UK children get an average of £1.58 per tooth from the tooth fairy

The Oral Health Foundation polled over 2,000 parents across the UK and discovered that the tooth fairy leaves a total of £23.7m each year for the 15 million baby teeth that fall out, which is an astonishing 43.6% increase on 2011 which saw £16.5 million being left.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, says: “The tooth fairy business is increasingly lucrative and has seen major inflation in recent years, but it is really important that children are mindful of just how precious the baby teeth they are placing under their pillows are. Many believe that milk teeth don’t need to be healthy, as they will just fall out anyway, but this could not be further from the truth. The health of children’s baby teeth and their oral health in adulthood are closely linked so it is vital that a child’s mouth is kept clean and healthy. We want to see children’s milk teeth fall out naturally and healthily, free from signs of decay.”
Statistics released by the Local Government Association on children’s hospital operations showed almost 43,000 tooth extractions in the last year, up almost a fifth on four years ago.
Dr Carter said: “The sustained and heart-breaking growth in childhood tooth extractions, demonstrated by the figures released by the LGA at the beginning of the year, illustrate a serious problem that needs to be urgently addressed. The main culprit in the UK for baby teeth needing to be extracted under general aesthesia is tooth decay, caused by poor diet and oral health routines. Diet plays a huge part when it comes to oral health and unfortunately many children are consuming too much sugar, too often, which results in rotten teeth that have to come out.”
Dr Ben Atkins, a Trustee of the Oral Health Foundation says: “It is essential that good oral health starts from when the very first baby tooth emerges and continues throughout childhood and into adult life. Try your best to limit children’s snacking and replace unhealthy sugary snacks with healthier foods such as fruit and vegetables. The Change4Life mobile app is a fantastic tool you can use to achieve this. Children should understand the value of looking after their teeth and have fun doing it. If you struggle to get your children involved or enthusiastic about brushing with a fluoride toothpaste then consider using songs, games or mobile apps which they can brush along to. Don’t hesitate to take you children to the dentist at a very young age, even if they accompany you on one of your appointments, regular visits will help you to gain information, advice and are essential throughout childhood and beyond.”