Payouts From The Tooth Fairy Hit an All-Time High

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)-- When you're  a kid, the only thing better than a toothy smile is a toothless grin and a trip from the tooth fairy.

And these days, she's pretty generous.

According to Delta Dental's 13th annual Tooth Fairy survey, the pearly white pixie gave out an average $4.66 per tooth in 2016, an all-time high up $.75 from the previous year.

Cash payout for the first tooth was up 10%, which here in the Northeast, averaged about $6.31. That went down to $5.08 for each subsequent tooth bringing the total tooth fairy tab to $290.6M here in the United States.

While 48% of children hold on to their cash, the other half have big plans to spend it. And it's not just good news for kids.

According to the survey, the tooth fairy's upsurge comes within a percentage point of the S&P 500's, which has been the case for twelve of the thirteen past years, proving the average payout per tooth can be a good indicator of the economy.