30 Facts About Teeth

We use our teeth every day for eating chewing and biting, and they play an important role in verbal and nonverbal communication as well. Here is a list of fun facts that you may not have known about your teeth.

1)    The American Academy of Periodontology conducted a study in which 50% of the participants mentioned that a person’s smile was the first thing they noticed about a person.

2)    Most adults have 32 teeth. While much smaller, mosquitoes have 47, and snails have 25 teeth as well…on their tongue!

3)    The hardest part of the human body is the tooth enamel.

4)    Missing teeth are very likely to cause tooth decay elsewhere in the mouth.

5)    Teeth start to form before birth. The milk teeth start to form inside the womb, but do not break through the gum line until six months or later.

6)    According to a study that spanned 19 countries, and was a comparison of European countries to each other, Hungary ranked 18th in oral hygiene. Cavities and alveolitis have reached epidemic proportions.

7)    While people switch their milk teeth to adult teeth just once, sharks can change their entire set up to 40 times during their lifetime.

8)    Our mouth makes about 23659 liters of saliva in a lifetime. This is enough to fill up two swimming pools with human spit. Saliva is useful in maintaining teeth and it kills bacteria.

9)    The more fluoride a tooth contains, the more resistant it is to bacteria.

10)  An average person spends roughly 38 days of his life brushing teeth.

11)  Toothpastes in their modern form have only been around for a hundred years or so. Before then, people used ashes, chalk, lemon juice, and a mixture of honey and tobacco to clean teeth.

12)  If you want to maintain good oral hygiene, you should get a new toothbrush every 3 months or so.

13)  Rounded, medium soft bristled, short headed, plastic bristled toothbrushes are ideal for cleaning teeth.

14)  Our teeth and gums need Vitamins A and D and calcium.

15)  Sugar free gum helps keep teeth healthy, as chewing increases the production of saliva, and acidic by products are thus diluted.

16)  Tumors generate relatively frequently in the mouth, and this is why a dental checkup can save your life, not just your teeth.

17)  Cold sores can appear in the mouth because of fever, stress, anxiety, and after eating tomato, chocolate or oily seeds, but it should go away in a few days.

18)  In Hungary people buy less than one toothbrush per year (0.6 exactly).

19)  When brushing teeth, it is better to keep the paste in the mouth instead of rinsing it out, this way, the fluoride and other stuff has a chance to stick to your teeth.

20)  An at home oral hygiene routine can only be said to be circumspect if it includes the tongue, this is the only way that a proliferation of bacteria can be stopped.

21)  Even a perfect tooth brushing session will only hit about 85% of the tooth surfaces. There are some places that simply can’t be reached with a toothbrush, which is why dentists will recommend getting a professional tooth cleaning done every once in a while.

22)  If you do not get plaque removed on a regular basis, calcium and magnesium deposits will start to appear on the surface, and the plaque will harden to tartar over time.

23)  About 90% of the adult population of Hungary suffers from periodontitis.

24)  Diabetics and pregnant women, as well as women who are nursing need to pay special attention to their teeth. The processes and problems that cause tooth decay seem to be especially active in these segments of the population.

25)  Hungarians eat about 40 kilos of sugar per person year. The WHO says that about half that would suffice.

26)  Chocolate and chocolate covered foods are less bad for your teeth than glazed or sugar coated sweets. This is probably due to the fat content of the cocoa powder used in producing chocolate.

27)  Eating lots of pickle, like pickled beet salads and pickles, and drinking bitter drinks helps destroy tartar and plaque.

28)  Eating sugar and getting cavities are not directly linked. Vipenholm studies have shown that it is not the amount of sugar you eat that is destructive; it is the frequency with which you eat them that causes problems.

29)  Diets are generally bad for your teeth, as usually only acidic vegetables, fruits, sugary fruit juices and teas are on the menu.

30)  Brushing your teeth directly after eating a meal can be bad for you, as the teeth that have just been subjected to wear form acids and acidic byproducts are now given a thorough rubbing as well, destroying the enamel.

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