When Losing Is Winning: Happy Tooth Fairy Day
Quick Quiz:
- Q: How many babies are born in Washington each year? A: About 84,000
- Q: How many baby teeth will each child lose? A: 20 baby teeth
- Q. What's today's West Coast rate from the tooth fairy? A: $8.84 per tooth
You can see where this is going. Little baby teeth are a grown-up big business for the Tooth Fairy.
National Tooth Fairy Day - Like President's Day Only Different
February 28th is National Tooth Fairy Day...sorta. Some people celebrate(?) Tooth Fairy Day on August 22 but really, EVERY day is a work day for the tooth fairy. And that's saying something for a mythical creature pushing 116 years of age. The first known mention of this champion of chompers was in the Chicago Daily Tribune in 1908. When I was a kid, (not 1908) I got a nickel for a tooth and I was excited to get it. According to the folks at Delta Dental
The value of a lost tooth has more than quadrupled from the Tooth Fairy’s average payment of $1.30 when tracking started in 1998.
Heartland Heartbreak
It's tough to dig down to the dentin when determining the true value of a lost tooth because how much a child receives depends on where the child lives. But know this, If you lose a tooth in the Midwest you really are a "loser". Midwest kids find the least amount of money under the pillow at an average of $3.63, which is $2.21 lower than the national average and down 36% from last year. Seems even the Tooth Fairy sees the Midwest as a fly-over country!
Speaking of the Mid-West, the DesMoines Register did a deep dive into Tooth Fairy financials and discovered that the Fairy has tightened her tutu.
the <a class="gnt_ar_b_a" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tooth-fairy-giving-drops-for-first-time-in-5-years-according-to-delta-dental-poll-302068103.html" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}">Tooth Fairy’s payouts</a> have declined for the first time in five years to an average of $5.84. A child who loses a wiggly tooth is likely to receive a gift that is down 6% from last year’s record high of $6.23 for a single tooth.
The Toothless Smiles Of West Coast Kids Are Winning
The Tooth Fairy has a thing for West Coast kids. Washington's toothless can expect an average of $8.54 per lost tooth, a 37% increase over last year! All other regions are down. Of course, the real message of Tooth Fairy Day is to TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH. When they fall out as kid you might get paid. When they fall out as an adult, it's you who will do the paying!
Insight On Incisors- Adding Up Totals For The Tooth Fairy
Let's close this out with some fun math for you to chew on.
Each Washington kid has 20 baby teeth X $8.54 per tooth which means the average Washington Kid will make $170,80. Not bad wages for doing nothing, Now multiply that times 84,000 births per year, and the total cost to moms and dads er, the Tooth Fairy in Washington is $14,347,200 for all those teeth.
Let's open wider. American births per year are 3,659,289 X national average of $5.84 per tooth X 20 teeth and now we are talking real money. The kind of cash you can sink your teeth into, Somehow the Tooth Fairy needs to come up with $427,404,955.00!
Finally, It's important to note that the Tooth Fairy does not take on this monumental mouthful on her own. She has people...well, ah..she has creatures
Fairies, in general, are found worldwide, but the tooth fairy is a unique creature. The United Kingdom practices similar tooth fairy traditions. However, in other parts of the world like Spain, France, and Mexico, a little mouse pays a visit leaving little treats in exchange for the tooth.
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