4 Fun Tooth Facts

1. We have 32 teeth in total and 4 different types of teeth:

- 8 incisors, to help with biting food and pronunciation of words;

- 4 canines that cut the food and support the lips;

- 8 premolars for chewing;

- 12 molars (including 4 wisdom teeth), which are our flattest teeth used for grinding food.

Bonus fact: It appears that if you’re right-handed, you’ll be inclined to chew your food on your right side (with the reverse being the case for lefties). Pay attention next time you eat something!

2. Tooth enamel = hardest part of our body.

Our teeth are meant to last a lifetime, and our tooth enamel is the hardest part of our body—even harder than our bones! In fact, tooth enamel is stronger than any other substance on earth besides diamond. That’s good news, considering the human bite can exert up to 90.7kg of pressure on the back teeth. A force as great as 122 kg for molars has been reported.

Unfortunately our strong enamel is not unbreakable and is susceptible to decay when exposed to acid and a build-up of bacteria, so make sure you take care of your teeth and brush and floss every day and night.

3. Your teeth are as unique as your fingerprints.

No two sets are alike. None of our 20 “baby teeth” or the 32 permanent teeth are exactly the same shape and size. Each tooth in your mouth is unique and varies broadly from person to person.

Bonus fact: Did you know that just like our teeth and fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is also unique.

4. A middle age custom was to kiss a donkey for tooth ache.

Yep, in medieval times people were taught many unusual myths to treat varying ailments and those practiced to cure tooth ache were among some of the strangest.

In Germany one myth to treat tooth ache was to kiss a donkey while other myths from the time included spitting into a frog’s mouth and holding an onion against the ear on the affected side. Luckily, we’ve left those practices behind and we can now just visit our friendly dentist and safely prevent and treat tooth complications.

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Smile Bright!

Thanks for watching  ... A share, a comment, and a like means the world to us... Let us know what you think in the comments section below and tell us what kind of content you'd like to see in the future...

Smile Bright!