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Our list of 10 interesting facts about teeth might surprise you. Although our natural teeth are designed to last us a lifetime, there’s plenty of things we don’t know about them. Let’s shed some light on our vastly underrated pearly whites.
1) How many teeth do we have in a lifetime? Most people will develop 32 adult teeth in their lifetime, a number that includes four wisdom teeth, four incisors, eight incisors, eight premolars and twelve molars. Most of us lose our first set of teeth by the age of six or seven.
2) Did you ever wonder what teeth are made of? The tough exterior of the tooth is called enamel, the protective coating for the more sensitive dentine and pulp within.
3) How much toothpaste do we collectively use each year? According to statistics, we go through about 14 million gallons of toothpaste every year!
4) What tools did early dentists use? History tells us the ancient Greeks actually used pliers to extract teeth. Your dentist’s tools have certainly come a long way!
5) What did people use to clean their teeth before toothbrushes? Early civilization was awfully resourceful, using materials such as charcoal, ashes and lemon juice to clean their teeth. You could say we’ve come along way with techniques and preventative care.
6) Are root canals as painful as they’re made out to be? Nope! With modern dentistry, some suggest root canals are comparable to simple filling procedures.
7) About 40% of people over the age of 65 have all their teeth, a percentage that looks to climb as dental technology advances.
8) How much dental floss do Americans go through each year? The latest numbers show we use 14 inches of floss per year.
9) How much time will we spend brushing our teeth throughout life? On average, Americans will spend 38.5 days brushing their teeth in a typical lifetime.
10) Nearly 50% of the population state a person’s smile is the first physical attribute they notice. So keep smiling!
