As dental professionals, we tend to enjoy talking about teeth. Teeth are fascinating, for many reasons, and we love to share some of the interesting facts with our patients when they come in. Despite being one of the most important tools in the world, teeth have a number of idiosyncrasies and characteristics that you might find interesting, namely:
1. While American citizens highly value a straight, white smile, there are some cultures who don’t think of a “beautiful smile” in different ways. In Japan, for instance, a “beautiful smile” is more crooked. In fact, some Japanese citizens will pay to have crooked veneers put on their teeth to make them more “beautiful.”
2. Unlike other animals, Humans only have two sets of teeth throughout their entire life: the baby set and the adult set. Once adult teeth are gone, it’s impossible for them to grow back, leading to procedures like dental implants. The shark, for example, grows a new tooth every time one breaks off, and can go through nearly 30,000 teeth in a lifetime.
3. The amount of saliva you produce in your lifetime could fill two swimming pools (that’s about 25,000 gallons!).
4. Over the course of an average lifetime, an American will spend only .13% of it brushing his or her teeth. We obviously think that’s a great investment of your time, considering that, unlike sharks or alligators, we only get one set of adult teeth, and it has to last us forever.
There are plenty of more dental facts floating around our office, and we should love to share some with you.
If you have any lingering questions about your dental health or if you would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment. Our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.