Girl brushing teeth
With the UK struggling with the economic downturn and financial and commodity markets taking hits left right and centre, new research from the makers of Aquafresh suggests that milk teeth are actually one of the most profitable commodities in the UK.
On average, there has been a ten-fold increase from 10p to £1 in the cost of a milk tooth for parents acting as the tooth fairy, compared to a 27 per cent increase in petrol prices over the past 50 years.
The comprehensive study of 2,000 UK parents also revealed that, despite a reduction in the current standard of living, 70 per cent are forking out at least £1 per milk tooth for tooth fairy visits – which is over £24 per child, almost the same cost as a trip to Legoland.
The tooth fairy isn’t the only way kids are ‘milking’ teeth - over one in ten parents (11 per cent) admit they pay their children daily to brush their teeth, with a staggering one in five of those admitting to paying their child at least £1 a day.
Furthermore, of those who pay their children to brush, one in fifty parents confessed they pay their child £10 or more daily for brushing their teeth - the equivalent of £3,600 plus a year. Dentists recommend brushing for two minutes, twice a day – which means that children are earning the equivalent of up to £150 per hour brushing their teeth.
Milk teeth are trading on average at £1.50, in comparison to £1.24 for a litre of petrol in 2012. Unlike most commodities, milk teeth seem to have bucked the trend through the recession and their value has steadily increased in the last 50 years from an average of 15p to £1.50.
This is in stark contrast to 81 per cent of parents who received 50p or less when they were a child.
The tooth fairy wasn’t so kind to parents born in the 1960’s as, on average, they received 15p for tooth fairy visits, with an increase to 30p in the 1970’s.
Despite this, only eight per cent of parents admit they wish they hadn’t started to pay their children for brushing their teeth.
However, almost one in ten (seven per cent) parents threaten to withhold money if their child’s teeth are decayed, which may prove a useful incentive to brush for the 47 per cent of kids under 12 who have been told they have dental decay.
Leading dentist Neera Maini of Aqua Dental Spa, said: “Dental decay is one of the biggest preventable diseases in the UK, so this is a perfect opportunity for parents to use milk teeth and haggle down prices to encourage children to brush. By simply paying less or nothing at all for decayed teeth, parents could improve their kids oral health and set good habits that will last a lifetime.”
The study also revealed parents in Yorkshire are the biggest tooth fairy advocates with three quarters of parents paying at least £1 per tooth. In comparison, parents in the West Midlands are the most cautious teeth traders – with one in twenty refusing to pay their children anything.
Lesley Stonier, Senior Brand Manager for Aquafresh, said: “The fact that milk teeth are one of the most stable and profitable commodity markets in the UK is astonishing, and is a great incentive for kids to look after their teeth and brush twice a day.
"To help families get brushing, we are sending dental experts into communities to offer advice, help and support – and hopefully help tackle the levels of dental decay we are seeing. For more information and to get a free sample of toothpaste, visit www.aquafreshclub.co.uk.”
To help parents get their kids to brush, parents can download the tips and other ideas on how to make brushtime more fun at www.aquafreshclub.co.uk.
FemaleFirst @FemaleFirst_UK
Tagged in Teeth Health Parenting children Parenting News