The tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth.
Researchers have been trying to track down the Tooth Fairy in a national study of infants. Cognitive scientists At Toddlers University asked lots of 5-year-olds about their most recent tooth loss.
Many of the kids who really believed in the Tooth Fairy talked about weird, supernatural experiences. The researchers eagerly wrote down all these stories in their notebooks. "These are good enough to publish," said Dr Playjee Ahrist, anticipating lots of royalties. "I'm going to leave these under my pillow tonight and see what happens."
Afterwards, the kids were given memory tests involving tooth recognition. From a pile of discarded teeth, hardly any kids recognized which one was theirs. "I'll have to ask the Tooth Fairy," said one of the more enlightened 5-year-olds, "but I've forgotten where she lives."
According to dental psychologists, such findings are fairly typical in youngsters.
One of the researchers tried to interview the Tooth Fairy, but she was away on a business trip. "She did leave a phone number, but I've forgotten what it was," said Dr Dafta Zabrush.
