The tooth fairy has come from a long line of superstitions around baby teeth. In the Middle Ages, in England, parents were told to burn their children’s baby teeth so they would have a good life in the afterworld. The Vikings were told a different tale about their kid’s teeth. They believed that their children’s teeth would bring them luck before battle. So they would pay them money when they lost their teeth. These warriors would sometimes have necklaces made of their children’s baby teeth to bring them luck in war.
Tooth Fairy History
In Greece kids were encouraged to throw the tooth onto the roof while reciting a poem about the exchange of the tooth for riches and good fortune. Where an actual fairy came into play was only about 100 years ago. Before that in Europe it was a tiny mouse that was said to go and gather kids’ teeth at night from under their pillows, exchanging them for tiny rewards. It wasn’t until 1908 that the first ever reference of a “Tooth Fairy” was made in an issue of The Chicago Tribune. While the gifts that are left vary from place to place, the average amount of money that is left in the United States today is $4.57.
What Does The Tooth Fairy Pay For A Tooth in Your State?
This map from the DentalCareAlliance.net shows the exact average for all states across the US. While the highest amount recorded was a hefty sum of $50 dollars paid out to a single tooth by two different parents in Delaware, that state also had the highest average of almost 9 dollars per lost baby tooth. Kids in Iowa get the lowest amount of money from the tooth fairy, $2.30 per tooth, which is still a lot more than I used to get when I was a kid. How much money does your state get per tooth?
