Dental Factoid

It takes 43 muscles to frown, and only 17 to smile.

Blue whales are the largest mammals on earth—with tiny appetites. They only eat plankton (tiny shrimp) because they have no teeth.

In colonial days, debtors were shipped from Europe to America to work as servants. Instead of signing a contract, they sealed their agreement by leaving their dental imprint in wax.

On average, 3 million teeth are lost at sporting events annually.

Americans perceive people with straight teeth 58% more likely to be successful, as well as 58% more likely to be wealthy.

Elephants grind away their molars and grow new ones 6 times in their lifetime.

In the 1800s, blacksmiths and barbers also served as dentists.

Nearly 25% of American adults have no teeth.

75% of school kids worldwide have cavities.

Expectant mothers with poor oral hygiene are 7 times more likely to deliver prematurely and have babies with low birth weights.

Commercial floss was first manufactured in 1882.

25% of adults DON’T brush their teeth twice a day—increasing their risk of developing tooth decay by 33%.

Brushing along misses 40% of your tooth surfaces—that’s why you need to floss.

Known today as cotton candy, the machine that made “fairy floss” was co-invented by a dentist.

95% of American adults with diabetes also have periodontal disease.

Dolphins don’t have jaw muscles—they use their teeth to grab only, not to chew.

The average American spends 38.5 total days brushing their teeth during their lifetime.

90% of a bad breath smell originates in the mouth.

The earliest known dentist was Hesi-ren, an egyptian “doctor of the tooth” who lived around 3000 B.C.

Every can of soda has 10-12 teaspoons of sugar—the recommended daily intake is 4 teaspoons.

Three in five Americans would rather have a nice smile than clear skin.

Like fingerprints—and snowflakes—everyone’s tongue print is unique.

The most valuable tooth in history belonged to Sir Isaac Newton. In 1816, one of his teeth was sold in London for $3,633—today that would be $35,700. Might have been the ring it was set in…

Coconuts are a natural anti-bacterial. They reduce the risk of developing gum disease and cavities.

There are 19 different types of smiles.

The tooth is the only part of the human body that can’t heal itself.

Nearly three out of four Americans would be more likely to trust someone with a nice smile than someone with a good job, outfit, or car.

If you’re right handed, you will chew your food on your right side. If you’re left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side.

Chocolate is proven to make us smile more than then anything else we eat.

The saying “cat got your tongue” originated 2500 years ago in ancient Assyria where conquered soldiers and criminals had their tongues cut out and fed to the king’s cats.

Almost 65 million American adults have some form of periodontal disease—of this, 38.4% are women, 56.4% are men.

Toothpicks are the object most often choked on by Americans.

53% of people said that they first noticed someone’s smile when meeting someone new.

The first toothbrush was made in China in 1498—the bristles were made from hogs, horses, and badgers.

A sore jaw, when combined with chest pain, can signal a heart attack—especially in women.

Giraffes have black tongues and only bottom teeth.

48% of young adults have untagged themselves from a photo on Facebook because of their smile.

A snail’s mouth is the size of a pinhead and has more than 25,000 teeth. Mosquitoes? 47 teeth.

When searching for a possible mate on a dating site, people with straight teeth are 57% more likely than people with crooked teeth to get a date based on their picture alone.

An elephant’s molar is about 7 inches square and weighs more than 6 pounds.

In the 1800s, people who had false teeth in England ate in their bedrooms before gatherings and events at the dinner table. This unique Victorian tradition protected them against the embarrassment of having their teeth ‘fall off’ while dining.

33% of people are born without wisdom teeth.

When meeting someone new, 47% of people first notice their smile. Only 31% notice their eyes.

People who smoke are 2-7 times more likely to develop periodontal disease than non-smokers.

Contrary to popular belief, George Washington’s famous dentures weren’t wood. His dentures were crafted from gold, ivory, lead, and a mixture of human, donkey, and hippopotamus teeth.

78% of Americans have had at least 1 cavity by the age of 17.

33% of people are born without wisdom teeth.

People with periodontal disease are twice as likely to develop heart disease.

A fossilized Tyrannosaurus tooth weighs up to 1 pound.

The average person only brushes for 45 to 70 seconds a day, the recommended amount of time is 2-3 minutes.

There are more bacteria in the human mouth than there are people on the Earth.

We’d suggest registering. Dentures were common wedding gifts in the British Isles. At that time, people were expected to lose all their teeth and had their teeth extracted at an early age.

The average woman smiles 62 times a day—the average man, only 8.

Giant armadillos have 100 teeth—the most of any mammal on land. In the sea? Spinner dolphin’s long, thin jaws have 252.

The lifespan of a taste bud is 10 days.

Toothache in the middle ages? Kiss a donkey.

People who drink 3 or more glasses of soda daily have 62% more tooth decay, fillings and tooth loss than others.

People spend an average of 20,160 minutes kissing throughout their lifetime.

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body.

We’ve been filling cavities since the earliest of times using a variety of different materials, including gum, stone chips, and even turpentine resin.

Kids in North America spend close to half a million dollars on gum every year.

You can recognize a smile from up to 300 feet away.

In 1905, dental assistant Irene Newman was trained to clean teeth. She became the first dental hygienist.

Tooth decay is the second most common disease, second only to the common cold.

The average toothbrush contains about 2500 bristles grouped into about 40 tufts per toothbrush. The tufts are folded over a metal staple and forced into pre-cored holes in the head and fused into the head with heat. The handle is made of at least two materials, usually plastic and rubber.

87% of people would forego something for a year in order to have a nice smile for the rest of their life. Of those, 39% said it’d be dessert and whopping 37% would give up vacations.

In 200 A.D., the Romans used a mixture of bones, eggshells, oyster shells, and honey to clean their teeth.

Replacing your toothbrush after illnesses prevents re-infection.

Crocodile birds are quite the daredevils. They fly straight into the open mouths of crocodiles to clean the crocodile’s teeth.

The lifespan of a taste bud is 10 days.

Just like some lizards can grow new tails when they fall off, when a dinosaur lost or broke a tooth he grew a new one.