Interesting Dental and Teeth Facts

Here are ten interesting “did you know” facts about teeth and dentists from your friends at Gainesville Dental Associates.

1. What hand you write with will typically determine what side you chew your food on. If you’re right handed, you’ll more than likely chew on the right side of your mouth. If you’re left handed, you will chew on the left side.
2. Contrary to popular myth, the first President George Washington never had wooden teeth. His dentures were made from ivory, gold, and other human teeth. The dentures were apparently very uncomfortable and made Washington extremely self-conscious, causing his lower lip to jut out unnaturally. Dentists weren’t very popular back then, so teeth falling out and needing to be replaced was common.
3. Many diseases are linked to your oral health, including heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes.
4. If you get your tooth knocked out, put it in milk and hold it in your mouth—this will help your tooth to survive longer. Make sure you see a dentist right away.
5. One in four adults don’t brush their teeth every day, as recommended. The average person brushes their teeth between 45 to 70 seconds, rather than two minutes. In their lifetime, the average American will spend 38.5 days brushing their teeth.
6. The earliest dentist was known as Hesi-Re from Egypt. He lived over 5,000 years ago. The first official female dentist lived in 1866 and her name was Lucy Beaman Hobbs. The first dental hygienist was a woman named Irene Newman in 1905.
7. The average human has 32 teeth. Dogs have 42, cats have 30 and an armadillo has 104 teeth. Giraffes do not have any top teeth. A snail’s mouth may be smaller than a pin’s head, but it can have as much as 25,000 teeth.
8. Your mouth produces over 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime—that’s enough to fill two swimming pools. Saliva has many uses, including assisting you with your digestion and protects your teeth from bacteria in your mouth.
9. Ancient dental implants go back as far as 600 AD. Pieces of shell were hammered into the jaws of Mayan women and made to look like human teeth. Today’s versions of dental implants, thankfully, are not as out there as that.
10. Kids in prehistoric times likely did not suffer with tooth decay. The American Dental Association says this is because sugar was not a part of their diet.

Now that you’re armed with intriguing teeth facts, share a few with your kids and friends. Who knew the little bones in our mouths could have such an interesting and sometimes crazy history. Want to learn more? Follow us on Twitter or follow our dental blog today!