Most people would say there is nothing fun about going to the dentist, but there are some fun dental facts that you may enjoy sharing with your friends and family. They might even make you smile!
Did you know......
An average American spends 38.5 total days brushing teeth over a lifetime.
Dentists have recommend that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
The average person only brushes for 45 to 70 seconds a day, the recommended amount of time is 2-3 minutes.
If you’re right handed, you will chew your food on your right side. If you’re left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side.
In 200 AD, the Romans used a mixture of bones, eggshells, oyster shells and honey to clean their teeth.
The second most common disease in the United States is tooth decay. The first is the common cold.
The average human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime. That is enough saliva to fill 2 swimming pools.
The hardest tissue in the body is the enamel covering our teeth.
An Elephant’s tooth can weigh over 6 pounds and measures one foot across.
A tooth that has been knocked out starts to die within 15 minutes, but if you put it in milk or hold it in your mouth it will survive longer.
You are supposed to replace your toothbrush after you have an episode of flu, cold or other viral infections, to avoid re-infection.
In the middle ages, people believed that dog’s teeth boiled in wine made an excellent mouth rinse for tooth decay prevention.
Dogs have 42 teeth, cats 30 teeth, pigs 44 teeth, and an armadillo has 104 teeth.
There are 10-12 teaspoons of sugar in a single can of soda.
More people use blue toothbrushes than red ones.
Each person’s set of teeth is unique much like their fingerprints. Even identical twins do not have exactly the same set of teeth. Your tongue print is also unique.
The average woman smiles about 62 times a day! A man? Only 8!
50 percent consider the smile the first facial feature they notice, and 80% are not happy with their smile.
A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans.
Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum.
Smokers remain three times more likely than non-smokers to lose all their teeth.
Giraffes only have bottom teeth.
More than 51 million hours of school are lost each year by children due to dental related illness.
In 1994 a prison inmate in West Virginia braided floss into a rope, scaled the wall and escaped.
78% of Americans have had at least one cavity by age 17.
The most valuable tooth belonged to Sir Isaac Newton. In 1816 one of his teeth was sold in London for $3,633.00 or in today’s value $35,700.00 The tooth was set in a ring.
People with red hair are more sensitive to pain and consequently need 20% more anesthetic to numb the pain than other patients.
Sugar Facts: Chemical manufacturers use sugar to grow penicillin.
83% of people believe their teeth are more important to their appearance than hair and eyes.
A snails mouth is no larger than the head of a pin, but can have over 25,000 teeth, which are located on the tongue.
In 1498, the Emperor of China implanted hog bristles in a bone handle. However, because of the cost of hog bristles, poor people could not afford individual toothbrushes, so a whole family would share the same toothbrush.
Believe it or not, most Americans didn’t brush their teeth until soldiers brought the Army’s enforced brushing habit back home from World War II.
Early Egyptians, Chinese, Greek, and Roman used different mixtures for toothpastes and powders. The more tasty ingredients used included powdered fruit, honey, and dried flowers, and the less appetizing ingredients were mice and lizard livers!
Paul Revere, most remembered for his “midnight ride,” was a metalworker by trade who constructed dentures from gold and ivory.
Even George Washington suffered from tooth loss and ill-fitting dentures. The first president of the United States had dentures made of metal and carved ivory, or metal and carved cow’s teeth—but never made out of wood.
Turtles and tortoises are toothless, while a mosquito has 47 teeth.
If you don’t floss, you miss cleaning 40% of your tooth surfaces. Make sure you brush and floss twice a day!
From the 5th to 15th century A.D., dentistry was practiced by “barber-surgeons,” who performed a variety of services, including cutting hair and extracting teeth.
According to Consumer’s Report, dentists are among the 5 most trusted professionals in the U.S.
Remember to call your dentist or orthodontist to schedule a consultation for your specific dental needs.