The Tooth Filing ritual is a rite of passage custom in the Balinese culture in Indonesia.
Do you know: The custom of tooth filing on the island
of Bali even predates the arrival of Hinduism to the island (5th Century BC).
While many would assume, that a tooth filing practice would involve sharpening of the teeth, in the Balinese culture, exactly the opposite is done. As a sign that the person is now entering adulthood, a Brahmin priest (or even the local dentist) files down the canines or ‘pointy’ teeth, to smooth away the so-called ‘feral’ aspects of the human soul, so as to prepare a person for higher spiritual realm.
