"Do you put the baby tooth under the pillow? Or do you throw it over your house in Israel?"
"Neither."
"Then what do you do with it?"
"Nothing. There are some people who keep it in a tiny box."

During their stay, her daughter's baby tooth fell out. The host couple told her daughter,
"Put your tooth under your pillow. When you wake up, the tooth will have turned into a coin."

A Hungarian student said, "My father had put the baby tooth into a bottle with water, and the tooth melted in about two years' time."
His teacher commented that this might not be something that generally happens.

In this Multi-Cultural-Pedia, I hesitate little in presenting information that may well be one's personal habit such as the above. The episode depicts a heartwarming picture of a father who cares dearly for his child. Don't we all feel closeness to this Hungarian family?

In Austria, you either make the baby tooth into a pendant head, a key ring, or throw the upper tooth under the house and the lower over the roof.

"A tooth came out!"
Here in Nigeria, a very unique and interesting custom is practiced regarding the tooth.
A baby's first tooth comes out when he is about 7 or 8 month-old. The person, whether it be a father, mother, or just a mere acquaintance, who notices the baby's tooth is supposed to give a present to this baby. This present must be something durable. It cannot be chocolate or candy, or an 'in' item at the particular moment. Usually, a female cow, sheep, goat, or hen is presented. Not because they are edible, but because they symbolize reproduction and posterity. When the baby grows up to be an adult, he could sell the animal and gain profit by doing so.

The person who has sighted the first tooth is not to mention "the tooth came out". Then how is that person supposed to give out the message that the tooth has come out? He is supposed to say "something came out from the baby's mouth". If it is 'something' coming out from the mouth, it will likely be saliva or tooth, won't it?

If the person mistakenly said, "A tooth came out!," he would have to give a present worth double the usual amount. If you should come upon sighting a baby's first tooth when you are near broke, it would certainly play havoc on your part.

As a matter of fact, my son's first tooth came out 3 days before he turned 5 months. My husband was the discoverer. He had totally forgotten about our Nigerian custom and exclaimed, "There's his first tooth!" Therefore, my son will be the lucky recipient of a present worth double the value, that is a 'double durable present'. It sounds like a tongue twister, doesn't it?

Currently, my husband is seriously pondering upon what he should choose as the present. I do not mind anything, but honestly speaking as the wife, not a cow considering the size of our house...

A Tooth Fallen Out and a Mouse

What would you do when your baby tooth falls out?
My mother used to throw our upper baby teeth under the house and lower teeth over the roof. "May the new tooth become as strong as a mouse's!" would be her incantation when throwing the tooth. She wished for the lower teeth to grow strongly and healthy upward and the upper vice versa. I am not sure if this custom is practiced all over Japan, but do quite know that a lot of people recognize this habit.

In Nigeria, they hide the fallen out tooth in the attic. And they have an incantation as well. However, the content of the spell is somewhat different from the Japanese version. It goes like this:

"Mr. Mouse, Mr. Mouse, please do not eat this tooth. If you eat my tooth, the new tooth will not come out. If you eat my tooth, I am going to come and get you, and search all over the house for your family and kill them."
...It sounds more like a threat than an innocent spell to me (laughter). But don't you think the idea that if a mouse eats the tooth, a new tooth will not come out to be unique and amusing?