10 interesting facts about teeth and their impact on overall human health

What do we know about our teeth? There are only 32 of them, and we also have to take care of them, because the teeth are not capable of regeneration (restoration), and a toothache can be a real torture. That, perhaps, is all.

But, the truth is that teeth are a very interesting part of our body and they serve us not only for chewing solid food. Dental health can tell a lot about a person’s physiology and lifestyle.

Their structure is unique for each person, so any person can be identified by teeth no worse than by fingerprints.

There are many more curious and interesting facts about our teeth, which will be discussed further.

10 Bank of teeth

If in our time there are blood banks and even sperm, then the teeth, of course, could not stand aside. Children in Norway can donate their milk teeth to help science. These teeth, combined with a mother’s blood or urine sample, serve to learn how pollutants affect the health of mother and child.

This unique bank already works with more than 100 thousand children. It can be assumed that the tooth fairy rewards twice for such an important contribution to science.

9. People have been taking care of their teeth for centuries.

Did you know that early toothbrushes were twigs that our ancestors chewed on? Around 5000 BC e. The Egyptians used crushed eggshells and ground animal hooves to clean and polish their teeth..

In 1700, a British inventor adapted for a European consumer a design he had seen in China – a bone with pig bristles inserted through holes and secured with wire.

Dental prosthetics were already carried out in ancient Egypt – implants were found in the jaws of the mummies of the pharaohs, most likely removed from slaves or the dead. And in South America, an ancient Inca was discovered, whose jaw consisted entirely of transplanted teeth – amethysts and quartz were used as materials for implants.

Modern toothbrushes with nylon bristles appeared in the late 30s, and the first electric toothbrush was introduced to the world in 1954.

8. buddha tooth

If Christians have the shroud of Christ or the relics of numerous saints, then Buddhists keep as a divine artifact a tooth that, according to legend, belonged to the Buddha himself.

This tooth is exhibited in the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka, in a place that, oddly enough, is called the Temple of the Tooth. In ancient times, it passed from king to king, as its owner was considered the owner of supreme power.

7. John Lennon’s tooth

The leader of the Beatles during his lifetime was very fond of in the dream, but it hardly ever occurred to him that one of his teeth after his death would become a famous collectible. This tooth is a decayed molar that Lennon gave to his housekeeper’s daughter, who was a big fan of the band..

Today, when John Lennon has already died, this tooth has a new owner: the dentist paid 30 thousand dollars for it, and not to put it on display, but to study DNA and one day clone Lennon.

6. Fake braces in Asia

Few children and teens are happy that they have to use dental braces or braces to fix their dentures.

However, in Thailand, given the high cost of having them fitted, braces are a sign of wealth and status. Young Thais wear aesthetic braces that can be colored or have designs of their favorite characters.

As a result of this fashion, several local boys have contracted infections while using false braces.

5. Art requires sacrifice

In the cult movie Fight Club, Brad Pitt’s character loses his teeth from a good punch to the face. The actor wanted to make this episode as realistic as possible, so he removed several of his teeth.which were then replaced with dentures.

4. Record holder for the number of teeth

In an adult, there are normally 32 teeth in the oral cavity, but in rare cases there may be more, as happened with a 17-year-old boy from India. This teenager suffered from severe pain in the right side of his jaw, which was also swollen.

During the operation, doctors discovered that this boy had 200 extra teethwhich caused similar symptoms. A similar anomaly was caused by a benign tumor in the jaw called an odontoma. The removed tumor and remaining teeth are an absolute record, before that the maximum number of additional teeth formed by this type of tumor was 37.

By the way, it happens that a person’s teeth grow not only in the mouth. According to statistics, 4% of the world’s population have a similar problem. So, in a person who suffered from a nosebleed, during the examination, a tooth was found located in his left nostril.

3. The base of your teeth is already present on your birthday

When babies are born, the crowns of their first 20 teeth are already under the gums.while waiting for the right time to grow (starting at 3-6 months old). Throughout childhood, the permanent teeth are already forming under the milk teeth, waiting for their time to replace their “immature predecessors”.

2. Cleaning between teeth is just as important as cleaning the visible part.

When we brush our teeth, we can reach the peaks and sides of them. But the surfaces between the teeth, which make up a significant part of them, also need proper cleaning. That’s why it’s best to brush between your teeth daily to draw out food and bacteria and promote gum health. For this, dental floss and brushes with special round nozzles are best suited.

1. Your teeth can tell about you

Scientists can tell a lot by examining the teeth of a particular person. Did you know that our teeth can show how old we are, what we eat or drink, and even where we live? Our teeth also carry a lot of information about our state of health, including past illnesses. In short.

For example, the nature of the bite has a very close relationship with the human musculoskeletal system. If the patient has a malocclusion, then in almost 9 out of 10 cases this indicates that he has back problems. Why is this happening?

The fact is that the human head has its own weight and, accordingly, the center of gravity. When the latter is displaced, a violation of posture is formed, which is corrected due to the compensatory mechanism of the muscles and ligaments of the maxillofacial apparatus, which leads to bite deformation.

Modern dentistry has several methods of bite correction. The most simple and cosmetically acceptable way can be considered the use of a transparent aligner (cup). With its help, orthodontic bite correction is carried out comfortably and quite effectively.

By the way, did you know that a person cannot have two identical teeth in his mouth. And it does not matter whether we are talking about “milk” teeth that serve us at an early age, or about 32 “permanent” ones.

Each tooth in the mouth has a unique structure. Therefore, it is safe to say that your smile is indeed a true sign of your personality!