We have all been conditioned to take our teeth and our oral hygiene very seriously, in part because they have such a huge impact on our general health and well-being. However, there is a fun side about teeth as well, as the little snippets below will show. Read through these fun facts about teeth, and when you find some that tickle your fancy, don’t be afraid to let that beautiful smile come out!
Fun Facts About Teeth
- An average American person will spend approximately 38.5 days during the course of their lifetime, just brushing their teeth. If you add flossing to this practice, the figure jumps to around 53 days.
- The great blue whale is the largest mammal inhabiting the earth, but it is only capable of eating tiny shrimp-like creatures because it does not have any teeth to chew larger food.
- More than 78% of all Americans will have at least one cavity by the time they reach the age of 17. This is why parents nag children so much about brushing their teeth, but it seems that the persistent reminders don’t always have the desired effect.
- The most valuable tools on record were from Sir Isaac Newton, because one of his teeth was sold in 1816 for $3633. Valued in today’s currency, that would be the equivalent of $35,700.
- Dental plaque is comprised of well over 300 types of different bacteria. There are also more bacteria in the mouth of one single person than there are people currently living on earth.
- An armadillo has 104 teeth, pigs have 44 teeth, cats have 30 teeth, and dogs have 42 teeth. The champion though is the tiny snail, whose head is no bigger than the head of a standard-sized pin, yet it can contain as many as 25,000 individual teeth.
- People who do not floss will generally miss cleaning about 40% of their tooth surfaces. That’s what makes flossing so important to your dental hygiene.
- People who are left-handed will generally be inclined to chew food on the left side of their mouth, whereas people who are right-handed will tend to chew food on the right side of their mouths.
- The average male person smiles around eight times each day, whereas the average female smiles approximately 62 times every day.
- Although the recommended time for brushing your teeth is between two and three minutes, the average person will only brush their teeth between 45 and 70 seconds.
- Individuals who routinely drink three or more glasses of soda every day will also have 62% more tooth decay than people who do not drink that much soda. That’s why it’s much better for you to simply drink water or a refreshing sports drink.
- There are somewhere between 10 and 12 teaspoons of sugar in every single can of soda.
- The hardest substance in the entire human body is the enamel coating on your teeth. However, that doesn’t mean you should use them for opening pop bottles or any other related activity.
- More than 60% of all adults say that they are attracted to another person just by the appeal of their smile.
- A survey was taken which showed that 59% of those people polled would rather go to a dental appointment than to sit next to an individual who is engaged in conversation on their cell phone.
- More than 50% of all people claim that the first feature they notice in another person is their attractive smile.
- Flossing has the potential to increase your life expectancy by as much as six years because it greatly reduces the chance that you will contract an infectious disease. It can even contribute to preventing heart attacks.
- More than 90% of all systemic diseases which you might contract, for instance, diabetes and heart disease, are strongly related to your oral health.
- Keeping your toothbrush dry is very important because bacteria can grow much more quickly on surfaces that are moist.
- The second most common disease in this country is tooth decay, with only the common cold surpassing it in terms of frequency.