Teeth are an important part of your body. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy eating or talking. Additionally, they make your smile more lovely. You must learn to take care of your teeth well for these reasons.
One of the best ways to care for your teeth is learning more about them. And, sharing these facts with kids can help them appreciate their teeth more, which cultivates better hygiene practices and care.
Of course, you know plenty, but some facts may have escaped your reading. Luckily, we provide these lesser-known facts below.
Interesting Teeth And Dentistry Facts
1. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body.
The surface of your teeth is non-living and made up of apatite crystals that contain calcium and phosphate. It makes it the hardest substance in the human body. However, that does not mean that you can use your teeth as bottle openers!
2. Teeth are not bones.
Although teeth contain a lot of calcium and have similar properties to our skeletons, they are not bones. Bones are living tissue made up of collagen and calcium. Teeth are not living and are surprisingly more fragile than bones. That is why oral care is important throughout a human’s lifetime.
3. Teeth cannot repair themselves.
Because teeth are not living tissue, they cannot repair themselves. The body’s healing process starts with cells. Unfortunately, the tooth enamel is majorly minerals and has no cells. With no protein cells and tissues, teeth cannot heal themselves. Oral care and preventing damage are therefore very important.
4. Everyone has a unique tongue print.
Like your fingers and palms, the tongue has special features that make it unique and different from other tongues. The color, surface texture, and shape of your tongue differ from everyone else’s, creating a special tongue print. Therefore, tongue prints can serve as tools of identification.
5. Teeth also have a unique print.
Similarly, your tooth print is unique. No two people have the same teeth prints. Your teeth’ color, shape, and bite pattern give them a unique print. It is why specialists can use dental records to identify people. And unlike fingerprints, you cannot intentionally cut or burn them to change the pattern.
6. You only see ⅓ of your whole tooth.
When you open your mouth, only ⅓ of your tooth is showing. The other ⅔ is hidden in your gum. The roots are long and hidden in your gum because they need to support the tooth. When you develop receding gums, more of your tooth gets exposed, making it look longer.
7. Teeth stop growing after permanent teeth.
Despite what pest people think, teeth do not grow throughout your life. After your permanent teeth come in, your teeth stop growing in size. They can appear longer over time, but it’s not growing. Instead, it is a symptom of receding gums which exposes the tooth surface more.
8. Babies are born with teeth hidden in their gums.
All babies have their milk teeth hidden in the gums by the time they are born. The development of milk teeth begins in the womb, and at birth, they have ten teeth in the upper and lower jaw each. You can see it in x-rays.
9. Some babies are born with teeth.
1 out of 2000 children is born with teeth. Natal teeth occur as one or two, and while rare, it is normal. It can be shocking to see a baby born with teeth, but it is not an indication of disease or unhealthiness. Unless the tooth is loose, you have nothing to worry about.
10. Multiple body diseases affect your oral health.
Certain body diseases that have nothing to do with your teeth can affect your oral health. For starters, diabetes reduces your body’s resistance to fighting infections and leads to gum disease. Other diseases include osteoporosis, HIV/AIDS, and Alzheimer’s.
11. Your mouth produces enough saliva to fill two swimming pools.
The average person produces about 720 milliliters of saliva in 24 hours. It is barely enough to fill a milk carton. However, an average lifespan will see you produce 21,024 liters of spit. That’s enough to fill two swimming pools.
12. There are over 700 different types of bacteria in your mouth.
The mouth contains more than 700 types of bacteria. They live in the gums, between tooth crevices and the tongue. It sounds disgusting, but most bacteria are necessary for proper food digestion and protecting against harmful microbes.
13. There are 1000 types of bacteria in plaque.
Dental plaque is a harmful biofilm that sticks to the tooth surface. It occurs due to the abundance of harmful bacteria in the mouth. Modern technology has received that there are 1000 species in this sticky biofilm. For this reason, you should brush your teeth to prevent plaque.
14. Human teeth have an incredible bite force.
The molars of a human can exert a bite force of between 1,100 and 1,300 Newtons. It is surprisingly strong, which may be why many people use their teeth as tools. However, as stated before, teeth are fragile and should not be used as tools.
15. Dental floss is very strong.
Dental floss consists of multiple nylon filaments twisted together to create one stronger strand. It makes it very tough and resistant to breaking. Interestingly, an inmate in West Virginia once braided dental floss into a rope to climb up a wall and successfully escaped.
16. Milk saves knocked-out teeth.
If you get a tooth knocked out, you can successfully get it back in if you preserve it well. You can place it back in the socket and hold it down. The fresh blood supply will keep it healthy for reattachment.
However, if you cannot put it back in its socket, store it in milk till you get to the emergency room. Milk adequately nourishes and preserves the tooth for a while.
17. John Lennon’s molar is the most expensive tooth in history.
And finally, singer-songwriter John Lennon of the Beatles has the most expensive tooth in history. His molar tooth was sold for $31,000 in an auction. A Canadian dentist bought the tooth.
