Q. The dentist took out a broken tooth in 2 parts, I wanted to keep the “broken tooth”, but the dentist put in the garbage, what does the Halacha say regarding this issue? Thank you.

A. The Mishnah in Ohaloth 3-3 mentions that “everything of a dead body is Tameh with the exception of teeth, hair and nails. But when still attached (to the body) they are all Tameh”.

The Talmud (Berachos 5b) quotes Rabbi Yochanan saying; “this is the bone of my tenth son”, Rashi explains that Rabbi Yohanan had ten sons, all who died in his lifetime. He would carry with him a bone of the tenth son wrapped in his shawl as a reminder of his bereavement. (Rashbam explains that he used to console other mourners and alleviate their suffering by demonstrating that he had survived a tragedy greater than theirs). As of the problem of carrying an item that transmits Tumah, and the requirement to bury any bodily part, the Aruch, Ritvah and Rashbam mention that it was a tooth that fell while alive and does not transmit Tumah and also does not have to be buried. It is commonly accepted that if there is no Tumah there is also no need of burial. (see Yehuda Yaaleh, Yoreh Deah 352 and others). However, there are dissenting opinions, Birchos Moishe (ibid.) states that burial may be required because of “Bizayon Hameth” (defilement of the dead) or since it is a “Isur Hanoe” (prohibition of benefiting from the dead) see Gesher Hachaim 1 ch.16-2. Then again, that would apply only to a cadavers tooth.

Horav Shlomo Miller Shlita’s opinion is that a tooth extracted by a dentist can be simply discarded, and that is the accepted custom.

It is interesting to point out a responsa of Rav Menashe Klein Shlita (Mishneh Halachot 16-113) where he quotes a tradition that was common in his country of birth, that when a child lost a milk tooth his parents would have him throw the tooth into a mouse’s hole and would have him repeat (in Yidish) “Little mouse, little mouse here you have a bone, take a tooth and give me back iron-strong teeth”. He explains this as a form of burial deriving from their tradition of burying all parts of a human body and not wanting to stress unnecessarily a small child on things he wouldn’t comprehend. He also relates a story of the Nodah B’yehuda, that even though his opinion is that it is not essential to bury (a tooth), he appeared (after his death) in a dream to his son, and instructed him to find a lost tooth of his, He miraculously found the tooth hidden in his fathers bookshelf and buried it on his fathers  Kever.

Rabbi A. Bartfeld – revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlita