Teeth , as we all know, are important for various tasks such as eating, talking, and even showing off a gorgeous smile. No doubt, taking good care of your teeth is essential; however, you might not know everything about teeth and ways of dental care. Read on our list of interesting facts to know more about teeth.
10. Barbers and Blacksmiths Performing Dental Work
Ever wondered how people dealt with toothache before the existence of dentistry? Since there were no dentists back then and because they had the equipment to pull off a tooth, it was considered a barber’s and a blacksmith’s job. Luckily for us, actual licensed dentists exist and we no longer need to visit a barber to pull our teeth out.
9. Old Ways To Deal With Toothache
Got some unbearable toothache? Kiss a frog. Kiss a donkey. In old days, people believed exchanging saliva with a frog or a donkey will help cure your toothache. Not only that, but the Chinese came up with the idea of wrapping the aching tooth with a parchment with a prayer on it in hope that the prayer would be answered alleviating the pain. Madness didn’t end there in the ancient times, and one medical practitioner suggested hurting the aching area with a nail until it bleeds then jamming the nail into a wooden beam. He claimed that the tooth will never bother you again.
8. Earliest Brushes and Toothpaste
Way before the invention of toothbrushes and toothpastes, people still took brushing their teeth seriously. However, it was a bit more gross. They used mixtures of charcoal, ashes, honey-tobacco and even crushed bones! The closest thing to a modern brush and a tooth paste was first invented by the Chinese.
We all know that brushing your teeth two times a day is essential for healthy clean teeth. What you might not know is: flossing your teeth is actually more important than brushing. Flossing removes food stuck between your teeth and protects your gums more effectively.
6. Types and Structure
We, as humans, have two sets of teeth throughout our lives. The first set of teeth or the “baby teeth” begins to fall during childhood. By the age of 21, you have your everlasting complete set. An average grownup has 32 teeth; four wisdom teeth, eight incisors, four canines, twelve molars and eight premolars.
5. Your Teeth is Connected to Your Brain
The tooth is connected to the gum via the cementum and to the jawbone by periodontal fibers. The region that controls blood supply and nerves is within the enamel and dentine shell. The highly protected part is the pulp containing the nerve endings that converse with the brain.
A normal human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva throughout their life span; enough to fill two swimming pools. Saliva protects our teeth from bacteria. As we get older, the amount of saliva in our mouth decreases, therefore, increasing our vulnerability to dental diseases.
3. Never Losing Baby Teeth
Normally, by the age of three, we start losing baby teeth and start growing our second set of everlasting teeth. Though in some cases, a person never loses their baby teeth and continue to live with them because he doesn’t have another set underneath his baby ones.
2. Animal’s Teeth
An average human adult has 32 teeth. But it’s not the same with all living things. A snail has 25 teeth, a mosquito has 25, a dolphin can have up to 250 and sharks, throughout their life span, can go through 30,000 to 50,000 teeth!
1. Love Your Teeth Day
Dental care is incredibly vital. China, with its huge population, designated a special day to raise awareness for the cause. September 20 is considered its national “Love your teeth day”.