The folklore says that when you lose one of your baby teeth, you should place it underneath your pillow and the tooth fairy will visit whilst you are sleeping, take the tooth and leave you some money in return.

It's believed that the tradition of the tooth fairy started around 1900, according to Peter Navarez. There's a tradition from Lancashire that children should brush their teeth and take care of them, or they'd be visited by 'Jenny Greenteeth', who hangs around ponds. She was a sort of fairy-like figure, but perhaps more of a hag, or witch.

The tooth fairy idea did not appear much in literature at that time, and was more of a oral history tradition, although today she is a popular tradition with children and parents, and a great way to get children realising the importance of looking after their teeth.

As it’s National Tooth Fairy Day we thought we would share some fun facts about the mysterious, much-loved dental character! Little is commonly known about the Tooth Fairy’s origins, but we have some intriguing insights about this very special figure in our little ones' lives!

1. The Tooth Fairy is young! Did you know that the Tooth Fairy is actually quite young compared to other much-loved children's characters. Father Christmas can be traced back to Saint Nicholas, born around 280 CE and is the oldest by far! The Easter Bunny comes next, discovered in Germany during the 1700s; leaving the Tooth Fairy looking like a relative teenager, first appearing in September 1908!

2. The Tooth Fairy is picky… The Tooth Fairy is best known for collecting our first teeth as they fall out, but she is becoming an ambassador for good dental hygiene too! Many clever parents out there have realised that the Tooth Fairy actually pays more for better looking milk teeth; encouraging our little ones to brush more, in order to gain a better reward for their lost tooth… genius!

3. The Tooth Fairy’s appearance is a mystery! The Tooth Fairy is actually quite a mystery to all of us it seems, as no one’s quite sure what the she looks like! Unlike Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy has never had a definite appearance that’s unified across countries. Most cartoons and books depict a winged female sprite or pixie, much like Tinkerbell, bearing a wand and trailing sparkles in her wake, but actually when questioned, most people can’t even decide whether the mysterious fairy is male or female! The character has even taken on a mouse form in some countries, called Ratoncito Perez! The mystery continues!

4. The Tooth Fairy’s gifts differ from household to household Historically the Tooth Fairy is known to leave money in exchange for taking a tooth away, but that’s not the case in every household! Some Tooth Fairies are a little more on point with their gifts, leaving dental products in exchange for the tooth … (Sounds like our kind of Fairy!) Others are quite the opposite; offering sweet treats for a lost tooth! So be aware that the gifts can vary, depending on the household you live in. However, whatever the gift, the Tooth Fairy is widely known for being very generous!

5. The Tooth Fairy’s generosity has increased! It seems the Tooth Fairy is getting wealthier. According to the latest surveys, the Tooth Fairy leaves an average of £2.80 per tooth! What lucky little ones we have today, as that’s a 42% inflation-busting increase on 2011's figures... Tooth retrieval must be a lucrative business!

6. Finally, the Tooth Fairy shares a little magic… Each fairy shares a little magic with the child they visit, to make sure they are sleeping soundly. It is said the Tooth Fairy sprinkles a handful of very rare fairy dust over the child to ensure they are in a deep slumber and are not disturbed. What us parents would give to get our hands on some of that magic dust.