🦷

Tooth

/tuːθ/
People & Body Unicode 11.0 common

Meanings

1
Health · Body Part Common

Represents a human tooth, typically a molar, used to refer to dental health, dentist visits, or tooth-related issues.

Commonly used in health contexts, dental appointment reminders, or to express tooth pain or dental procedures.

Finally got my wisdom 🦷 removed today! Recovery time now. 📋 Personal health update on social media
Don't forget your dental checkup tomorrow! 🦷✨ 📋 Reminder message

Often associated with childhood milestones like losing baby teeth, dental hygiene education, or the tooth fairy tradition.

2
Childhood · Tradition Common

Symbolizes childhood traditions related to losing baby teeth, particularly the tooth fairy custom in Western cultures.

Used by parents discussing children's developmental milestones or to celebrate a child losing a tooth.

Guess who lost their first 🦷 today! $5 from the tooth fairy coming up! 📋 Parent sharing milestone on social media

In many Western cultures, children place lost teeth under their pillow for the 'tooth fairy' who exchanges them for money.

Combos with 🦷

🦷✨
Clean, healthy teeth or dental cleaning appointment
Represents dental hygiene, teeth whitening, or a successful dentist visit
🦷😬
Dental problems, toothache, or anxiety about dental visits
Expresses dental pain or nervousness about dentist appointments
🦷💰
Tooth fairy or expensive dental work
References either childhood tooth fairy tradition or costly dental procedures

Culture

The tooth emoji reflects Western emphasis on dental aesthetics and healthcare, where straight, white teeth are often associated with beauty standards and social status.

Tooth traditions vary globally: American tooth fairy, Spanish Ratoncito Pérez (mouse), French La Petite Souris (little mouse), and various disposal methods in Asian cultures.

The tooth emoji arrived relatively late (2018) despite teeth being central to human health throughout history, reflecting digital communication's gradual expansion into health topics.

United Kingdom Used in contexts of NHS dental care and the tooth fairy tradition.
United States Often associated with the tooth fairy tradition and dental healthcare discussions.
Gen_X: Primarily functional use for dental appointments, health discussions, or children's milestones with less ironic applications.
Gen_Z: Used ironically in memes about dental pain, braces experiences, or to reference 'teethgate' TikTok trends about dental aesthetics.
Older: Limited usage, mainly for literal dental references in family communications about health matters.
Millennials: Common in parenting contexts about children's tooth loss milestones or complaints about dental insurance and healthcare costs.

History

2018

Introduction of the tooth emoji as part of Unicode 11.0, filling a gap in medical and body-related emoji options.

Growing demand for health-related emojis for medical communications.

2019

Adoption in dental health awareness campaigns and by dental professionals for patient communications.

Professional organizations embracing emoji for health education.