10 Dental Facts
Unless you are sitting in the dentists’ chair, you most likely do not think much about your teeth. Without reminders from our dental office, and if nothing goes wrong with our dental health most people take our incredible teeth for granted. Below are 10 dental facts that may keep you thinking about them.
First Toothbrush and Toothpaste
10) The first toothpaste was invented by the Egyptians. According to Colgate “Egyptians started using a paste to clean their teeth around 5000BC, before toothbrushes were invented. Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have used toothpastes as well, and people in China and India first used toothpaste around 500BC.”
9) The same source states that the toothbrush (the first natural bristle brush) was invented in China during the 15th century. They used pig’s hair attached to a bone handle. Late the Europeans refined it using horsehair and feathers for bristles.
Growing Replacement Teeth
8) Chinese researchers are attempting to grow synthetic teeth. Enamel and pulp tissue has successfully been grown but they are a ways of from growing replacement teeth. “The development of new biological approaches for the teeth reconstruction with stem cells is one of the most pressing tasks in dentistry for the upcoming years.”
Once They’re Gone, They’re Gone!
7) Depending on your age, you may have a false sense of security about the teeth you have. Because, when our 20 baby teeth fell out new adult teeth grew to replace them. And as our mouth grew, we got an upgrade with 12 more teeth growing in, totaling up to 32 teeth. But know this! When you lose your adult teeth new ones do not grow in again. We are not sharks, so take care of them.
6) If you get a tooth knocked out you may be able to save it. The sooner you get it back in place the better chance of it reestablishing itself. But you must get to your dentist as soon as possible. If clean, put it back in place immediately and hold it there while someone drives you to your dentist. See Erbsville Dental Blog “Knocked Out Teeth”
5) Dental health affects your whole body and overall health. Poor dental health can be linked to a many other medical conditions, like osteoporosis, diabetes, and even heart disease.
It Takes Time
4) If you brush just a few min each day over a lifetime you will spend almost 82 days brushing your teeth. That is, according to the UK Oral Health Foundation and an average life span of 81.5 years.
Your Unique Teeth
3) Teeth and the shape of the mouth are unique to each person. Teeth are like snowflakes, bellybuttons, and fingerprints. No two sets of teeth are the same. And that is significant with 9 billion people living on earth. “Because of this environmental wear and tear, even identical twins have different sets of teeth.”
2) According to the American Dental Association, Tooth enamel is the hardest part of your whole body. Being “96 percent mineral” it is durable and damage resistant.
1) Teeth begin to grow in the womb. Even though you don’t see them until your baby is 6-12 months old, they are there under the surface. In fact, “a fetus starts to grow their teeth at about 6 weeks of age”.
