What to Write in a Tooth Fairy Letter (Five Templates, Plus the Bit Everyone Forgets)
If you're standing in the hallway at 11pm with a small tooth in your hand and absolutely no idea what to do next, this one's for you.
Honestly. I've been there. More times than I'd care to admit out loud. Between the kids in our house, and there are A LOT of kids, we have lost what feels like a thousand teeth. A thousand. And every single time, every time, it goes exactly the same way. The tooth comes out. The excitement is enormous. The tooth gets put under the pillow with great ceremony. And then, around 9pm, after the dishwasher's loaded and the lunch boxes are half packed and I'm operating on tea and willpower, I remember, OH MY GOODNESS, I am the tooth fairy and she has done absolutely nothing.
If you've just Googled "what to write in a tooth fairy letter" while half-asleep in the kitchen, you are exactly where you need to be.
This is what I have learnt from our family, but I know every family is different. The coin isn't the bit they remember. The letter is. A two dollar coin under a pillow is sweet. A tiny letter, even a wonky one, in a different handwriting they don't recognise, is the bit that becomes a memory.
So here's what I've learned from doing this far too many times. Five short tooth fairy letter templates you can adapt in two minutes. The one thing everyone forgets to include. And what to do if the tooth fairy, hypothetically, doesn't quite make it that night at all.
The simplest tooth fairy letter (for when you have two minutes)
The one running on willpower and a cold cup of tea. Short, warm, done in the time it takes to find a clean piece of paper.
Dear [name],
Thank you for the beautiful tooth! It's one of the shiniest I've ever collected. I have left you a little something to say thank you. Look after that gorgeous smile.
Love, the Tooth Fairy
That's it. Four lines. Four. No one has ever read this and gone "is that all?" They have, in our house, slept with that wonky little letter under the pillow for three nights running. Honestly.
What to write in a tooth fairy letter for the first lost tooth
The first tooth is a Moment, capital M... A bit of an event. So the letter does a touch more work.
Dear [name],
I have been waiting for this tooth for such a long time. I have heard all about you from the other fairies, and they were not wrong, you have the loveliest smile. I will keep this very first tooth somewhere special. There is a small gift under your pillow to celebrate this big day.
Lots of fairy love,
The Tooth Fairy
The trick is making it feel like the fairy already knows your child. Like she's been around for a while. Watching, in the lovely way. Their name. One small specific thing about them. That's the part that lands I think...
Tooth fairy letter ideas for older kids (who maybe don't quite believe anymore)
The eight-year-old who is doing the maths right in front of you but is also not quite ready to give it up. You know the one...
Dear [name],
Whether you believe in me or not, I still believe in you. Thank you for trusting me with this tooth. I'll always come, as long as you leave one out for me. That's a promise.
Love,
The Tooth Fairy
This is the bridge letter. The one that lets them keep one foot in the magic without you having to lie to them. Most kids hold onto belief for far longer than we think they will. Especially when we give them room to.
What to write when the tooth fairy forgot
It happens. To ALL of us. Don't even pretend it hasn't. I've written about the night the tooth fairy forgot before, the particular kind of 6am that comes with a small devastated voice. She didn't come. The honest letter, written in the morning, full of apology and just a touch of fairy charm, is the one your child will actually remember most.
Dear [name],
I am so so sorry. I had a very busy night with a few different children all losing teeth at once, and I ran out of time before sunrise. I should have planned better and I am very sorry I missed you. Here is your gift, and a little extra for the worry. I won't forget again.
With all my love and apologies,
The Tooth Fairy
The repair IS the magic. A letter that owns it teaches your child something quietly real about how love works, even from a fairy. Especially from a fairy.
A tooth fairy letter for siblings (when one is left out)
If you have more than one child in the house and only one has lost a tooth, the other one is, statistically, going to be devastated by sunrise. A small note that names them too goes a long way.
Dear [name and sibling's name],
I came to collect [name]'s tooth tonight but I wanted to say hello to you too, [sibling]. I have heard such lovely things. Your tooth will be ready when it's ready. I'll be back.
Love, the Tooth Fairy
That one has saved an entire morning for me.
The one thing everyone forgets to include
A small detail. Just one. Something only the tooth fairy could possibly know.
The colour of the tooth. The fact that it wiggled for ages. Whether it came out at school or in an apple. That their favourite jumper, the soft green one, was on the bed.
It takes ten seconds to write and it is the bit they will not. stop. talking about at breakfast.
A few quick things that make a tooth fairy letter feel real
Different handwriting from yours. A different colour pen.
Tiny paper. Cut a square out of a notebook page.
Fold it about three times. Tooth fairies are tiny. Their letters should look like they came from a tiny person.
That's the whole game. Two minutes. Four lines. One specific detail. The magic does the rest. Honestly that's all of it.
What to do if the actual tooth gets lost
Because OF COURSE it does. The tooth disappears somewhere between the bathroom sink, a tissue, and the chaos of bedtime. We've all been there. We wrote a whole book about it, honestly, because between sneezing teeth into shoes and losing them in plates of spaghetti and once, memorably, in a car seat, the lost tooth is half the parenting experience.
If there is no tooth to leave behind, the letter still works. I came as soon as I heard, even though we both know the tooth had a small adventure of its own. Lean into the truth. They will absolutely love it.
A few common questions about tooth fairy letters
How much does the tooth fairy leave in Australia?
Honestly, whatever you've got in your wallet at 11pm. The standard sits somewhere between a two dollar coin and a five dollar note from what I can find online, with a bit extra for the first tooth. Do not overthink it. Your eight-year-old is comparing notes with their friends but most of those friends are also six years old, give or take, and wildly inconsistent. Set the bar where you can keep it.
What does the tooth fairy do with all the teeth?
In our world, the teeth go home with Lola Flossy to Sparkle Tooth Town, a place far, far away, past the moon's gentle light, made of teeth stacked into shimmery towers. Adopt it, adapt it, or make up your own. Having something to say when they ask, instead of fumbling, is half the magic.
Do you write a letter back to the tooth fairy?
You absolutely can. Some kids leave one out with the tooth, which is the most heart-melting thing you'll ever read in your entire life. Honestly. I have cried in the hallway. If they do, the fairy one hundred percent writes back. A single sentence is enough. "I loved your drawing. I kept it. Thank you." That's it. They will treasure it forever. Forever forever.
One more thing...
If you're the one reading this in the kitchen with one shoe still on and a tooth on the bench, please know this. The fact that you're doing this, that you care enough to Google it and putting in that effort, THAT is the magic.
The fairy is you. She always was. And she's doing a beautiful job.
If you want a tooth fairy book your kids will actually ask you to read again, Little Lightkeepers and the Tooth Fairy's Big Job is ours. It stars Lola Flossy, who arrives from Sparkle Tooth Town via a tooth-shaped firework when the Tooth-Bell rings too many times. And yes, it covers the very real chaos of teeth getting lost in spaghetti, in shoes, and once, memorably, in a car seat.