Daddy Threw Out the Baby Tooth :(

Updated on November 17, 2012
A.M. asks from Oskaloosa, KS
38 answers

epic fail!

he says i'm crazy....lol.

so am i crazy? he says why would i keep it?

okay maybe after the first one, it's not NECESSARY to keep them all, but since he has lost his first three in just three weeks, it is still new to me - so yeah i would have kept it if "I" had been the tooth fairy...but oh well...

so moms, how many teeth did you keep? am i crazy?

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So What Happened?

lol i expected the "ew gross!" answers.

FrogMom, yes, i actually did consider the first dry pullup - didn't do it, but a LOT of work got us to that point, we were really proud of it! lol!

and Dawn, HOLY COW that would put me "off" teeth too! OMG! you had me cracking up!

thanks ladies. it really was a "jff" question - and i will be happy to report to hubby that the majority of you sided with me :)

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A.L.

answers from Chicago on

I had kept them all until about 6 months ago, when I came across them in my jewelry box drawer and said really this is gross, and I tossed them. Maybe someday I will regret it, but I not right now.

6 moms found this helpful
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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I kept them but for what I have no idea. Especially since I now have the two girls teeth intermingled. How will I ever know whose is whose without DNA testing? Guess I got lazy.

I say cut him a break.

5 moms found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Hartford on

It is a tooth.
Would you save his first dry pull up? or his first nail/hair clippings?
I would be upset if it was his favorite stuffed animal, toy, blanket, etc

3 moms found this helpful

More Answers

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

It's creepy to open up my drawer and see 15 teeth...but that's what I have! I can't seem to make myself throw them away.
But really, what am I going to do with them, make a necklace?
LOL
L.

7 moms found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

I kept a few for a while but when my kids got old enough to ask about it they looked at me like I grew two heads. Why are you keeping our old teeth, gross mom. So I have none of them now.

7 moms found this helpful
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D..

answers from Charlotte on

Oh sweetie, I didn't keep any of them!

Then again, when my grandmother died many years ago, we were cleaning out her apartment, and I found all of her teeth from when she had them all pulled and replaced with dentures. I opened the box and squealed, it shocked me so bad!

Maybe that's why I never kept my kids' teeth!

Smiles to you!
Dawn

7 moms found this helpful

R.A.

answers from Boston on

I have his first two, the rest I've thrown out. Glad I am not the only one.

5 moms found this helpful
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H.M.

answers from Dallas on

I have kept all of my son's teeth. My husband last time our youngest lost one said he didn't know if he put them in the right place and probably coudln't figure out who's was who's I told him that was fine at least he kept it for me. Both of my son's have had to have teeth pulled and the dentist even looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for one of them. Shoot it was his baby tooth and it needed to go under his pillow. So when the dr went out of the room I just took it. He was not going to tell me no. So to answer your question yes you may be crazy but your are a mom and we do crazy things like that because it's special to us and if you are you are in no way alone!!!!! :)

4 moms found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

What would you do with them?

3 moms found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

My M. gave me all MY baby teeth when I was about 20 and said here I kept these for you. I threw them away. Why the hell would I want my teeth from years ago? That being said, I have saved my own kids too. Why? I have no idea. Its not like they will want them when they get older either lol

3 moms found this helpful
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M.G.

answers from Kansas City on

Ok, I've got all but one.

The one I don't have is because my son (about 8 I think) lost his tooth here at home while upstairs playing with a friend. He went to the bathroom sink to wash it off and it accidentally went down the drain. He came downstairs crying hysterically (so bad that his friend finally had to tell me what had happened). He thought the tooth fairy wouldn't come since he'd lost the tooth. I had to assure him that the tooth fairy was very wise and I was pretty sure she'd be making a visit.

M

3 moms found this helpful
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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Lol Dawn!

I have them all (so far ) in a little box.

Thinking I could string them as a necklace for an engagement gift for my future DIL someday?! Lol J/K!

3 moms found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Awww! I will definately keep the first one! My mom has my first one taped into my baby book. Its just a sentimental thing, I understand.
My husband threw away my sons baby bracelet from the hospital :( I was so upset and he did not understand either.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from St. Louis on

I don't have my kids' baby teeth. Yes, I feel bad about it. the oldest knocked his first two teeth out on separate occasaion while inmy mother's care (babysitting while I was at work). I am sure she kept them, even so I know she won't give them up. My youngest, I dont' remember what happened tohis first teeth, but I know at least one was swallowed and the momentum was kind of gone. I do know from my dad keeping our baby teeth that eventually they will crumble, so don't feel too bad. That's all I've got to make myself feel better at this epic fail, also :( So just know you are not alone, though you didn't do this.

2 moms found this helpful

J.S.

answers from Hartford on

I saved the first for each of my daughters because I knew that once they stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy they would want to see the teeth again. I was right. I kept them in little baggies and when they asked to see them I handed them over. They relost them within a day, to which I informed them that I was NOT handing them more money. :-)

*For reference, two of my daughters each figured out the Tooth Fairy scam the same year they figured out the Santa scam... when they were 5 years old. For reference, my eldest is 12, my youngest is 7 and they're the ones that figured the stuff out. My middle daughter only knows because my youngest played along for her big sister until last year and decided 9 years old was long enough to believe. :-)

2 moms found this helpful
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C.J.

answers from Dallas on

Well, the tooth fairy lets my kiddos keep their first teeth. Guess what? Lost by the kid. Tooth #2 came out at flag football and fell on the field - sadly we told him, no tooth, no tooth fairy;( BUT we still gave him a $1 from us.

SO - no I do not keep all the teeth. I have started to now that he has been losing more. As others poitned out - for what? I have no idea.

cut dad some slack. There will be more - 32 if I am not mistaken.

2 moms found this helpful

V.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Ewwwww!

Sorry, I don't care if other people keep their babies baby teeth but I just think that it's really gross. I will not be keeping Oliver's when the time comes that's for sure. Luckily, my husband agrees with me on this.

We also didn't save any of his hair from his first hair cut.

When I was pregnant with Oliver I was looking through my baby book and found my first tooth and my first lock of hair and even a little clip of my umbilical cord... I shudder just thinking about it. Gross!

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L.O.

answers from Chicago on

I have all of them but the one that was lost in school. He has weak enamel, and had to have a few extracted, and the dentist gave him a tooth fairie box(a golden dollar fits nicely in it too) each time. My son has the boxes, and the golden dollars in them. He thinks they are magic, and too important to spend on just ANYTHING.

Personally, for reasons that you'd NEVER want to think of other than sentimentality, I am going to permanently keep them. Dental records are part of it, but the tooth itself is a record of your child. I have a container that has pictures and fingerprints and such.

Gross it may be to some, but for the unthinkable, that's a valuable thing to have.

Just my 2cp.

P.S.--You're not crazy Mama!

2 moms found this helpful

S.L.

answers from Kansas City on

One or two for a while and then all gone and saved no more for any of the kids. You aren't 'crazy' but remember he has a mouth full of teeth and if you have other kids you could have quite a few teeth around. :-)

2 moms found this helpful

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

I'll be interested to see the other responses to this. I might be a weirdo or something... but I have ALL of them. My oldest is 14 and has all his permanent teeth now. Daughter is 11 and still has quite a few to lose. But I have all of them, including the broken piece from when my daughter fell on a scooter, and the 4 pulled by the dentist for orthodontic reasons.

ETA: I think it came from what you have set out in your question-- I kept the first one(s) and having not thought it out in advance, didn't plan about the 2nd and so on, and so just kept adding them to "the collection", lol. They are in an unused jewelry box under my bathroom counter, where they have been since the beginning of this journey with the tooth fairy. Both the kids know there isn't really a tooth fairy at this point, of course, but like Santa, we don't discuss it openly. And I have never shown them all their teeth. At this point, I don't know which one was the FIRST one... they are all just tossed in there in ziploc baggies in a heap. :/

2 moms found this helpful
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T.M.

answers from Tampa on

I think Daddy needs a spanking! :)

I am keeping at least the first one or so...

2 moms found this helpful
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S.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I've never met anyone who would not have kept baby teeth, so the idea had never entered my mind. I've been saving baby teeth (8 teeth deposited to the tooth fairy now) because that is what I thought I was supposed to do. My plan thus far is to keep the teeth in a zip lock bag along with a little note of when and how each one came out. I also plan on giving them to my daughter when she gets older and let her decide if she wants them or not. My SIL saved all of her son's baby teeth and my MIL had a jeweler "seal" them all into a heart locket. Now she can wear that pendant and have a little piece of her baby with her, her son is now 22 and away to college.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.E.

answers from Chicago on

I keep every tooth. Not sure what I'll do with them but I have them. I still have teeth I lost 45 years ago. It reminds you of being small. The passage of time.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

Ahh :( sorry to hear this.. I kept as many as I could. .They are in this little container stashed away in a curio that we have.. (what I call our shrine :) However, I will say, we probably missed one or two of the last ones.. it's good though that you have those first two..
but no, you are not crazy..

2 moms found this helpful

T.M.

answers from Redding on

This is weird, but I have ALL of my kids baby teeth still in my jewelry box except for the ones that got taken from me during a 5th grade science project.
My son used some of my collection to do a project "what makes teeth rot"... anyway... the school told us we couldnt have the teeth there because it was considered "toxic waste".... so I'm minus the ones that were used in our experiment.
HOWEVER... I sort of find it a burden to have the teeth in my jewelry box, since the kids don't want them and think it's silly for me to have them, it really is an unnecessary save. The first tooth? Cool. Don't worry about saving the others. Your hub's logic is actually right in this case.

2 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

We're tooth keepers!

2 moms found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Aw. :(

Keep the next one. It doesn't have to be the first.

2 moms found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I have not kept any of them. I think it's a little gross. I'm sorry, but I'm with your husband on this one

1 mom found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

We kept all of or daughters.. My mom kept ours..

They were fun to see once we were past the tooth fairy age. Funny, my moms home was burglarized and when they stole her jewelry box.. All of our baby teeth were included..I bet that freaked them out.
Our 22 year old daughter has hers in a tiny jar...she is an artist.. Maybe she will use them some day..

My Aunt said when her boys were engaged, she gave their fiancés, their
Circumcised fore skin! Catholics, we are an odd group. We used to believe you had to have all of your "bits" to get into heaven.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

I wouldn't keep her baby teeth any more than I would her tonsils.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.O.

answers from New York on

Never a one. And I don't think I'm missing anything. Honestly, my son keeps losing teeth at school or camp, and they never make it home. I have him write notes to the tooth fairy, one of which I've kept, but it's really no big deal.

1 mom found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Sorry, I know a lot of people save their baby's teeth (so you're not crazy!) but I personally find it creepy and gross!!!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from St. Louis on

LOL, I was a preteen when I discovered a bunch of mine in my mom's drawer--it kinda weirded me out, but to each her own! They weren't all there, though, but the ones from when they were extracted by the dentist (and put in itty-bitty treasure boxes) were and maybe a couple more. And come to think of it, maybe it was the entire tooth with the root and blood still on the root that freaked me out... (extracted ones) No idea if she still has them though...I haven't seen them in a few years, but I've not been looking either...

Haven't had a kid lose one yet so not sure what I would do. I probably won't keep them though, unless hubby wants to.

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L.L.

answers from Topeka on

I'd be upset..Coming from a mom who has saved inglass jars first haircuts,first tooth,umbilical cord stump..These are first and we will never get them back looking at it now I wished I had saved the positive pee sticks but only the positive written confirmation letters.

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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

I didn't keep any. Personally - they kind of gross me out and I agree with R.M. what the heck would i do with them if MY mom all of a sudden gave me a box with my baby teeth - gross.

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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

I highly doubt I will be keeping baby teeth. I throw out everything. I may regret it when I am old, but I doubt it. I hate clutter.

I don't have baby books either, though. I'm fairly certain I'm the weirdo.

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M.S.

answers from Oklahoma City on

First of all your post made me laugh! Thanks for the smile! My kids write the tooth fairy a note each time asking to please leave the tooth. We have kept them all except the first tooth my youngest lost. She wanted to keep it in a special place and now it is MIA. My bad that I let her keep it in her room. My epic fail that I did not put it in a safe place. The next tooth went straight into my jewelry box.

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S.W.

answers from Amarillo on

I did for a while but after moving they either got thrown out or lost and I did worry about it. It is just a rite of passage from baby to child that we get caught up in.

If you have one great otherwise do't lose any sleep over the tossed tooth.

Are you going to make a bracelet or something? By then they will be so brittle that they will break.

The other S.

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