The Fun Side of Dentistry – 9 Facts That You Most Probably Didn’t Know!

Although most people hate going to the dentist and may even think of it as one of the worst things to do, dentistry actually does have an interesting and fun side. There are many facts about your teeth and mouth which will amaze you, including:

1. The hardest substance in your body is found on your teeth. The enamel layer on the outside of your teeth is extremely durable and tough.
2. Your set of teeth are as unique as snowflakes, your fingerprints or anything else that can’t be duplicated. No other person in the world has teeth the same as yours. Be proud of your teeth and look after them, you only have one set!
3. Over the course of your life, your mouth will produce roughly 25000 liters of saliva. This is enough to fill up two whole swimming pools! So, just be thankful that it doesn’t all come at once! Saliva serves many purposes, including keeping your mouth clean, starting the digestive process and aiding the passage of food to the stomach.
4. Getting your teeth knocked out is not as big a deal as it may seem. If you lose a tooth playing sport, skateboarding or for another reason, then simply place it in milk and hold it in your mouth. Head straight to the dentist, and hopefully they should be able to reattach it without any long-term effects.
5. In the middle ages, people were encouraged to kiss a donkey if they had a toothache. Imagine your dentist prescribing that during your next visit!
6. The number of bacteria in your mouth is incredible. In fact, there are more bacteria good and bad combined, in your entire mouth than there are people in the whole world!
7. Although snails have tiny mouths that are no bigger than a pinhead, snails can have as many as 25000 teeth. Lucky you don’t have that many, or you would spend days at the dentist having your teeth checked!
8. Isaac Newton had the most valuable teeth in the world. In 1816, one of his teeth sold for $3633, which would equal around $35700 in today’s money.
9. The first toothbrushes were developed over 500 years ago and were made from a combination of pig, badger, and/or horse hair. They have improved dramatically since then, specially designed synthetic bristles are now used in place of the hair.

Although dentists seem to have a boring and difficult job, dentistry does have its fun and interesting side, as the above facts prove!