Tooth fairy

The tooth fairy is a figure from folklore found in Western and Western-influenced cultures, associated with early childhood. The tradition holds that a child who loses a baby tooth places it under their pillow or on a bedside table. While the child sleeps, the tooth fairy takes the tooth and leaves a small payment in its place.

Beliefs about children’s teeth existed long before the tooth fairy. During the Middle Ages, English children were told to burn their baby teeth, or else they would spend eternity searching for them in the afterlife. In medieval Europe, people also buried or burned teeth out of fear that a witch could gain total control over someone by obtaining one of their teeth.

The earliest known record of the tooth fairy tradition itself comes from a 1908 “Household Hints” column in the Chicago Daily Tribune. The column suggested that telling a child about the tooth fairy could help persuade a reluctant child to allow a loose tooth to be removed. It described the practice of placing the tooth under the pillow, where the fairy would exchange it for a small gift, and advised mothers to stock up on inexpensive items from the five-cent counter for this purpose.

Unlike Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy’s appearance is not consistently described. A 1984 study by Rosemary Wells found that 74% of those surveyed believed the tooth fairy was female, 12% thought it was neither male nor female, and 8% believed it could be either. Wells noted that some people imagined a Tinkerbell-like figure with wings and a wand, while others thought of a man, a bunny rabbit, or a mouse. A review of children’s books and popular artwork found depictions ranging from a winged child, a pixie, a dragon, a blue mother-figure, a flying ballerina, two little older men, a dental hygienist, a female dentist, a potbellied flying man smoking a cigar, a bat, and a bear. Unlike with Santa Claus, children are generally not upset by these different versions.

The tooth fairy has also appeared on currency. The Royal Canadian Mint sold special tooth fairy quarter sets in 2011 and 2012, packaged separately. In 2020, the Royal Australian Mint began issuing “Tooth Fairy Kits” that included commemorative $2 coins.

The payment left for a tooth varies by country, family income, and what the child’s friends report receiving. A 2013 Visa Inc. survey found that American children received an average of $3.70 per tooth. Only 3% of children found a dollar or less, while 8% found five dollars or more. The amount has changed over time. According to Delta Dental, the average payout per tooth in the United States rose from $1.30 in 1998 to $6.23 in 2023, then fell from $5.84 in 2024 to $5.01 in 2025. Delta Dental noted that these trends generally mirror the economy and the S&P 500 stock index, though the 2024–2025 drop was an exception, as the S&P 500 rose 26% while the tooth’s value fell 14%. In the United States, the first lost tooth typically earns a higher reward than subsequent ones.

Belief in the tooth fairy is viewed in two contrasting ways. On one hand, it is seen as part of the trusting nature of childhood. On the other, it is used to label adults as overly trusting or gullible. Parents often see the myth as comforting for children who may be scared or in pain from losing a tooth. Mothers, in particular, may value a child’s belief as a sign that their child is still young and not growing up too fast. By encouraging belief in a fictional character, parents comfort themselves that their child still believes in fantasy. Children usually discover the tooth fairy is imaginary between ages 5 and 7, often connecting this realization to other gift-bearing figures like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Author Vicki Lansky advises parents to tell children early that the tooth fairy pays more for a perfect tooth than a decayed one, and some families leave a note praising good dental habits. Research suggests a possible link between a child’s continued belief in the tooth fairy and other fictional characters and false memory syndrome.

In Spain and Latin America, the equivalent figure is El Ratón Pérez (Perez the Little Mouse). He first appeared in an 1894 story by Luis Coloma, written for King Alfonso XIII, who had just lost a baby tooth at age eight. As in other cultures, a child places a lost tooth under the pillow, and El Ratoncito Pérez exchanges it for a small payment or gift. The tradition is nearly universal in Spanish-speaking cultures, with some regional variations. In parts of Mexico, he is known by a different name.