You may not think about your teeth much. You might even consider them boring. But here are 10 fun and interesting facts about your teeth that just might catch your attention.
1. Teeth are like fingerprints; no two teeth are the same. Even identical twins have signature teeth that are individually special to the person.
2. Saliva acts as a rinse to rid teeth of sugar and bacteria. We produce around one to two quarts of saliva a day, which adds up to two swimming pools worth of saliva in a person’s lifetime.
3. About 73 percent of Americans would rather go grocery shopping than floss their teeth.
4. Each year, approximately 5 million teeth are lost to sports related injuries.
5. George Washington’s legendary wood dentures are a hoax. The President’s dentures were constructed from gold, lead, and elephant and hippopotamus ivory.
6. Children between the ages of 5 and 6 usually have 20 teeth, while adults have around 32 permanent, including wisdom teeth.
7. Newborn babies are generally perceived as toothless. However, 1 in 2,000 babies is born with a tooth.
8. Before minty fresh toothpaste was invented, a concoction of charcoal, ash, chalk, lemon juice, tobacco, and honey was used to clean teeth.
9. Teeth grills may have originated as early as 2,500 years ago, as some Native American tribes were infamous for teeth bedazzling, using resin to embed gems in their teeth.
10. The plaque found on your teeth is composed of more than 300 species of bacteria. (Yuck!)
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