The short answer: many places do something with a lost tooth, but a fairy is only one version. France and Spain have a tooth mouse (La Petite Souris and El Ratoncito Pérez), and in several Asian countries children throw teeth onto a roof or the ground. Other customs send teeth to the sun or to animals. Accounts vary, so treat details as general.
Which countries have a tooth mouse instead of a fairy?
France, Spain, and a number of Latin American countries tell children about a mouse. According to one dental practice's summary, the mouse is called La Petite Souris in France and El Ratoncito Pérez in Spain and most other Latin American countries, and it collects the tooth left under a pillow or in water and leaves money or gifts (Dental Care Centre: https://www.dentalcarecentregp.com/tooth-fairy-traditions-around-world/).
A history of the tradition adds some background. La Petite Souris goes back to 17th-century France, where a mouse exchanged coins or gifts for teeth left in a child's slippers or shoes, perhaps drawing on a fairy tale in which a fairy turns herself into a mouse. In Spain, the mouse comes from an 1894 story that Queen Maria Cristina asked author Luis Coloma to write for her young son, and a museum in Madrid celebrates the character (Spokesman-Review: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/aug/19/origins-of-the-tooth-fairy-one-tradition-first-ros/).
What do children do in Asia with lost teeth?
The same dental summary reports a custom shared across several countries, including India, Japan, Korea, China and Vietnam: lower teeth thrown onto roofs, upper teeth put on the ground or under the floor, so that the new teeth grow in straight and healthy. Other write-ups describe the details a little differently, so treat the specifics as a general pattern.
If you want to borrow this one, the safe adaptation is to say the child can "send a wish" with the tooth, and keep the actual tooth in the vial. Tossing a tooth onto a roof is a good way to lose it, and a tooth on the roof is not a keepsake.
What other traditions exist?
The same summary lists a few others. Each of these is one account, and we have not checked them against a second source, so we will describe them lightly:
- Afghanistan. Children leave lost teeth near animal burrows, with the belief that new teeth will grow strong.
- Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. Children throw teeth toward the sun and ask for strong adult teeth in return.
- South Africa and Eswatini. Teeth are hidden in shoes or slippers overnight, and a tooth mouse leaves candy or toys.
- Central Asia. Teeth are wrapped in meat and given to a dog, so that the child grows teeth as strong as a dog's.
- South America. Parents coat teeth in gold or silver to make jewelry that keeps the memory.
That last one is where our idea comes from. The Gold Tooth Fairy turns the tooth gold with a marker, a decorative finish, and the tooth stays in a vial.
Where did the American tooth fairy come from?
According to the history above, the earliest American reference is a 1908 Chicago Daily Tribune column advising parents about "the tooth fairy", and a 1927 play by Esther Watkin Arnold helped make losing baby teeth something exciting instead of something to worry about.
What can I take from these traditions?
Three ideas that work in any family:
- A small ritual beats a big gift. Whether the child throws a tooth at a roof or puts it under a pillow, the point is the ritual. The wish, the shoe, the pillow, the water glass.
- Mice and fairies can share the house. You do not need to choose. A mouse can collect the tooth and a fairy can leave the dust.
- The tooth is a bridge. It links the child to the culture of their grandparents, wherever they come from. Ask a grandparent what they did with a lost tooth.
How can I add a world tradition to our tooth night?
Some practical, low-risk ways:
- Leave the tooth in a shoe. The Spanish and South African versions use a shoe or slipper. Put the tooth in a small cup in the shoe so it does not get lost.
- Add a mouse note. A small note in tiny handwriting from "El Ratoncito Pérez" with a coin is easy. You can tell the story of the 1894 tale.
- Make a wish. Let the child whisper a wish about their new tooth to the old one before it goes to the pillow.
- Ask a family member. A grandparent may know a custom no list includes.
Say where the custom comes from. Children like knowing that something is real in another place.
Should I worry about the accuracy of these traditions?
A little. Most of what is written online about "traditions around the world" is repeated from site to site, and details drift. We have used two sources we read, noted where they differ, and left out anything we could not find. If your family comes from one of these places, trust your family's version over ours.
FAQ
Do other countries have a tooth fairy? Many do, but not always a fairy. France and Spain have mice, and several Asian countries have roof and ground customs.
Who is Ratoncito Pérez? A tooth mouse from Spain. One history traces the character to an 1894 story by Luis Coloma, written at a queen's request for her young son.
What do kids in Japan do with lost teeth? One dental summary says lower teeth go onto the roof and upper teeth on the ground or under the floor. Details vary.
Can I borrow a tradition? Yes. Say where it comes from.
Sources: Dental Care Centre, "7 Different Tooth Fairy Traditions Around the World" (opened and read 2026-10-01); Spokesman-Review, "Origins of the Tooth Fairy" (opened and read 2026-10-01).