How much do you know about dentistry and teeth? I stumbled upon some interesting facts about dentistry and teeth that I wanted to share with our patients.
- Most Americans spend 38.5 total days brushing their teeth over a lifetime.
- People who drink 3 or more glasses of soda each day have 62% more tooth decay, fillings and tooth loss than others. Put down the pop and sports drinks and pick up some nice fresh water instead.
- Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. However, we do not recommend that you use your pearly whites to open bottle caps!
- If you don’t floss, you miss cleaning 40% of your tooth surfaces. Make sure you brush and floss twice a day!
- 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.
- Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a million dollars on chewing gum.
- More people use blue toothbrushes than red ones.
- Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different
- The average woman smiles 62 times a day. The average man smiles about 8 times a day.
- Kids laugh around 400 times a day, adults just 15 times a day.
- Giraffes only have bottom teeth.
- Just like finger prints, tooth prints are unique to each individual.
- The average person only brushes for 45 to 70 seconds a day, the recommended amount of time is 2-3 minutes.
- 78% of Americans have had at least 1 cavity by age 17.
- 1882 was the year commercial floss was first manufactured.
- The most valuable tooth belonged to Sir Isaac Newton. In 1816 one of his teeth was sold in London for $3,633, or in today’s terms $35,700. The tooth was set in a ring! (source: Guinness World Records 2002).
- More than 300 types of bacteria make up dental plaque.
- Dogs have 42 teeth, cats have 30 teeth, pigs have 44 teeth, and an armadillo has 104 teeth.
- A snail’s mouth is no larger than the head of a pin, but it can have over 25,000 teeth!
- The elephant grinds its molars and grows new ones. This happens six times in a lifetime! An elephant’s molar is about 7 inches square and can weigh over 6 pounds
- The Blue Whale is the largest mammal on earth, but it eats only tiny shrimp because it has no teeth.
- The Crocodile Bird flies into the open mouth of a crocodile and cleans the crocodile’s teeth!
- There are 10-12 teaspoons of sugar in a single can of soda.
DENTAL HISTORY
- In 1866, Lucy Beaman Hobbs became the first licensed female dentist.
- In 1986, the winner of the National Spelling Bee won by spelling ODONTALGIA (which means toothache)
- The average amount of money left by the tooth fairy in 1950 was 25 cents. In 1988 it was $1.00, the going rate now is $2.00.
- The earliest dentist known by name is Hesi-Re. He lived in Egypt over 5,000 years ago.
- The first toothbrushes were tree twigs. Chewing on the tips of the twigs spread out the fibers, which were then used to clean the teeth.
- Ancient Greeks used pumice, talc, alabaster, coral powder or iron rust as toothpaste.
- George Washington never had wooden teeth. His dentures were made from gold, hippopotamus tusk, elephant ivory and human teeth!
- In 1905, Dental Assistant Irene Newman was trained to clean teeth. She became the first Dental Hygienist.
