PARSIPPANY, N.J. — August 22, 2017 — The Tooth Fairy is busy all year around making children feel better about losing their pearly whites and giving them some well-deserved pocket money. And as today marks National Tooth Fairy Day, it’s worth noting that the value of those lost teeth are at an all-time high.
According to the Delta Dental-sponsored Original Tooth Fairy Poll, average payouts for a lost tooth over the past year have jumped from $3.91 in 2015, to $4.66 in 2017 – a 19.18 percent increase over the past year. The poll found that the Tooth Fairy visits 85 percent of the nation's households with children, and of those, 89 percent of those visits result in giving money. Perhaps not surprisingly given how hectic travel can be, 56 percent of parents say the Tooth Fairy can run into delays and misses picking up the tooth on the first night.
More than just a way to surprise and delight children, the Tooth Fairy can help them make connections about their responsibility in enabling smile power through good habits.
“The excitement generated from a visit by The Tooth Fairy provides a great opportunity to teach children about the importance of keeping good oral health standards, while taking some of the fear out of tooth loss,” said Dr. Keith Libou, Chief Clinical Officer, Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut. “These early life lessons can plant the seeds for healthy lifelong habits.”
In equal measures, children save (48 percent) and spend (48 percent) their Tooth Fairy money. A small number of children (3 percent) donate their new funds, and one percent shows an entrepreneurial flair by actually loaning their loot out.
In addition to monetary rewards, the Tooth Fairy often leaves gifts that can help reinforce children's oral health habits, including toothbrushes (38 percent), dental floss (21 percent) and toothpaste (22 percent).
About Delta Dental
Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc. is New Jersey’s leading dental benefits company, providing or administering coverage to more than 1.6 million people through contracts with groups in New Jersey and Connecticut. In Connecticut, Delta Dental of Connecticut, Inc. is a newly licensed insurer that writes dental coverage on an insured basis, and Delta Dental of New Jersey administers self-funded dental benefit programs. For more information, visit www.deltadentalnj.com.
About the Survey: The Original Tooth Fairy Poll was conducted between January 24th and January 31st, 2017 among a nationally representative sample of 1,588 parents of children ages 6-12. The margin of error is +/- 2.5 percent.
