. It’s a little silly, but if you’ve ever wondered what Dwayne Johnson looks like in a tutu, here’s your chance to find out.

Visiting the “real” tooth fairy

The tooth fairy tradition can help make the transition from primary to permanent teeth easier for kids. Losing teeth can be a big and uncertain change for a child. The tooth fairy helps create a sense of wonder and fun during this time, and parents can use the opportunity to make visiting a dentist near you less scary.

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Tooth fairy 101: History, tradition, and how to make healthy teeth fun for children (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of the Tooth Fairy? ›

It's possible that the tooth fairy tradition traces its roots back nearly a millennium to the 10th century Norse peoples of Europe. In the “Eddas,” the earliest recorded writings of Norse and Northern European traditions, a tradition called the “tand-fe” (translated to the “tooth fee”) is noted.

What does the Tooth Fairy do with the teeth for kids? ›

The Tooth Fairy collects about 300,000 teeth from children all over the world every night. So, what does she do with all those teeth? It's believed that the Tooth Fairy uses these teeth to help build the fairy community where she lives. Other times she will make jewelry for herself and her friends.

What are the rituals of baby teeth throughout history? ›

Baby Teeth Rituals Throughout History

The tooth was thrown into the sun or between the legs. The tooth was thrown onto or over the roof of a house, often while saying a prayer or singing a song to some individual or animal. The tooth was placed in a mouse hole near the hearth or offered to another animal.

What to do with kids teeth after Tooth Fairy? ›

  • Why today's parents keep milk teeth. In 2020 health company DentaVox surveyed 330 parents about milk teeth and what they did with them. ...
  • Chuck them. ...
  • Place them in a memory box. ...
  • Baby tooth books. ...
  • Keep them for stem cells. ...
  • Store in a drawer. ...
  • Have them made into jewellery. ...
  • Bury them.
Oct 19, 2022

What is the legend of the Tooth Fairy? ›

The first tooth fairy was said to be a mythical creature in the form of a tiny mouse that would exchange gifts for lost teeth under the pillow of sleeping children. To support this asseveration, in Spain, the Little Ratón Pérez served to add values like bravery and compassion to the story.

What's the Tooth Fairy's favorite food? ›

Real life Tooth Fairies love cheese and eggs because they keep teeth healthy and can also help build up strong tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is the shiny coating that covers your teeth and protects them from cavities and tooth decay.

What does the Tooth Fairy do for fun? ›

The Tooth Fairy performs some very fun and useful functions, such as: Collecting baby teeth from under a child's pillow. Leaving children small gifts in exchange for lost teeth. Helping children to think about their teeth.

How much money should a kid get from the Tooth Fairy? ›

The money the Tooth Fairy leaves varies depending on location, the child's age, and family traditions. On average, the Tooth Fairy leaves around $5, but some kids may receive up to $20 for a single tooth or an exceptional tooth.

What age does Tooth Fairy stop? ›

The ABCs of Vitamin C Summer Dental Health? Get into the Swim of It! While the last baby teeth generally aren't lost until age ten or 11, most children stop believing in the tooth fairy by the time they're seven or eight. Of course, children are more than happy to play along with the game when there's money at stake!

What is the folklore about baby teeth? ›

Cultures all over the world have sacrificed a baby tooth to actual animals by leaving the tooth by a mouse hole, a beaver dam, or the home of another strong-toothed creature. These traditions all hoped to exchange this magical little token of childhood for strong, healthy teeth.

What is the first tooth tradition? ›

A more lighthearted custom still practiced by many cultures is that of throwing a baby tooth over or under the house [source: Beeler]. (Usually, teeth from the lower mouth are thrown above the house, and those from the top are thrown under.)

What do Greek children do with their teeth? ›

In Greece, when children lose their teeth is customary for them to make a wish for strong adult teeth. When they make their wish, they throw their lost tooth onto the roof, which is said to bring good luck.

What to do when the tooth fairy has no money? ›

If you have some time to prepare (those teeth can be wiggly for quite a while) save up a secret stash of small, inexpensive toys, sticker sheets, school supplies, and Dollar Store trinkets. While not free, these inexpensive gifts can be more special than cash because they're from the Tooth Fairy.

What are milk teeth? ›

milk tooth. noun. : a temporary tooth of a young mammal. especially : one of the human dentition including four incisors, two canines, and four molars in each jaw which fall out during childhood and are replaced by the permanent teeth. called also baby tooth, deciduous tooth, primary tooth.

Is 10 too old for tooth fairy? ›

"There is no such thing as being too old to believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy," Kelman tells Yahoo Life. "Letting kids figure it out on their own is preferable to parents breaking the news to them.

How does the Tooth Fairy know when to come? ›

Answer: I have a golden bell in my Tooth Fairy Castle that chimes whenever a child loses a tooth. My helper, Dr. Floss, lets me know where you live and I wait for it to get dark outside so that I can fly to your house while you are sleeping.

What does the Tooth Fairy stand for? ›

On the one hand, children's beliefs are seen as part of the trusting nature of childhood. Conversely, belief in the Tooth Fairy is frequently used to label adults as being too trusting and ready to believe anything. Parents tend to view the myth as providing comfort for children in losing a tooth.

How old is Tooth Fairy Reverse 1999? ›

But none of this has anything to do with the seven-year-old Tooth Fairy. She was just a child plagued by tooth aches. The agonizing pain was like a congenital curse.

Why does the Tooth Fairy leave money? ›

So, why does the tooth fairy leave money under the pillow? The idea of exchanging a tooth for coins originated in Scandinavia. Vikings believed teeth to be a good luck charm in battle, wearing them on necklaces. When a child lost a tooth, adults would actually pay their children for a lost tooth.

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