Tooth Fairy Exchange Rate

My son lost his first tooth a while back. Like many children, he put his tooth underneath his pillow for the Tooth Fairy to exchange for some amount of money. My son got a whole dollar, which he thought was pretty cool until he found out his friend got three dollars for his lost tooth. What gives, Tooth Fairy?

That got me thinking about how the Tooth Fairy prices out the exchange of tooth for money. Why did the friend get three times as much as my son? Also, three dollars seems like an arbitrary amount.
 

 

I spent too much time thinking about it as I usually do. I mean, apparently my wife didn’t get any money. When I was a kid, I got a dollar. Did TF account for inflation?

I don’t know. So here’s a calculator to imagine the possibilities. There’s a flat rate, where each tooth gets an equal exchange. There’s also a progressive plan where the exchange rate increases for each tooth.

Whatever the plan the Tooth Fairy follows, they must have some serious capital in the bank. Money for teeth seems expensive.

Become a member. Support an independent site. Make great charts.

See What You Get

Favorites

How Much the Everyday Changes When You Have Kids

I compared time use for those with children under 18 against those without. Here’s where the minutes go.

The Changing American Diet

See what we ate on an average day, for the past several decades.

All the Household Types in the U.S.

No need to restrict ourselves to the most common types. There are thousands. Let’s look at all of them.

19 Maps That Will Blow Your Mind and Change the Way You See the World. Top All-time. You Won’t Believe Your Eyes. Watch.

Many lists of maps promise to change the way you see the world, but this one actually does.