Mom KC Davis has a brilliant way to answer the childhood question, “Is the tooth fairy real?” Her magical reply could help other parents.

The Tooth Fairy Is Real. She’s a Dentist in Seattle. For 20 years, Dr. Purva Merchant has been answering letters from gaptoothed children and their parents — roughly 6,000 in all.

Her first invention, Moonlite, turned smartphones into storybook projectors. It became one of Kickstarter’s most-funded toys ...

Even the Tooth Fairy is not immune to jaw-dropping inflation. $20 for a first tooth has become popular across the country, with some parents going well beyond that.

When my son was 8-ish, and his tooth losses were beginning to wane, he was apparently arriving at some skepticism about the Tooth Fairy. He told his sister, then 5, to do an experiment.

Mom KC Davis has a brilliant way to answer the childhood question, “Is the tooth fairy real?” Her magical reply could help other parents.

When my son was 8-ish, and his tooth losses were beginning to wane, he was apparently arriving at some skepticism about the Tooth Fairy. He told his sister, then 5, to do an experiment.

For 20 years, Dr. Purva Merchant has been answering letters from gaptoothed children and their parents. “Happy growing up,” she typically replies.