History of the Toothfairy

Where does the toothfairy come from?

As your trusted family dentists of Medford, Oregon we decided to cover one of our favorite stories related to teeth today. We’re covering the legend of the toothfairy. The tooth fairy, a tradition in the United States and other countries, is the magical fairy that puts money under children’s pillows. The question is, where does the legend come from?

The Legend

The legend of the tooth fairy is unique because it doesn’t have the strong narrative that exists with other children’s legends like Santa Claus. For example, in a fascinating study conducted in 1984, there were different opinions on the gender and demeanor of the tooth fairy (Read Here). The study’s conclusion showed wide inconsistency with the legend.

Less Than 100 Years Old?

Even more amazing is how new the tooth fairy actually is! While legends of Santa have existed for hundreds of years, research done by professor Rosemary Wells shows that the tooth fairy draws its origins from an eight page booklet for children published in 1927. The tooth fairy hasn’t even had her/his 100th birthday yet!

The Growing Legend

But the tooth fairy isn’t disappearing. With the 2010 film starring Dwane “The Rock” Johnson surrounding the myth, and multiple more appearances in pop culture, the tooth fairy seems more prevalent than ever in our society.

As your family friendly dentist in Medford, Oregon, we hope that your days of tooth fairy masquerading continue to go well! Just don’t forget to tell your children that the tooth fairy pays out more money for clean teeth than decayed ones.

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