Anna Grace Carter

Tooth traditions from around the world

Losing one's baby teeth is a universal experience, and in many Western countries a tooth fairy will exchange them for money. "When my son Arthur started losing his teeth at 6, we told him to put the tooth under his pillow and the tooth fairy would come at night to give him money," said Matt Roberts, father of two. "Then we put a little money, like 10 kuai, or sometimes a little toy, under his pillow."

The tooth fairy's origins are thought to be rooted in an 18th century French fairy tale called "La Bonne Petite Souris," where a fairy changes into a mouse to help a good queen defeat an evil king by hiding under his pillow to torment him and knock out all his teeth. In Spain, a tooth mouse, known as "Ratoncito Perez," substitutes a tooth under a pillow for money or sweets. In Mexico, children leave their baby teeth next to a mouse hole, outdoors, or anyplace they think a mouse will find it.

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