Happy National Tooth Fairy Day

Written by: Sitara Nair

You might remember losing your first tooth, and your parents might have told you to put your tooth underneath your pillow so the Tooth Fairy can give you money the next day. National Tooth Fairy Day is observed every year on February 28th (and also recognized on August 22nd) to honor the mythical figure and encourage children to maintain good oral hygiene. Let’s learn about the tooth fairy myth and how it’s recognized! 

We lose baby teeth because our bodies are designed to grow two sets of teeth during our lifetime. The first set, called baby teeth (or primary teeth), helps children chew, speak clearly, and hold space in the mouth for future adult teeth. However, as a child grows, their jaw becomes bigger and needs stronger, larger teeth. Permanent teeth begin forming underneath the gums at a young age. As these adult teeth grow upward, they push against the roots of the baby teeth. This pressure causes the roots of the baby teeth to slowly dissolve. Once the roots are mostly gone, the baby tooth becomes loose and eventually falls out. This process usually starts around age six and continues until about age twelve. Losing baby teeth is a normal and healthy part of growing up, making room for permanent teeth that are meant to last a lifetime.

The Tooth Fairy tradition didn’t just appear overnight; it actually has roots from European customs. Families in Europe once believed that a child’s lost tooth should be buried, burned, or even hidden carefully. People thought this would protect the child from bad luck or evil spirits. Over time, these serious traditions lessened and transformed into something more playful, closer to what we know today. In the early 1900s in the United States, the idea of a magical fairy who collected teeth and left a small reward began to grow popular. By the mid-20th century, the Tooth Fairy had become a common figure in American households, joining other childhood legends like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. 

In the mid-1920s, advertisers created a group of “healthcare fairies” to encourage children to develop healthy habits. These fairies appeared in advertisements and school health lessons. They promoted: eating vegetables, brushing teeth regularly, spending time outdoors in fresh air. The Tooth Fairy became part of this trend, helping make dental care feel magical and fun instead of scary. In 1927, Esther Watkins Arnold wrote a short children’s play called The Tooth Fairy. This play helped introduce the Tooth Fairy as a character in American culture. Around the same time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published photographs that he claimed showed real fairies. His claims made fairy stories more exciting and believable for many people. In 1928, Arnold’s play began being performed, and more children began placing lost teeth under their pillows at night. In 1942, newspaper columnist Bob Balfe wrote about giving his children War Stamps instead of money when they lost a tooth. War Stamps helped support the U.S. war effort during World War II. This idea became popular because families wanted to teach children about saving money and helping their country.

National Tooth Fairy Day was created to celebrate this fun and meaningful tradition. These dates often align with dental checkup schedules, providing a great opportunity to educate kids about brushing, flossing, and dental visits! Parents often tell their kids that the Tooth Fairy only likes shiny, clean teeth, which entices kids to keep up their dental hygiene, plus the kids often get paid an average of 3-4 dollars per tooth (in comparison to the past where it was much lower). Overall, The Tooth Fairy has also made her way into popular culture. She appears in children’s books, cartoons, and movies, often shown as kind, sparkly, and mysterious. While the version many Americans know involves money under the pillow, different cultures have their own traditions. In some countries, children toss lost teeth onto the roof or leave them for a special mouse instead of a fairy. However the central idea remains the same: turning a simple moment of growing up into something magical.