Tooth-Losing Traditions Across the World That your Adelaide Dentist Forgot to Tell you About

While a visit to the dentist is not usually popular with children in Adelaide, losing a baby tooth is filled with utter excitement. As a kid I still remember the joy when one of my baby teeth that was hanging from a thread finally fell out. That night before bed, I would store my tooth in my special Tooth Fairy tooth holder with the hope of the Tooth Fairy visiting. In the morning, I would rush out of bed to see if the Tooth Fairy had visited. Growing up, I had always believed the Tooth Fairy myth was universal, just like Santa. However, after talking to some friends from overseas, I quickly discovered this was not the case. If you thought the Tooth Fairy story was zany enough, wait until you learn about the tooth-losing myths from around the world.

The Tooth Fairy - Australia, US, England, New Zealand, Germany, Norwegian, Denmark

Most of us are familiar with the story of the Tooth Fairy, as we have grown up believing it. The charming tale was invented to alleviate the ordeal of losing a tooth and become very popular with children. Once a tooth is lost, children place the tooth under their pillow and go to sleep. During the night, the Tooth Fairy flutters through the window and exchanges the tooth for money. While the going rate in my household was $1 per tooth, back in the 90s, these days the going rate is apparently $3.70.  

The myth is said to originate from the 17th century story, “La Bonne Petit Souris”, which in English translates into The Good Little Mouse. The tale written by Madame d’Aulnoy portrays a battle of good verses evil. In the story, a good queen is trying to overthrow an evil king and gets help from a fairy. One night, the fairy transforms into a mouse and hides under the king’s pillow. The mouse then knocks out all of the king’s teeth. In 1949, a more modern version of the Tooth Fairy story was published. The story written by Lee Rogow entitled “The Tooth Fairy,” thrust the old myth back into discussion and established the story in tradition.

The Tooth Mouse – Spain, Mexico, Peru, Childe, Argentina, Colombia, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco, Algeria, Luxemburg

In French and Spanish speaking counties the story is pretty similar, however, instead of a fairy it is a mouse that collects the tooth. Just like the Tooth Fairy story, when children lose their teeth, they leave them either under their pillow or in a glass of water to be collected by the mouse. The teeth are replaced with either money or a present. In the instance where a child leaves their tooth in a glass of water, the mouse gulps down the water and keeps the tooth. He then places the present in the empty glass.

In Spanish speaking counties the much-loved character is called a range of different names including Ratocinto Perez, Raton Perez, Perez Mouse and El Raton de Los Dientest. Whereas, in French speaking counties the mouse is affectionately referred to as La Petite Souris. In Scotland the story changes slightly with tooth being collected by a white rate. While it sounds terrifying to adults for a rat wandering around the house, the white rate buys the teeth from the children by giving them coins.

Interestingly, in Canada where both English and French are spoken, children believe in both the Tooth Fairy and the Tooth Mouse. This dual belief is also shared in Italy, as well as numerous other counties. 

Throwing teeth – Asia, Japan and the Middle East

In Asian countries the tooth-losing tradition is very different. When a child loses a tooth it is either thrown up onto the roof, or down onto the floor. The direction the tooth flies in, is dependent on the positioning in their mouth. If the tooth was located in the upper jaw, the tooth is thrown onto the roof. However, if it is from the lower jaw, the child tosses it to the floor. Once this ritual is completed, a child requests that their tooth is replaced with the tooth of a mouse. While this request sound peculiar, they ask for a mouse’s tooth because their teeth grow for their entire life.

The throwing trend continues in India, with children throwing tooth up onto the roof. The children then call upon a sparrow to bring them a new tooth. Similarly, in the Dominican Republic, teeth are also thrown onto the roof, however, the mouse trend continues and a mouse is meant to collect it and bring them a new one.

In the Middle East, they also follow the tradition of throwing their teeth. In counties including Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Jordan and Palestine, teeth are thrown into the sky towards the Sun or Allah.

In Japan the ritual is a little different. The Japanese desire very straight teeth, so once a tooth is lost their throw in either up or down, but as straight as they possible can.
 

Next time your child has a dental appointment and is nervous about visiting their dentist; share with them the stories from around the world. Conversely, if you are looking for a Good Dentist in Adelaide, visit the Total Dental and Denture Care website to learn more about their services at http://tddc.com.au/.