SINK YOUR TEETH INTO DISCOVERY
CHOMPERS, pearly whites, fangs … whatever you call them, look after them. Unlike bones or other parts of the body, teeth cannot self-repair. Baby teeth start to form before you are born, but they come through between 6 and 12 months old. Babies have 20 teeth and adults have 32, formed by the time they reach their teenage years.
Third molars have been referred to as “teeth of wisdom” since the 1700s and simply “wisdom teeth” since the 1900s. They are called wisdom teeth because they appear between the ages of 17 and 25, when a person matures into adulthood and is considered wiser than when other teeth have arrived.
Humans have only two sets of teeth in their lifetime: baby teeth and permanent teeth. Diet, nutrition, brushing, flossing and regular trips to the dentist will keep them in good shape.
Modern toothpaste has only been around for about a hundred years. Before this invention, humans used charcoal or ground chalk, ashes, lemon juice and honey-tobacco mixtures to clean their teeth. Ancient Greeks used pumice, talc, alabaster, coral powder or iron rust as toothpaste.
Your minty paste does not seem so bad now, does it?
FUN FACTS ABOUT FANGS
• Tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the human body. • No two people have the same set of teeth — your teeth are as unique as your fingerprint. • Your mouth produces more than 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime — that’s enough to fill two swimming pools. Saliva has many uses, including assisting you with your digestion and protects your teeth from bacteria in your mouth. • One third of your tooth is underneath your gums — that means only two thirds of your tooth’s length is visible. • The earliest dentist known by name is Hesi-Re. He lived in Egypt more than 5000 years ago. • In medieval Japan white teeth were considered ugly … women used roots and inks to stain their teeth black • George Washington’s dentures were made from gold, hippopotamus tusk, elephant ivory and human teeth. • The first toothbrush with bristles was manufactured in China in 1498. Bristles from hogs, horses and badgers were used. The first commercial toothbrush was made in 1938. • In medieval Germany, it was thought the only cure for a toothache was to kiss a donkey. Speaking of our animal friends: SNAILS have the most teeth of any animal. They are arranged in rows on its tongue. A garden snail has about 14,000 teeth, while other species can have over 20,000. But that’s not even the most shocking part: the teeth of an aquatic snail called the limpet are the strongest known biological material on Earth, even stronger than titanium. THE longest teeth in the world are elephant tusks. GIRAFFES have no upper teeth, just lower teeth. RABBITS and rodents have teeth that never stop growing. They have to chew on tough foods like nuts, leaves and bark to wear teeth down and keep them from growing too long.
AND FINALLY:
Something to remember: Most animals do not get cavities because their diets are not high in sugar. They also chew on more hard or rough materials than humans to keep their teeth clean,
It is Dental Health Week from August 7 to 13.