At Parker Dentistry, we think teeth are absolutely fascinating, and not only our teeth, but all teeth! That’s probably not the way you feel about teeth though. But that’s about to change! Unless teeth are just your thing, you probably haven’t put too much thought into them other than taking care of them. Here are some things that make our teeth so awesome followed by some quirky, mind-blowing, and weird facts about other animals’ teeth.
Fascinating facts about our teeth and oral health
- Every tooth is completely unique. Each tooth in your mouth, whether from your adult set of 32 or your “baby” set of 20, has its own unique shape, size, and profile. No two teeth are exactly the same in your mouth and all of your teeth are completely different from anyone else’s set.
- Your teeth can tell stories. Your teeth can tell a lot about you and your personal history. Your teeth can reveal your age, your diet, your current state of health, and show a record of periods of stress or sickness that have occurred in our lifespan.
- Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in our entire body.
- There are over 300 different types of bacteria in plague. Gross!
- Tooth decay is the second most common disease, second only to the common cold.
- There is more bacteria in your mouth than there are people on the planet.
- On average, we will spend 38 days of our life brushing our teeth.
- The first tooth brush was invented 5,000 years ago by the Egyptians. However, the Chinese were the first to create a tooth brush that more closely resembles the type we use today.
- The world’s first known dentist was named Hesi-Re and he lived and practiced in Egypt 5,000 years ago.
- In a lifetime, we will produce enough saliva to fill two swimming pools.
- It takes 43 muscles to frown and only 17 to smile.
- In North America, over 3 million miles of dental floss is purchased every year.
- The most valuable tooth belonged to Sir Isaac Newton and sold in London in 1816 for $3,633. Today that’s the equivalent of $35,700. His tooth was set in a ring.
Pretty neat, right? Well, it’s about to get even neater!
- Snails have the most teeth out of any animal. Snails don’t have traditional looking teeth though. Their teeth are in rows on their tongue. Some species have over 20,000 teeth!
- Giraffes have no upper front teeth. Like us, they have 32 teeth, but they are positioned in the back of their mouths.
- Sharks lose at least one tooth a week but have a backup row up teeth always waiting to move forward when one in the front goes missing.
- The hippopotamus has the longest canine teeth of any animal. They can grow as long as three feet!
- Most animals don’t get cavities because their diets aren’t high in sugar like a lot of ours are.
- A narwhal horn is actually a giant tooth and can grow more than 8 feet in length.
- A mosquito actually has 47 teeth, but you can’t see them without a microscope.
- While frogs have teeth, toads do not.
- Crocodiles have a set of 60 replaceable teeth and will go through 2,000 teeth in a lifetime.
Teeth are pretty fascinating, right?