When I was a kid, we were lucky if we got 50 cents per tooth from the Tooth Fairy. Do you know what the average payment is these days?
$4.66 per tooth.
If you haven’t guessed it, payments from the Tooth Fairy are at an all-time high. Since 1998, Delta Dental insurance company has been annually conducting The Original Tooth Fairy Poll to track the Tooth Fairy’s increasing generosity.
Interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, Tooth Fairy payouts tend to rise and fall along with overall economic trends. In fact, Delta Dental compares Tooth Fairy payout data to stock market activity: “The Original Tooth Fairy Poll has typically served as a good indicator of the economy’s overall direction, tracking with the movement of Standard & Poor’s 500 index (S&P 500) for 12 of the past 13 years,” the company said in a press release.
In 2000, the Tooth Fairy’s average payment per tooth was $1.50.
In 2015, the average was up to $3.91.
In 2016 and early 2017, the average soared to $4.66—a nearly 20 percent increase from 2015.
According to Delta Dental, the Tooth Fairy visits 85 percent of U.S. households with children each year. In 89 percent of those homes, kids receive money.
Wondering what they do with their earnings? “An even split of children save (48 percent) and spend (48 percent) Tooth Fairy cash; however, 3 percent actually donate the money, and a savvy one percent even loan the cash out,” according to Delta Dental.
Besides money, the Tooth Fairy naturally also leaves kids gifts that promote good oral hygiene habits, including toothbrushes, floss, and toothpaste.
Losing a baby tooth is an ideal time to talk to your kids about the importance of taking care of their teeth, according to Jennifer Elliott, vice president of marketing for Delta Dental Plans Association. “Having conversations with children about good oral health habits, from an early age, can help establish strong habits for a lifetime, and the Tooth Fairy can be a great way to help spark those conversations,” she said.
We couldn’t agree more.
At Cornerstone Dental, our goal is to help kids grow up with clean, healthy teeth that will last them a lifetime. Learn more about our dental services for children, or call our office at 304.267.6059 to schedule an appointment for your child.
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If you’re searching for an experienced dentist please feel free to contact us online or call our Martinsburg, West Virginia dental office directly at 304.267.6059 to schedule your appointment. We provide a wide range of general dentistry care as well as more involved dentistry services for patients throughout the Martinsburg area and look forward to you joining the Cornerstone Dental family.