Good economy has no pull with Tooth Fairy

Kids learned a tough economic lesson in 2017: It isn’t always easy for Mom and Dad to put the money where your mouth is — or your teeth were.

Despite a hot stock market, payouts from the beloved Tooth Fairy were defanged, sinking 11%, according to a survey. That amounted to a 53-cent drop —

$4.66 to $4.13, the Delta Dental survey of parents of 6- to 12-year-olds found.

The survey is generally an indicator of economic health: The Standard & Poor’s 500 index and Tooth Fairy loot have risen and fallen in relative unison

11 of the past 14 years.

But last year, the S&P climbed at an

18% pace while fairy funds faltered. So why the kick in the teeth?

Affordability was a factor for 14% of the households; 46% said how much a child received was determined by “how much cash is on hand.”

Where a child lives makes a difference. Kids in Western states were Tooth Fairy favorites: They received $4.85 a tooth on average. Young ones in the Northeast got $4.35, those in the South got $4.12, and kids in the Midwest netted $3.44.

First-time tooth extractors scored an average $5.70 per incisor, down 2 cents from the previous year.

But, kids, don’t cry in your pillow when those molars go missing. The Tooth Fairy is still quite popular: 84% of kids got a visit last year. And 73% of children still believe in the Tooth Fairy.

And whatever you do, don’t call out your parents: 11% felt guilty that the Tooth Fairy couldn’t leave more.