Tooth Fairy Index: Parents paying $6.23 for a missing tooth

Even the Tooth Fairy isn't immune from inflation. A new poll finds the average payout is $6.23 per tooth in the United States. Stefano Esposito/Sun-Times

A box of eggs. Heating bills. And now, a bump in the price for one of those tiny teeth secretly plucked from under a child's pillow.That's right even the Tooth Fairy isn't immune to inflation.Parents, if you're coughing up a buck per tooth, you're a cheapskate. The going rate in the United States is now $6.23 per tooth, an increase of 16% from 2022, and an all-time high, according Delta Dental's "Original Tooth Fairy Poll."The poll, now in its 25th year, surveyed about 1,000 parents of children ages 6-12 using an email invitation and an online survey. "The sample was designed to capture a broad spectrum of the U.S. population, not just those with dental insurance," according to Delta Dental.Back in 1998, when the dental insurance company began surveying parents, the average value of a lost tooth was a mere $1.30. In 2022, Delta reported that about 80% of parents leave money, not some other type of gift.But if you're feeling a bit stingy, you're apparently not alone. By region, parents in the Midwest paid on average the least per tooth in the most recent survey: $5.63. Parents in the South paid the most at $6.59 per tooth.The trajectory of the poll through the years tracks closely with the S&P 500 index, according to Delta.