Editing Tooth fairy (section)

==Belief==
{{See also|Paternalistic deception}}
Belief in the Tooth Fairy is viewed in two very differing ways. On the one hand, children's beliefs are seen as part of the trusting nature of childhood. Conversely, belief in the Tooth Fairy is frequently used to label adults as being too trusting and ready to believe anything.<ref name=Wells>{{cite book |author-link=Rosemary Wells |last=Wells |first=Rosemary |chapter=The Making of an Icon: The Tooth Fairy in North American Folklore and Popular Culture |title=The Good People: New Fairylore Essays |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Narváez |date=1997 |pages=426–446 |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |isbn=9780813109398}}</ref>

Parents tend to view the myth as providing comfort for children in losing a tooth.<ref name=Wells/> Research finds that belief in the Tooth Fairy may comfort a child experiencing fear or pain from losing a tooth.<ref name=Clark>{{cite book |last=Clark |first=Cindy Dell |chapter=Flight Toward Maturity: The Tooth Fairy |title=Flights of Fancy, Leaps of Faith: Children's Myths in Contemporary America |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |date=1995 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/flightsoffancyle00clar/page/355 355–364] |isbn=9780226107776 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/flightsoffancyle00clar/page/355 }}</ref> Mothers especially seem to value a child's belief as a sign that their "baby" is still a child and is not "growing up too soon".<ref name=Wells/> By encouraging belief in a fictional character, parents allow themselves to be comforted that their child still believes in fantasy and is not yet "grown up".<ref name=Clark />

Children often discover the Tooth Fairy is imaginary as part of the age 5- to 7-year shift, often connecting this to other gift-bearing imaginary figures (such as [[Santa Claus]] and the [[Easter Bunny]]).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sameroff |first1=Arnold |first2=Susan C. |last2=McDonough |journal=Phi Delta Kappan |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=188–193 |date=1994 |title=Educational implications of developmental transitions: revisiting the 5- to 7-year shift |jstor=20405294}}</ref>

Author [[Vicki Lansky]] advises parents to tell their children early that the tooth fairy pays much more for a perfect tooth than a decayed one. According to Lansky, some families leave a note with the payment, praising the child for good dental habits.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lansky|first=Vicki|title=Practical parenting tips|year=2001|publisher=Unicorn books|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-7806-005-1|page=79}}</ref>

Research findings suggest a possible relationship between a child's continued belief in the Tooth Fairy (and other fictional characters) and [[false memory syndrome]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Principe |first1=Gabrielle F. |first2=Eric |last2=Smith |journal=Applied Cognitive Psychology |volume=22 |issue=5 |pages=625–642 |date=July 2008 |title=The tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth: How belief in the Tooth Fairy can engender false memories |doi=10.1002/acp.1402}}</ref>