The UK based study of 1,000 parents with children aged 5-14 revealed that ‘tooth fairies’ shell out anything from £1 up to £2.50 per tooth, with a UK average of £1.32 being left in exchange for a single tooth. In the last 12 months alone, our kids’ pearly whites have cost the tooth fairy a staggering £19.8m.
By the time children lose all of their 20 milk teeth, they would have received an average of £26.40 in pocket money. The tooth fairy is kept busy too, with an estimated 15m milk teeth falling out in the last 12 months.
Depending on who lets the fairy in, children could be in for a bigger pay out. Dads admitted to leaving a minimum of £1.50 each time a tooth falls out, compared to £1.00 left by mums.
The price for teeth also varies between postcodes. The top paying cities include:
- Belfast - £1.76
- Newcastle - £1.43
- Edinburgh - £1.42
- Cambridge - £1.36
- Manchester - £1.34
Sarah Tollit, Founder and CEO of The Magic Door Store, comments on the findings: “My own children receive a shiny £1 coin per tooth, but based on our findings it might be time for a fairy pay rise. Children have amazing imaginations, so it’s important to keep the tooth fairy fun going for as long as possible. The Magic Door Store doors and accessories have been developed to capture this magical innocence, and help parents engage their children’s imaginations even more.
“This is the first year we have carried out this research, and we plan to reveal the increase (or decrease) in the amount fairies leave behind at the same time each year.”
Nigel Carter, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, shared his thoughts on the findings: "Children have around 20 milk teeth that they lose so it is no surprise that the tooth fairy is so busy. However, I’m sad to say that we, and the tooth fairy, are seeing a decline in healthy milk teeth.
“In the UK around one in three children aged five show visible signs of tooth decay, which means the tooth fairy may become a regular visitor to the homes of these children. We hope that mums, dads, grandparents, guardians and teachers will take the opportunity to remind children about how to look after their teeth.
“To have a strong set of teeth, children should brush their teeth with a fluoride toothpaste for two minutes, twice a day, cut down on the amount of sugary drinks and snacks they eat each day, and visit the dentist as often as they recommend. By doing these things, the tooth fairy may even consider increasing the value of each tooth, giving a pay rise to children with clean teeth.”