Teeth were the subject of superstitions and strange beliefs all over the world, and many beliefs of the past are rather laughable these days. For instant, Aristotle believed that women did not have as many teeth as men. He obviously never took the time to count teeth in the mouths of both genders.
Here are a few more bizarre teeth superstitions from our past.
The Lucky Horse Tooth
To find a back tooth from a horse is, of course, a rare luck. Keeping the tooth on your person almost guarantees that you will have a steady supply of money. [Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences by Cora Linn Morrison Daniels.]
Born With Teeth
Babies who are born with at least one tooth sticking out will become great leaders. However, there is a 50/50 chance that they will be great or ferocious leaders. Those born with teeth include Napoleon I, Ivan the Terrible, Caesar, and Richard III. [Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World by Cora Linn Daniels.]
To Become Brave
Many people across the world wear the teeth of fierce animals in the hopes of also becoming fierce. In the case of the wolf’s tooth, the tooth is supposed to be placed inside a small pouch and worn about the neck. This was believed to make the wearer brave.
Counting Comb Teeth
Sometimes, according to innumerable superstitions from around the world, counting something is not such a good idea. For instance, it was once believed that if you counted the teeth in a comb, you were sure to lose a few of your own teeth. [The Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Richard Webster.]
How to Avoid a Toothache
If you are a man, according to superstition, all you need to do to avoid a toothache is to stop shaving on Sundays.
Earwax
In Missouri it was believed that the best thing to put in a cavity was the sufferer’s earwax. It was believed that the earwax would soften the pain of the toothache. [Ozark Superstitions by Vance Randolph.]
The Sorcerer’s Front Teeth
In India it was believed that a sorcerer must keep his front teeth perfectly intact. If a tooth was rotted or knocked out, the sorcerer would not be able to pronounce his spells correctly and would be a failure as a sorcerer. After the sorcerer passed away, it was custom to break off his front teeth so that his spirit could not curse the living. [Omens and Superstitions of Southern India by Edgar Thurston.]
Toothache Cure
There are numerous toothache cures from the past and nearly all of them are gross. For instance, in western Kentucky it was believed that if you cut a wart from off of a horse’s leg and rub it on the gums, your toothache would go away. [Kentucky Superstitions edited by Daniel Lindsey Thomas.]
Stone Teeth
In the early part of the United States, there was a dentist who claimed he could make women extremely lucky. How, you might wonder? Well, this particular dentist would choose a “lucky” stone for each of his women patients and use it to replace one of her front teeth. It quickly became a fad to have a stone tooth, but like all fads, it died off just as quickly. [Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Mona A Radford, Edwin Radford.]
The Skull in the Graveyard
The pain of a toothache can make people do some pretty weird things. For example, in Devonshire it was thought that if you were to go into the graveyard and find a skull, biting a tooth from that skull and keeping the gruesome artifact on your person would not only prevent future toothaches, but stop the one that was already troubling you.
