Did You Know?
Here are some interesting and fun facts about teeth and dentistry:
- Dr. Edward Angle is the "father" of modern orthodontics.
- Dr. Charles Tweed was the first certified orthodontist in the U.S.
- Over three million miles of dental floss is purchased in North America each year.
- The average human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva (spit) in a lifetime. That is enough saliva to fill 2 swimming pools.
- Snails are very small but they have thousands of tiny teeth all lined up in rows.
- An elephant's tooth can weigh over 6 pounds. That is heavier than a jug of milk!
- Tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the human body.
- Dogs have 42 teeth while cats have 30 teeth.
- Giraffes have 32 used to chew and grind food; their teeth are positioned at the back of their skull instead of the front of their mouths.
- 78% of Americans have had at least one cavity by the age of 17.
- More than 300 types of bacteria make up dental plaque!!
- More people use blue toothbrushes than red ones.
- Like fingerprints, tooth prints are unique to each individual.
- The average woman smiles 62 times a day; the average man smiles about 8 times a day!
- The Blue Whale is the largest mammal on earth, but it eats only tiny shrimp because it has no teeth!
- Ancient Greeks used pumice, talc, alabaster, coral powder or iron rust as toothpaste!
- In 1866, Lucy Beaman Hobbs became the first licensed female dentist.
- In 1986, the winner of the National Spelling Bee won by spelling "ODONTALGIA" (which means toothache)!
- Kids laugh around 400 times a day, adults just 15 times a day!
