In my last post, on Friday, I wrote a post about going to the dentist and some dental related vocabulary. One of the vocabulary words I introduced was “the tooth fairy.” Today I thought I would tell you a little more about this cultural figure. The tooth fairy is a fairy* who is believed to leave a gift under a child’s pillow in exchange for the child’s baby tooth once the baby teeth have fallen out. Children are often told by their parents (and thus come to believe) that when they lose their baby teeth**, that if he or she places a fallen out tooth beneath their bed pillow, the tooth fairy will visit while he/she sleeps and take the tooth leaving the child with small payment. The tradition of leaving a tooth under a pillow for the tooth fairy to collect is something that is done in much of the English-speaking world.
Unlike other fictional childhood charters, like Santa Claus, there are few specific details about the tooth fairy that are consistently believed among all children. The tooth fairy is generally portrayed as a female, but other than that, most children have their own idea of what she looks like. The tooth fairy tradition is practiced differently in different households too. For some children the tooth fairy leaves money in exchange for their teeth, for other children it is a small present, or a note. Of course it is the child’s parent who is acting as the tooth fairy so different parents pass on different traditions to their children. Some parents even leave trails of glitter on the floor representing fairy dust or fairy footprints to make the myth of the tooth fairy seem more real. Gifts and reward left by the tooth fairy vary by country, culture, and family but in American children often receive a $1 bill for each tooth they put under their pillow. Some parents tell their children that the tooth fairy pays more money for perfect teeth, those that don’t have cavities or decay in order to help create good dental health habits in their children.
So, where did this tradition of the tooth fairy begin? It is believed that the myth of the tooth fairy grew out of a northern European tradition in which children were paid a tooth fee when they lost their first baby tooth.
Although, the tradition and myth of the tooth fairy varies greatly within the English speaking world and the United States, this is an important cultural reference that most English speakers remember fondly*** from their childhood.
*fairy = a small imaginary being of human form that has magical powers
**baby teeth = temporary teeth that usually grow in when a child is around 1 year old and then fall out when a child is between 5-12 years old
***fondly = with strong feelings and affection
