These days, a tooth fairy collection can cost anywhere from $5 to $20, to as high as a $50 Sephora gift card, writes Erin McCarthy for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Cost depends on family tradition, location, and what friends are receiving for their teeth.
The first tooth is always the most valuable.
In Ridley Park, MaryAlice Quinn set a cash precedent years ago with her two older children, now 13 and 11, giving them $20 each for their first tooth.
That’s what Quinn and her husband had in their wallets when the first tooth came out. After that, it was $5 a tooth.
“My 11-year-old, I believe she would just rip her teeth out of the mouth once she started seeing the money come in,” Quinn said with a laugh.
Cash will remain the preferred choice when Quinn’s younger children start losing teeth in a few years. The amount given, she said, will stay the same.
“I don’t want to outshine other tooth fairies,” Quinn said.
Nationwide, the average value of a lost tooth is $5.01, according to Delta Dental’s 2025 Original Tooth Fairy Poll.
Read more about the latest trends and the modern costs of tooth fairy traditions in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
