Goodbye to the Tooth Fairy

The end of an era was reached last week as my younger daughter lost her last baby tooth.

Also known as milk teeth, or more correctly deciduous teeth, your first twenty teeth are shed to make way for the adult, or permanent teeth. Generally the first one is lost around about the age of 6, and the last one about the age of 12. However there is a large variation and two years either way is fairly normal, and as long as the normal sequence of teeth erupting is followed this is not of any concern or consequence. My daughter was particularly young, being 9 years and 7 months.

I am sure you will know of the tooth-fairy tradition of leaving the tooth for the fairy to collect, who leaves money in exchange. In some countries there are variations, like a tooth-mouse, but it's a fairly popular tradition worldwide. The first visit from the tooth fairy when she was aged 5 caused much excitement. Over the years she has developed a little routine of leaving a note for the fairy, who usually replies, so we now know that our fairy is called Lilac, lives somewhere nearby under a mushroom, and has all sorts of excuses for non-attendance like a sprained wing or a trainee fairy!

This is her last letter along with the tooth and the tooth box. I did think that at the age of 9 and with an older sister she might have realised the tooth fairy secret, but she was genuinely upset that the fairy would never visit again, to the point of tears! Awww!
Thankfully this time the tooth fairy attended on time and left a lovely letter, complete with lilac ink and a picture.

The tooth fairy was good enough to let me keep the teeth, shown in the picture at the top. Three are missing, I know at least one was swallowed, not sure where the other two went! I'm pleased to report they are all healthy, thank goodness, being the daughter of two dentists would you expect anything less?