Dental Facts to Make You Smile

Mark Twain once wrote, “Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been!” So today, we’re sharing dental facts that will give you a reason to smile! 

• A blue whale’s tongue is about the size and weight of a fully grown African elephant! 

 

• In general, kids will spend 8 minutes decorating their little brothers or sisters. They only need to brush for two minutes two times a day to help keep their teeth healthy.
• Straight, healthy teeth can increase your self-esteem, reduce the risk of future jaw bone loss and will have fewer issues with gum disease (they’re easier to brush and floss!).
• A Narwhal’s ‘horns’ are actually teeth that are capable of sensing temperature, salinity, particle density and touch.

     

• The hardest substance in the human body is enamel on teeth (but you still have to brush gently to keep it from wearing away).
• Kids don’t have the dexterity to fully brush their own teeth until they can tie their own shoes.
• The Hindus of India were the first people to use toothbrushes in 4000 B.C.E. They use the end of a fresh twig that was frayed into fibers. The Babylonians in 3500 B.C.E. called their toothbrushes “chewing sticks” and hog bristles were used as bristles in China in 1600 B.C.E. The first English toothbrush in 1780 had a handle made from cattle bone and the bristles were made from the hair of pigs.
• Tooth pain was once thought to be caused by a tooth worm that had wormed its way into the tooth. This belief was held by many cultures around the world

• Toothpaste has been used in China and India since 500 B.C.E.

     

• Why is it important to smile? A true, genuine smile can lower your heart rate, put you in a better mood, boost productivity, boost your immune system and can even reduce pain!

So keep smiling! As Mother Teresa said, “Every time you smile it is an action of love”.   

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