The legend of the “tooth fairy”

Excerpt

Dentists and especially paediatric dentists frequently refer to the “tooth fairy” when discussing the loss of primary teeth with their young patients and parents. However, like many legends there is debate as to whether this is fact or fiction. Is the tooth fairy simply a fantasy figure of early childhood? Folklore states that when a child loses a baby tooth and they place it under their pillow at bedtime the tooth fairy will come when the child is asleep and replace the tooth with a small amount of money. As paediatric dentistry specialists I’m certain that we have all discussed the tooth fairy many times with our patients and their parents. Is this custom confined to a few western countries or is it perhaps more widespread? …