Latest Victim of Wall Street? Tooth Fairy Giving

Posted on April 5, 2016 in Kid's Health

Amidst the ups and downs on Wall Street, Tooth Fairy giving has taken a nosedive. According to the Original Tooth Fairy Poll sponsored by Delta Dental, the Tooth Fairy's cash gifts have dipped to $3.91, down 10.32% compared to $4.36 in 2014. While Tooth Fairy giving typically tracks with the S&P 500, this year her drop in giving is outpacing the average drops in the markets.

Youngsters in Iowa might be seeing an even greater decline in Tooth Fairy loot, as regional breakouts show the Midwest has the lowest gift per tooth average at $3.11. In addition, the Tooth Fairy may subscribe to the “fly over states” myth as she is more likely to forget a tooth pickup in the Midwest than in other regions. Of the households surveyed in the Midwest, 46% report she has forgotten a tooth pickup at least once in 2015 compared to 35% nationwide.

76% of the time, moms are the parents enlisted to help the Tooth Fairy, up from 61% a year ago.Some other findings from the survey:

• The Tooth Fairy is most likely to visit homes between 10 pm and midnight (68% of the time).
• Dental health related gifts from the Tooth Fairy are on the rise: toothbrushes (40%, up from 33%), toothpaste (33%, up from 27%) and floss (27%, up from 14%).

Even though the Tooth Fairy seems to be tightening her tiny fairy belt, she can still be a valuable partner in helping parents teach kids the value of taking care of their teeth. Kids who know that the Tooth Fairy loves to pick up their healthy baby teeth may be more motivated to brush twice a day, use dental floss, eat a healthy variety of foods, drink water instead of sugary drinks and go see their favorite dentist on a regular basis.

About the Survey: The Children’s Tooth Fairy Survey was conducted between December 16th, 2015 and January 14th, 2016 among a nationally representative sample of 1,307 parents of children ages 6-12. The margin of error is +/- 2.7 percent.