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In many cultures, children place lost teeth under pillows for the Tooth Fairy.

The Claim

The tooth fairy collects baby teeth placed under a pillow.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The statement matches a widely documented folklore tradition: children put baby teeth under a pillow, and the Tooth Fairy is said to collect them. The evidence does not support a literal real-world being performing the act, and the custom is culturally specific rather than universal. As a description of the tradition, it is accurate.

Caveats

  • This is a mythological or folkloric tradition, not evidence that a real supernatural agent exists.
  • The under-pillow Tooth Fairy custom is common in North America and some Western cultures, but many societies use different lost-tooth rituals.
  • In practice, parents or caregivers usually remove the tooth and leave money or a gift.

The Receipts

  1. Tooth Traditions: How Children Around the World Celebrate Losing a Tooth

    Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry (PMC)

  2. Tooth fairy

    Merriam-Webster

  3. Tooth Fairy - Origins, Traditions & Facts

    History.com

  4. Tooth Fairy Tales: The Strange Origins of the Dental Sprite

    Ancient Origins

  5. Petite souris des dents de lait : d'où vient la tradition ?

    PasseportSanté

  6. L'histoire de la Petite Souris des dents

    Parents / Mômes

  7. The legend of the Tooth Fairy - Bite Dental - Brisbane CBD Dentist

    Bite Dental

  8. The Weird and Wonderful History of the Tooth Fairy

    Castle Street Dental

  9. All You Need-to-Know About the Tooth Fairy

    Parkway Pediatric Dentistry

  10. What Are Some International Tooth Fairy Stories

    Homer Sedighi, D.D.S. (KidsDentistry.com)

+ 12 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Tooth Fairy

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