Tooth Fairy’s Rates Are Also Subject to Inflation

Delta Dental’s Tooth Fairy Poll showed that the average cash gift given for a lost tooth has risen to $5.36, a new record high.

Delta Dental released new findings from its 2022 Original Tooth Fairy Poll that shows the Tooth Fairy’s average cash gift reached $5.36 per tooth, a record high in the 24-year history of the poll.

Delta Dental has been analyzing the Tooth Fairy’s U.S. annual giving trends since 1998.

The newly disclosed value of a lost tooth has more than quadrupled since the inception of the Original Tooth Fairy Poll when the value of a lost tooth was $1.30.

This year’s poll illuminates the highest all-time average gift of $5.36 per tooth, which is 66 cents (14%) higher than the previous peak at $4.70 last year and well over $1 (33%) more per tooth since 2020 ($4.03).

“As a welcomed visitor into most homes around the country, the Tooth Fairy continues to bring fun and excitement to kids’ oral health care awareness,” said André Richards, assistant vice president, brand strategy and management, Delta Dental Plans Association. “With this year’s Delta Dental-sponsored national poll reflecting double-digit growth in Tooth Fairy giving, perhaps the Tooth Fairy is experiencing the effects of inflation along with being very generous.”

The Original Tooth Fairy Poll has typically mirrored the economy’s overall direction, tracking with the trends of the S&P 500 Index for 17 of the past 20 years.

Last year, a single lost tooth was valued at $4.70, and this year’s survey indicates a 14% upward growth to $5.36. Over the same time, the S&P 500 also experienced growth, with a 17.6% increase.

The poll found that by region, the Northeast continues to average the highest amount given per tooth at $7.36.

By contrast, parents in the West – I mean the Tooth Fairy – gifted the least at an average of $4.08 per tooth.