During the Middle Ages, there were superstitions regarding children’s teeth- In England, children were told to burn their milk teeth in order to save the child from problems in the afterlife. In Europe, it was a common practice to bury a child’s milk tooth once it fell. During those times, there were superstitions about witches getting a hold of the child’s tooth or finger nail clippings and hair. So by burying their children’s teeth, this unlucky occurrence was prevented in anticipation. The Vikings wore necklaces of teeth as shields in battle. Children were natural donors and were rewarded for each tooth contributed. In America, The Tooth Fairy is very popular! In order to ease the pain of losing baby teeth, the kids are paid off! Lose a tooth, put it under your pillow, …show more content…
What about tossing those teeth around? In some Asian countries, that’s just what they do! Historically, kids who lose teeth from their lower jaw will throw their teeth onto their roof, while the upper jaw teeth go on to the floor or even under it. As the tooth-losing kid tosses their teeth, they yell out a wish that the missing tooth be replaced by the tooth of a mouse. What?! Is Raton Perez at it again?! Nope! Mice have teeth that constantly grow, which sounds like a wise request when a tooth goes missing. Asian countries aren’t the only place you’ll find kids throwing their teeth up in the air. In some Middle Eastern countries, kids are encouraged to toss their teeth up toward the sky. It’s possible that the tossed teeth tradition dates all the way back to the 13th century. Throughout Central Asia, especially in places like Mongolia, it's traditional to put the tooth into fat and feed it to a dog. P.S.: (don't try this at home). This is done because they want the grown up tooth to be as strong as the dog's tooth. What does one do if there's no dog? Bury it by a tree so that the new tooth has strong