# Non-US Dopers: What Does Your Culture/Language Call Baby Teeth? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999 "2012-01-19T12:40:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/21 "2012-01-20T02:17:03Z")
I do love the technical term for them: deciduous teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/22 "2012-01-20T02:43:57Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > The Nephew is being very careful with his baby teeth right now, because he swallowed the third one and that meant no money! For my own generation, the mouse came only for the first tooth. I have, among my keepsakes, a note of apology from a very young Jophiel Jr. who lost his baby tooth on the school playground and was deeply distraught. I told him that if he perhaps left a note explaining what had happened, he’d still get his coin. And so he did with all the charm a young child’s note to the tooth fairy could provide. I think I like the note more than I’d have liked the tooth 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/23 "2012-01-20T03:15:46Z")
Either milk teeth or baby teeth would be understood here in Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/24 "2012-01-20T04:52:04Z")
Hungarian - “tejfog”, literally “milk tooth.” ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/25 "2012-01-20T08:55:25Z")
Scotland, milk teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/26 "2012-01-20T11:15:35Z")
In Japan, 乳歯, Nyushi, which corresponds to Milk and Tooth for each character, so another dead on similarity. Here they don’t have a tooth fairy though. Instead a child throws the tooth UP as high as they can if it’s from the lower jaw, to encourage strong, straight growth in the next tooth, and if it’s from the upper jaw, they throw it DOWN from a window as hard as they can. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/27 "2012-01-20T11:35:13Z")
Chinese: 乳齒 (almost the same as the Japanese kanji, same meaning: milk tooth). ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/28 "2012-01-20T11:38:11Z")
Dutch: Melk tanden=Milk teeth ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/29 "2012-01-20T11:40:18Z")
The slang term in the East Midlands is teggies or tegs. Technically refers to teeth in general, but in usage mainly refers to children’s teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Butterscotch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@Butterscotch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Butterscotch)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/30 "2012-01-20T11:41:15Z")
In Italy a mouse comes for the teeth, and they are called Dente di Latte, or milk teeth! In South Africa a mouse comes, and you leave your tooth in a shoe, or slipper under your bed. There is a wonderful book called “Throw Your Tooth From The Roof” which looks at what children around the world do with their fallen teeth. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/31 "2012-01-20T12:47:00Z")
Since no one has responded about why they are called milk teeth, I’ll give my guess: there was some idea that the kid got these teeth because he was fed milk from his mother. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was at one time a tradition of stopping breast feeding once one’s milk teeth came in. That’s all I have, since the only other thing I found out about the term is that, in English, it dates from 1727 ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/32 "2012-01-20T12:47:28Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I have, among my keepsakes, a note of apology from a very young Jophiel Jr. who lost his baby tooth on the school playground and was deeply distraught. I told him that if he perhaps left a note explaining what had happened, he’d still get his coin. And so he did with all the charm a young child’s note to the tooth fairy could provide. > > I think I like the note more than I’d have liked the tooth 🙂 One of my favorite viral videos is of a little girl who had tried to pull a fast one on the Tooth Fairy (mom was filming the whole thing). The lass had lost a tooth, but had decided to keep it for later, in case she needed money at a later date. Instead, she wadded up some paper in a more-or-less tooth-shaped blob and proudly told her mom that she would leave _this_ under the pillow instead of her tooth! Profit! Cut to the next morning- Little girl is visibly angry. Mom asks her, “Did the Tooth Fairy leave you any money?” “No!” says the little girl. “She left me a _ **ticket!** _” She then shows the camera a note from the Tooth Fairy that says “This is NOT a tooth!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/33 "2012-01-20T14:20:04Z")
_Zęby mleczne_ in Polish. Also corresponds literally to “milk teeth.” ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/34 "2012-01-20T15:22:01Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > Dutch: > Melk tanden=Milk teeth I don’t get the chance to be a grammar nazi for the Dutch language very often anymore, so I’m going to enjoy this! _Melktanden_ is one word! incidentally, it’s _mléčné zuby_ in Czech. Means ‘milk teeth’ ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999/35 "2012-01-20T15:56:46Z")
Hebrew: שיניי חלב shinei chalav. “Milk teeth”, of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-does-your-culture-language-call-baby-teeth/609999.md?page=1)