The “Tooth Fairy” and inflation…………………

The tooth fairy is now paying out up to as much as £10 per tooth meaning some children are receiving around £200 for their full set of baby teeth, a survey has found.

Parents are now leaving £5 or £10 notes under their children’s pillows instead of the more traditional coins as youngsters feel the benefits of the economic up-turn. The study found that around one in ten children get £10 per tooth with parents in London likely to pay out the most due to inflation and wage increases.

The survey has revealed the average payments children receive from the tooth fairy across the country, as shown in this graphic above. Parents in London and the south east pay out the most for youngster’s teeth

The average payment from the tooth fairy was found to be £2.10 per tooth – up from £1.50 five years ago. However, tooth fairy payments vary according to where you live in the country, with those in the capital and south-east paying out the most – at an average of £2.50 a tooth. The tooth fairy is most careful in Newcastle where children get an average of £1 per lost tooth.

The results come from a new survey of 1,000 parents by Carisbrook Dental in Manchester, one of Britain’s leading private dental practices.

It found that 27 per cent of children get a £1 coin for each lost tooth, 25 per cent get a £2 coin, and 14 per cent get less than £1 – most typically 50p. A further 12 per cent receive £5, nine per cent get £10, three per cent get between £10 and £20 and two per cent get more than £20. Only 8 per cent of children never receive a visit from the tooth fairy.

Nine out of ten parents (92 per cent) said their children aged under five believed in the tooth fairy – the same figure as for Santa Claus. Meanwhile, more than a third of parents (36 per cent) admitted that their children spent their tooth fairy money on sweets.
Experts say children who receive money from the tooth fairy take dental care the most seriously.

AVERAGE PAYMENTS FROM THE TOOTH FAIRY ACROSS THE COUNTRY
1 London – £2.50
2 Bristol – £1.90
3 Aberdeen £1.87
4 Birmingham – £1.75
5 Cardiff £1.72
6 Leeds – £1.60
7 Manchester – £1.55
8 Belfast £1.42
9 Edinburgh £1.34
10 Coventry £1.32
11 Leicester £1.29
12 Nottingham £1.26
13 Plymouth £1.22
14 Sheffield £1.20
15 Liverpool £1.15
16 Sunderland £1.12
17 Glasgow £1.10
18 Bradford £1.07
19 Wakefield £1.05
20 Newcastle £1

On a personal note, I was accosted by my young neighbour Mabel (age 6) a little while ago who informed me that she had a loose tooth and that when she pulled it out she would put it under her pillow so that she would get a £2 coin. When I questioned her about the amount and suggested that perhaps she meant a 20 pence coin she looked at me with utter indignation and forcefully said “no, it is a £2 coin” Thinking that she may be disappointed by what appeared under her pillow I suggested that perhaps a £1 coin was amore realistic expectation. She was having none of this and assertively stated that it would definitely be a £2 coin. One thing I have learned in recent times is that you don’t argue with Mabel on controversial subjects as she is prone to the occasional tantrum. So I wished her the best of luck and hoped that the “tooth fairy” was in a very generous mood when they visited.

Source: Abridged form an original article in the MoL.