Your teeth are assets. They help you chew food, so that your stomach can digest and absorb nutrients from it. Your teeth also make you look young and dynamic, as long as the teeth are white and properly aligned. Unfortunately, your teeth also are the one part of your body that is neglected the most because you do not their importance. If you knew some interesting teeth facts, you may feel motivated to look after your teeth better!

Interesting Teeth Facts that you should know

• Your tooth enamel is one of the hardest substances found in your body. It is harder than copper, but not as hard as a stainless steel fork.
• The enamel develops minute cracks that spread out the stress of chewing food and thereby preventing breaks in your teeth. It is this quality of your enamel that aerospace engineers are trying to decipher, so that they can build stronger and sturdier rockets and spacecraft.
• Although your tooth enamel is hard, it cannot always resist the acids produced by the bacteria present in your mouth. These acids remove phosphate and calcium from the enamel, resulting in cavities or dental caries. You have no one but yourself to blame for cavities, as your diet comprises of refined sugar that the bacteria feast on.
• Poor oral hygiene and health has been associated with several diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis.
• During the 18th century in England, wealthy upper class women used to opt for tooth transplants, but these transplants usually were unsuccessful. Also, many of the transplanted teeth were carriers of syphilis! Because of this, the fad of tooth transplant slowly died a natural death.
• Did you know your teeth started developing while you were in your mother’s uterus? Teeth begin developing when a fetus is about six weeks old, but only erupt from the gums between the ages of 6 and 12 months.
• No two people in the world have the same set of teeth. This is why your teeth can function as your ‘fingerprint’ and be used to identify you. You should be proud of your set of teeth because they are unique and only you have them. That is why you should make an effort to protect and maintain your teeth by brushing twice a day, flossing once a day and visiting the dentist for regular checkups and cleaning.
• Did you know an average human being spends just 38.5 days in his lifetime brushing his teeth?
• Your mouth produces more than 25,000 quarts of saliva in your lifetime. This quantity is more than sufficient to fill two swimming pools. Your saliva is extremely important for maintaining your oral health and digestion. Saliva helps to flush out food particles from your teeth, so that bacteria do not feast on them. It also assists in the digestion of food.
• Your teeth are like icebergs. One-third of each tooth is submerged – present under the gum – and what you see is two-thirds of your teeth.
• In your lifetime, you will have just two sets of teeth. These are your baby teeth that begin falling when you are about six and your permanent (also known as primary) teeth that erupt after your baby teeth fall off. Once your permanent teeth erupt, take good care of them, as you will not get another tooth if one falls off. All your dentist can do is fit you with an implant, crown or dentures.

These are some interesting and fun teeth facts that you may not have known before. Your teeth are precious and you should make an effort to look after them. Remember, your mouth is a gateway to your body and if you maintain oral health, your teeth and body will be hale and hearty.