Tooth Fairy Inflation: New York City Kids Now Demanding $13.25 Minimum Per Tooth


While many American kids years ago would have been thrilled to receive a quarter for their first tooth from the Tooth Fairy, a toddler’s tooth fetches anything from $5 to a massive $13.25 in New York.

C’mon, this is New York we’re talking here, so one would expect the price to be more than other states.

According to a recent survey carried out by oral-healthcare company Sunstar Gum, parents across America are digging deeper than ever before to give their children good money when they lose their teeth.

While the price state-to-state varies greatly, even the cheapest teeth go for way more than a quarter these days.

One mother complained to the New York Daily News, “This is New York City. So in other parts of the country, people give $2 or $5, but here, it’s double and even triple that.”

The survey was carried out among 1,000 families from across five cities, New York City, New York; Los Angeles, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; and Dallas/Houston, Texas.

In L.A., toddler’s teeth go for, on average, $9.69, while in Chicago it’s more like $5.85, and in Dallas/Houston, the average tooth price is $5.28.

According to the American Dental Association, most kids have a full set of 20 baby teeth by the time they are three-years-old, so the first three years can be costly for parents, if you do the math.

A Yahoo!-Facebook survey on the issue of tooth fairy inflation revealed that parents felt the price for teeth today is way too high. One Colorado mom for example posted, “$13??? $13!!! Not here!! We leave $5 and I cringe at that.”

However, another recent poll, carried out by Delta Dental, found that the Tooth Fairy left $225 million under kid’s pillows nationwide last year, according to CNBC.

Here is a list of Tooth Fairy prices, as per the Sunstar Gum survey.

  • New York, New York: $13.25
  • Los Angeles, California: $9.69
  • Chicago, Illinois: $5.85
  • Dallas/Houston, Texas: $5.28
  • Boston, Massachusetts: $5.02
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