Your teeth don’t help you to run or jump or get good grades. In fact, they just kind of sit there and cause problems, unless they’re tended to twice a day. Kind of boring (and annoying), right? Wrong! Your teeth are actually pretty fascinating, and we bet there are a lot of things you don’t know about your pearly whites. Below, we’ve listed 5 of our favorite fun facts about your chompers that may help you see them in a whole new light.
1. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in your body
However, that doesn’t mean that you should be crunching on hard candies or using your teeth to open things! Although your enamel is the toughest stuff your body has to offer, it can easily chip due to stress or wear away if you eat too many acidic things or if you don’t brush properly. So, protect your enamel and it will protect you.
2. On average, you’ll spend 38.5 days brushing your teeth over your lifetime
Consider those days well spent. Brushing your teeth twice daily takes very little time out of your day and protects you from toothaches, cavities, gum disease, and a whole host of other problems.
3. You’ll also produce over 25,000 quarts of saliva all over your lifetime — or about two swimming pools worth.
Sounds kind of gross to picture this one, but be glad you have all that saliva. Saliva is your mouth’s natural way of getting rid of food particles and cleaning your teeth. Coupled with a solid brushing and flossing regimen, you’ll have the brightest smile around.
4. Everyone has a unique tongue print
Just like your fingerprints, your tongue print is unique just to you. Your teeth are also unlike anyone else’s, which is why police often use dental records when verifying personal identity. However, we’re glad they take fingerprints instead of tongue prints!
5. Your teeth begin growing even before you’re born
Although teeth only emerge when a baby is 6-12 months old, they begin growing under the gum line while in the womb. It’s also extremely important to take care of baby teeth before and after eruption, as any problems could persist into the adult set.
Your teeth don’t seem so boring now, do they? This is just a small sampling of the amazing things about your teeth and mouth — we’ll be sure to share more later on. Got an interesting dental fact? Let us know about it in the comments!
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