Paying More for Lost Teeth
Inflation has apparently reached under the pillow. Parents are reporting that the Tooth Fairy is leaving substantially more money for lost teeth, with some families in New York saying they are it’s hitting $20 to $60 for a first tooth.
For parents who remember finding a quarter or a dollar under their pillow, today’s going rate can come as a shock. The Sun notes that rising costs, along with children comparing payouts with their friends, are helping push the tradition’s price higher.
But the national numbers suggest most Tooth Fairy payments haven’t gone quite that far. Delta Dental’s 2026 Original Tooth Fairy Poll found the average payout jumped 17% in one year, from $5.01 to $5.84 per tooth.
The Tooth Fairy’s Going Rate Keeps Climbing
The $5.84 average is nevertheless a remarkable increase from the $1.30 average recorded when Delta Dental began tracking the tradition in 1998. That’s a 349% increase over 28 years, illustrating how dramatically the little economic ritual has changed.
The first tooth is an especially valuable commodity. Delta Dental found that children receive an average of $7.17 for their first lost tooth, while 38% of parents say they deliberately pay more for that milestone.
The Tooth Fairy Explains Herself
“Look, I don’t like raising prices any more than parents do,” the Tooth Fairy said in an entirely fictional statement prepared for this article. “But have you seen what pixie dust costs these days? I can’t just sprinkle premium-grade sparkle on every pillow for the price I charged in 1998.”
She also pointed to the broader economy. “When groceries, rent and everything else go up, the Tooth Fairy feels it too,” she explained, comparing her situation to the way rising oil prices can eventually affect transportation costs.
And there is another problem: expectations. “If Billy next door is getting ten dollars, suddenly I’m the cheapskate fairy,” she joked. “I’m trying to maintain a little magic here, but apparently I also need a competitive pricing strategy.”
For families worried about keeping up, the good news is that there’s no official Tooth Fairy rate. Whether the pillow holds $1, $5, a special note or a tiny gift, the tradition remains more about celebrating a child’s milestone than matching the neighborhood’s going rate.
