This is the best time for kids to lose their baby teeth. The Tooth Fairy is paying out cash at an all-time rate.
According to Delta Dental's 13th annual Tooth Fairy survey, cash payouts have soared during the past year to an all-time high average of $4.66, a 75-cent increase over 2015.
The Tooth Fairy's high payout rate has historically been a good indicator of the economy, USA Today reported. The poll shows the Tooth Fairy's cash payout increase is within a percentage point of the S&P 500's, continuing the survey's pattern of following the index's direction for 12 of the past 13 years, USA Today reported.
According to the Delta Dental survey, in 2016 the Tooth Fairy paid about $290.6 million in the U.S. for lost teeth, a 13.5 percent increase from 2015. Cash payouts for a first lost tooth have risen about 10 percent to $5.72.
According to the survey, Tooth Fairy payouts are highest in the West: $5.96 ($6.89 for the first tooth); followed by the Northeast at $5.08 ($6.31); the South at $4.57 ($4.88); and the Midwest at $4.04 ($5.70).
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