Tooth Fairy Payments Drop For First Time Since 2018

• Tooth fairy payouts dropped 6% from 2022 to 2023 to $5.84 per tooth on average, marking the first decline since 2018, according to a Delta Dental survey

• The value of a first lost tooth also declined, falling from an average of $7.29 in 2022 to $7.09 in 2023

• The West saw the biggest payouts at $8.54 per tooth, up 37%, while the Midwest had the lowest at $3.63 per tooth, down 36%

• The tooth fairy payout drop bucks the recent trend of tracking with the S&P 500

• The survey attributes the tooth fairy's declining payouts to high inflation