How Much Does the Tooth Fairy Pay Per Tooth? ​

Jesse Dennehy, CSDA Membership and Professional Services Manager The national average is $2.60 per tooth according to the aptly named 2011 Tooth Fairy Survey. No fairies were available for comment, but Visa did contact 1,006 adults by telephone to find out if the children in their household recently received a visit from the most fabled member of the dental community. As a result there is now more transparency regarding these previously mysterious nocturnal transactions.​

Tooth Fairy Survey

The following is a brief summary of the findings from the 2011 Tooth Fairy Survey:

  • 90% of children in the United States received some compensation from the Tooth Fairy in 2011. This marked a 4% decline from 2010.
  • Last year, children in our region (East) were reimbursed at a rate of $3.40 per tooth which led the nation. Unfortunately, this year we dropped to last place when the Tooth Fairy unilaterally decided to decrease the UCR in our region to $2.10 per tooth.
  • Reimbursement rates also fell sharply in the South (from $3.30 last year to $2.60 this year). In comparison children in the Midwest experienced only a modest decrease (from $2.90 last year to $2.80 this year). Meanwhile, children in the West actually received a ten cent increase to $2.80 per tooth.
  • Nationwide, 7% of children receive less than a dollar per visit while 29% receive exactly a dollar. Furthermore, 18% of children receive between $2 to $4 per tooth while another 18% receive $5 per tooth. However, experts have asked us to remind children reading this article that the fey are notorious fickle creatures so it may be impossible to accurately predict future changes in supply and demand.

Finally, pursuant to our established anti-trust policy we wish to remind our members that this data should not be shared with competing fairies or used to engage in any price fixing within the tooth exchange market. This information is intended for entertainment purposes only. ​

About

The 2011 Tooth Fairy Survey is conducted by Visa as part of their Practical Money Skills for Life™ program. This public service campaign encourages parents to use these supernatural visits as learning opportunities to encourage children to save for a long-term goal.