A Visit from the Tooth Fairy

So my six year old daughter came home from school yesterday, ecstatically announcing the news of her very first wiggly tooth (turns out that she actually has two wiggly teeth!).  Although her school friends have been losing their baby teeth and she has been impatiently waiting for her turn, my husband and I are ill-prepared for the first lost tooth and the anticipated visit from the Tooth Fairy.

I have no idea what the going rate for a baby tooth is these days.  When I was a kid we placed our tooth in a special pillow before bed and anxiously awaited the arrival of a shiny new quarter the next morning.  A quick Google search reveals that the average payout for a newly lost baby tooth is $6.23, not including the "first tooth bonus."  $6.23 x 20 baby teeth x 2 kiddos. These kids are killing me!

Even more stressful is the logistics of the tooth fairy.  My daughter knows that the Tooth Fairy "exists" and that if she leaves her tooth under her pillow the fairy will exchange it with money (or toys or games according to the conversation that I had with her this morning).  In a hurry last night I ordered a Tooth Fairy pillow to arrive today (how long does it take for a tooth to fall out once it becomes loose...anyone??).  But what in the world is the tooth fairy supposed to do with the teeth she collects?  Do I keep them in a drawer to return to my kids once they are grown? Do I throw them away?  Bury them in the yard?

So many questions, so little time!

One thing is for certain, Lori Mitchell's Pearly White Tooth Fairy will become part of our tradition.  The question now is how?  Do I set the Pearly White Tooth Fairy out to signal that there is a tooth to be collected?  Do I put her out in the morning with the money left behind as an indication that the Tooth Fairy had visited?

I suppose that I should work it out fast.  The Tooth Fairy will be making her first visit soon...whether I am ready for it or not!