Tooth fairy finally feels the economic pinch

For the first time in five years, the tooth fairy has had to tighten her belt. The average value of a single lost tooth in the U.S. in 2024 fell by about 6%, according to results from the Delta Dental Plans Association "2024 Original Tooth Fairy Poll."

The average value of a lost tooth fell 37¢ from $6.23 to $5.84, which represents the first year-over-year decline in five years, according to a press release dated February 22.

New Delta Dental findings from its 2024 Original Tooth Fairy Poll revealed that the average value of a single lost tooth during the past year declined by 6% from $6.23 to $8.54. Image and caption courtesy of Delta Dental.

The penny pinching also has affected first-time tooth losers. The average value of a lost first tooth dipped from $7.29 in 2023 to $7.09 in 2024, according to the poll that was conducted in January among 1,000 parents of children ages 6 to 12.

Though the tooth fairy has gotten thrifty overall, there were some regional differences.

It seems that it’s good to be a kid living in the West, where the value of lost tooth soared 37% to $8.54. Children in the Northeast aren’t doing that well, but the average value of a lost tooth there was $6.87. This was a 12% increase from the prior year and still more than $1 higher than the average in the U.S., according to the results.

After leading in 2023 with a lost tooth worth $6.59, the average value in the South slipped below the U.S. average to $5.51 in 2024.

Nevertheless, Midwesterners took the biggest hit. At $3.63, it significantly trailed the U.S. average with a 36% drop and returned close to its 2021 average of $3.66, according to the results.

Like 2023, poll results in this year didn’t reflect the U.S. economy’s overall direction by tracking with the trends of S&P 500. Historically, they mirror each other.  Over the past year, the average value of a single lost tooth decreased 6% while the S&P 500 experienced a 20% increase during the same period, according to Delta Dental, which has tracked tooth gairy giving trends in the U.S. for more than a quarter century.