Keeping up with Toothfairy Traditions
Ask adults today about the toothfairy and they may have fond memories during their childhood when the toothfairy came to visit them. The toothfairy traditions go way back where in parents would give gifts to their children when one of their baby teeth fell out. The gifts or money were hidden underneath their pillow. This was a fun way of celebrating the growth of their children and a way to lessen the impact or fear any child might have about losing their tooth.
There have been some alterations to the toothfairy tradition and certainly there are difference in each community or country. The “tooth underneath the pillow to get money” is more of a western tradition originating in the US. In some countries in the middle east, when a child loses a tooth, they are told to throw it into the direction of the sun while praying to Allah for a new and better tooth. In some Asian countries, they toss the lost tooth onto their roof if it came from the bottom jaw, or underneath their floors if it came from the upper jaw. They then ask that the tooth be replaced with teeth similar to mouse teeth because mice teeth never stop growing and are perceived to be very strong. Toothfairy mice are popular in Europe as well, where toothfairy traditions state that the toothfairy is actually a white mouse that goes around collecting teeth in exchange for coins.
Modern toothfairy traditions now include that when kids lose their tooth, they need to visit the dentist, if not; the tooth fairy won’t take the tooth since it was not approved by the dentist. This can help reduce any fear of going to the dentist and teachers a child that dentists are friends and are there to help.
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