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An alarming fiscal finding has fallen under the radar as families scramble to adjust to inflation and shrinkflation — which sound like opposites but are in fact BFFs.
It’s about the Tooth Fairy and how much she’s going to cost you.
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A not-at-all-toothsome U.S. poll conducted by Delta Dental reveals that a full set of 20 baby teeth — which drop out over six years — will set a family back US$124.60. That’s an average of $6.23 per tooth under the pillow, a 16-per-cent increase over last year and the highest amount Delta Dental has recorded since it began Tooth Fairy polling 25 years ago.
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Over that quarter-century, Delta Dental has seen a 379-per-cent increase in the cost of a primary tooth. It started at a pleasant $1.30 and now it’s hit $6.23 per tooth. That’s the average cost of the last 19 teeth — the first one goes for an average of $7.29. First, that sets a dangerously expensive precedent and furthermore, what is a six-year-old going to do with that $7.29? Buy Robux? Invest in Hershey Co.?
A further 20 per cent of children got presents in addition to cold hard cash.
If tooth inflation continues, the poll reveals, families will be shelling out $600 per year, per child by 2048.
The basic family allowance per child in Quebec, which is pegged to family income, will increase in 2024 from a maximum of $2,782 to $2,923, a boost of $141 annually. There’s your Tooth Fairy money right there, with a little left over for toothpaste.
“Historically, the Original Tooth Fairy Poll has mirrored the economy’s overall direction, tracking with the trends of Standard & Poor’s 500 Index,” Delta Dental said in a press release. “However, while the average value of a single lost tooth increased 16 per cent over the past year, the S&P 500 experienced an 11-per-cent decline during the period.”
Chicago-based Delta Dental Plans Association is a not-for-profit association and the largest dental benefits provider in the U.S. The poll was conducted from Jan. 6 to 19 among 1,000 parents of children between six and 12 years old. The margin of error is plus or minus three per cent.
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Originally posted 2023-11-12 17:13:33.