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There are a lot of things that most people don’t know about dentistry that may surprise you. In this blog, we will share some fun and strange dental facts that you might not have known.

 

  1. Did you know that every person’s tongue is different? Your tongue is just like a fingerprint – it is unique to you.
  2. The average person will produce around 25,000 quarts of saliva in his or her lifetime. Not sure how much that is? Well, that is enough saliva to fill 2 swimming pools.
  3. Do you know what people used to brush their teeth? Pig hair! That’s right. Nylon bristles were not invented until 1938. So, people used pig hair for bristles. Yuck!
  4. Back in 2500BC, Ancient Egyptians used gold wire to help stabilize loose teeth. They were even known for carving seashells and then hammering the seashells into people’s gums to replace teeth. Also, they would use bones from animals and even ivory from elephant tusks to replace missing teeth.
  5. Professor Brånemark, a doctor in Sweden, accidentally discovered that titanium can bond to living bone tissue and not be rejected by the human body. Because of this discovery, people now benefit from losing teeth with the help of a dental implant.
  6. Before dentistry was even a profession, many people such as barbers and blacksmith’s subbed in as dentists. 
  7. In Medieval Japan, having black teeth was considered attractive. Many people would even use roots to help stain their teeth black. Can you believe that was a trend?
  8. Hundreds of years ago, people used to attempt to cure tooth decay by boiling dog teeth in wine.
  9. In Roman times people would use sterile urine as a mouth rinse. Now that is something I don’t think I would try.
  10. Teeth are the hardest part of your body, even harder than bones. And, since we are that topic, did you know your teeth aren’t actually bones? Even though teeth are hard, white, and contain calcium like bone, teeth can’t heal themselves or grow back if they suffer damage.

 

Here at Colony Dental, we are up-to-date on the times and with technology. You won’t find us handing out pig bristled toothbrushes or sterile urine mouthwash! We hope you enjoyed these interesting and strange dental facts. If it has been a while since your last dental appointment, be sure to schedule one today!