The Tooth Fairy

The tooth fairy is an icon representing a coming of age ritual that can reach across all barriers. In current times it is not associated with any particular holiday or time of year or limited to a certain group of people, but is an acknowledgement of a step in growing up, a part of every child's life. How it is celebrated may differ from culture to culture or from one family to another.

At four to six years of age, most children begin to lose their baby teeth to make room for the growth of the permanent adult teeth. To most children this is a big event and as children see others around them beginning to lose their teeth, they want to be like their peers and have that special sign, that they are getting bigger, happen to them too. They may even experience frustration and even jealousy at times when it seems like everyone around them has lost teeth and they are still waiting for that big event to occur, but when it finally happens, they proudly display their latest accomplishment. It can be quite humorous watching the lengths a child will go to or the worrying and fussing over that first tooth coming out. Of course some children may express fears and concerns, but for most when the tooth comes out, they show it with great pride or excitement.

In previous times the loss of baby teeth had deeper meanings. The lost teeth were considered a piece of the individual that need to be protected when they fell out. If the tooth fell into the wrong hands, it could possibly cause mischief or danger to the person that lost the tooth. It was believed that if a witch got the tooth, they could place an evil or damaging spell on the individual by possessing a piece of that person, much like a voodoo doll is used to cause suffering to, or control of the person the doll is made to curse.

Some people buried each tooth to ensure no one would get a hold of it. Some cultures put the lost tooth in specific places, for instance an upper tooth goes on the roof and a lower tooth under the ground, but however it was or is done, it is something special that many cultures equate with something of importance in the growing experience of childhood.

The western tooth fairy came into existence in the 1900's. The tooth fairy represents sympathetic magic. She is a protector of the lost teeth and there are many stories pertaining to what happens to the teeth once the tooth fairy gathers them from the children. One story is that you only need to look in the sky to see the bright twinkling lights at night and you will see where the tooth fairy has planted the children's baby teeth. Another is that she plants them safely in her garden to ensure strong growth of the permanent teeth and growth of teeth in other new babies.

In exchange for the tooth, the tooth fairy leaves gift of some sort, usually some money or candy. How much of a deal is made of this event is entirely up to each family but it can be turned into a very special event depending on how you choose to acknowledge it, of course in agreement with the tooth fairy so she knows each families wishes.

There are special tooth boxes, ranging from plastic to porcelain, to little silver ones adorned with fairy charms. There are tooth fairy pillows the tooth can be safely tucked into and then placed under the child's own pillow at night for the tooth fairy to find on her rounds. These keep the tooth safe because a lost lost tooth can be very traumatic for a child. When a tooth gets lost, some people leave a note for the tooth fairy, explaining what happened so the tooth fairy still makes her scheduled appearance and spreads her own kind of charm.

The first lost tooth is the most significant one and sometimes more attention is placed on the loss of that one than subsequent teeth that fall out. Sometimes the tooth fairy gives extra cash or a special gift for this tooth. Some ideas might include an ornament for the Christmas tree or a book about losing teeth. If the tooth fairy is feeling more practical, she may leave a new toothbrush.

When the tooth fairy leaves different amounts of money to each child and some amounts are much larger than another child receives, it can be explained that the tooth fairy carries loose change in her pockets and whatever she has when she arrives or which pocket she takes it from and leaves in your child's room, is what she gives in exchange for their tooth. She never knows how much she will have each time, so it could be a dime, a pile of pennies. or a five dollar bill. This simple explanation helps when children hear what others have received in exchange for their teeth and it is not the same as what they have received.

Sometimes there are signs that has been there besides the gift left by the tooth box or under the pillow. There may be glittery fairy dust around the bed showing just where the tooth fairy walked or near the place the tooth was left. She might even leave a note written in special fairy writing. The tooth fairy is known to be flighty at times, or extremely busy flying all over the world, so she may be forgetful and not pick up a tooth right away.

However this is celebrated, with fuss or simplicity, it is a mark that a child has stepped into the next part of childhood and how it is done can make the child feel special. They have accomplished another step in growing up.