Teeth! We see them every day. We work with them every day. That’s no surprise, we’re dentists, after all!
Even so, they never cease to amaze us. We bet you’ll be amazed, too, when you read some of these incredible facts about your pearly whites:
- Surveys indicate that 50% of people say that someone’s smile is the first thing they notice.
- The hardest part of your body? Your tooth enamel.
- Some 80% of dental injuries sustained by children are to their front teeth.
- Consumers in the U.S. buy 14 million gallons of toothpaste every year.
- Over the course of your life, you will spend about 38 days brushing your
teeth. - Snails have about 25 teeth – and they are located on their tongue.
- Adult humans have 32 teeth. Babies, however, only have 20 teeth.
- A tooth that gets knocked out will start to die within 15 minutes.
- You can extend the life of a knocked out tooth by placing it in milk or holding it in your mouth. Remember that if you have to take an emergency trip to your Barnegat, NJ dentist!
- The amount of saliva you produce in a lifetime is enough to fill two swimming pools!
- Mosquitoes have teeth! Usually about 47 is all.
- So-called “milk teeth” begin to form in the womb, but don’t actually show until a child is six months to a year old.
- Some 25% of children won’t have seen a dentist before they enter kindergarten. That number is too low!
- Modern toothpaste has only been around for about 100 years.
- Think your fingerprints are unique? So are your tongue prints! No two are alike.
- In the past, people used charcoal ashes, chalk, lemon juice, and other concoctions to brush their teeth.
- Think kids eat more candy than adults? Think again. Adults consume about 65% of all the candy produced in the U.S.
- The most common childhood disease is none other than tooth decay.
- Brushing daily can reduce your chance of tooth decay by 25%.
- When you don’t floss, you miss cleaning up to 35% of your tooth’s surface area.
- Humans have two sets of teeth during their lifestyle. By contrast, sharks have about 40.
- Every year, students lose 51 million hours of school due to dental-related illness.
- What you think of as your teeth is only part of the story; one third of your teeth are located underneath your gums.
- You could add up all the people on Earth and it still wouldn’t add up to the amount of bacteria in your mouth RIGHT NOW!
- At the time of his inauguration, George Washington only had one real tooth!
Pretty amazing stuff, huh? As a dentist in Ocean County, NJ, it’s easy to see why we are so fascinated with your pearly whites. They are a lot more interesting than people realize!
But how do you find the best ones? How do you settle on a place to stay? How do you make the most out of your hunt for a perfect family vacation, romantic getaway, or weekend away with friends?
Tooth enamel is a translucent, calcified substance that covers the top (crown) and sides (root) of your teeth. Made up of 96% minerals such as calcium and phosphate, enamel is the hardest and most mineralized tissue in your body. Enamel is nonliving and cannot regenerate once it’s lost, which is why it’s essential to preserve it as much as possible.
Look, we understand. A lot of people just don’t like to floss. In fact, up to half of all Americans don’t floss as often as they should.