Bet You Didn’t Know this About Your Teeth

A lot of people don’t give their teeth a whole lot of thought unless there is something wrong with them and they have to go see their family dentist in Waterloo. However, teeth are actually a lot more interesting than you might think. The following are a few facts about teeth that you may not have known:

1. Although your teeth don’t begin to show until you are between six and 12 months old, they actually begin to grow while you’re still in the womb.

2. The enamel, which is what covers the top surface of your teeth, is the hardest part of your whole body.

3. A person’s teeth are unique, meaning that nobody has the same set of teeth. So just like snowflakes, belly buttons and fingerprints, no two are the same!

4. Although you may only spend a few minutes brushing your teeth, this amounts to roughly 38.5 days of brushing over your lifetime.

5. The health of your teeth is important not only to the health of your mouth and the appearance of your smile but also to your overall physical health. Poor oral health has been linked to a variety of other conditions throughout the body, including osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease.

6. If you lose a tooth by accident, you can potentially have it put back in if you see a dentist right away. To make sure your tooth survives, place it in milk and then hold it in your mouth.

7. You will only get two sets of teeth in your life. Your baby teeth, of which there are 20, and your adult teeth, of which there are 32. If you lose an adult tooth, another will one will not grow back.

8. Even though teeth do not grow back, researchers in China are currently attempting to grow synthetic teeth. They’ve managed to grow the beginnings of enamel and dental pulp, but are still a ways off successfully growing a tooth of any kind.

9. Oral health goes back a long time. The Chinese invented the closest thing to a modern toothbrush out of bamboo and boar hair.

10. The Egyptians invented the first toothpaste (a mixture of wine and pumice) over five thousand years ago.

These are just a few facts about teeth to mull over. To schedule an appointment with a family dentist in Waterloo, contact Waterloo Smiles Dentistry today.

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