Average cash left by the Tooth Fairy for a single tooth has surged due to inflation, new poll reveals

In 2048, a single tooth may be worth up to $30

Even the tooth fairy has been impacted by inflation, a new survey shows.

According to the results of an annual Original Tooth Fairy Poll from dental insurance company Delta Dental, the average value of a single lost tooth in the past year has increased 16 per cent.

In 2022, a single tooth was worth $5.36, but now children can expect to find $6.23 under their pillow in 2023.

The poll, which surveyed 1,000 parents of children ages six to 12, has been tracking the cost of a single tooth since 1988. Over the past 25 years, the average amount of money left by the tooth fairy has also surged a whopping 379 per cent, from just over one dollar to nearly seven dollars per tooth.

At this rate, research shows that a single tooth will be worth $30 by 2048.

The amount of cash left under a pillow by the tooth fairy (cough, parents) also varied depending on what part of the United States the tooth was lost. Children who live in the southern states, for example, received the biggest payout  for a lost tooth at an average of $6.59, a 14 per cent increase since last year’s poll.

For those in the western US, children can expect $6.25, just two cents more than the national average. In the Northeast, parents left an average $6.14 – a stark difference after leading last year’s poll with $7.36 for a single tooth.

Meanwhile, children in the Midwest can expect the least amount of cash under their pillow at $5.63.

The results of the tooth fairy poll may not come as a surprise to some, considering the rising value of a lost tooth is closely related to the US economy. Historically, the tooth fairy poll has mirrored the economy’s overall direction, as researchers compare their data to stock market activity. This year, the average value of a single lost tooth increased while the S&P 500 experienced an 11 per cent decline during the same period.

The tooth fairy is a time-honoured tradition practiced all across the world. In the UK, the going rate for a lost tooth is £5.16 ($6.23), while the cost for a gnasher in Spain is €5.87 ($6.22). In Japan, a single tooth can cost 840 yen ($6.18), and R$32.10 ($6.14) in Brazil.

The results of the Original Tooth Fairy Poll were released on 23 February, just days before National Tooth Fairy Day which is celebrated on 28 February.