Tooth Fairy Gifts More Money Than in Years Past

Children have been receiving an average of $4.70 per tooth from the Tooth Fairy in 2020, an all-time high according to Delta Dental’s Original Tooth Fairy Poll. According to the company,  the value of a lost tooth has more than tripled since the poll’s inception in 1998 when the U.S. value of a lost tooth was $1.30.

The value of lost tooth is typically tied to the economy with the poll’s results tracking with the trends of  Standard & Poor’s 500 Index for 16 of the past 19 years. Last year, a lost tooth was valued at $4.03, and this year’s survey shows a 17% increase in value. 

The Tooth Fairy pays more in the Northeast ($5.72) and less than the national average in the Midwest, where tooth money averages $3.66. 

Conducted between December 28, 2020, and January 8, 2021,  the survey polled a nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 parents of children ages 6 to 12. Read more here.