Interesting facts about the Human Body

Interesting facts about Teeth

1. One in ten adults admits that they regularly forget to brush their teeth, whereas 1 in 4 adults admit they don't brush twice a day. Plus only 31% of adults use mouthwash and shockingly one in three people have never used dental floss.

2. Having a tooth removed is very common, this being 74% of adults having at least one tooth removed. Only 9% of men and 11% of women have oral health which is classed as excellent. So, I guess women overall have cleaner teeth, but this statistic may differ from country.

3. Ever noticed how you always feel happier around children, well that's because children smile on average about 400 times a day. Whereas the average adult only smiles just 20 time a day. But evidence does show that happier people do smile up to double that of the average adult, but still nowhere near as much as children. So maybe we do get grumpier as we age!

4. Smiling is found to have a positive response on our own reward system. Research even suggests that smiling can be as stimulating as receiving £16,000. So, maybe we should all try and smile a bit more, 'just to feel rich, of course'.

5. Plaque build-up is caused by unwanted bacteria outstaying their welcome creating a sticky substance known as plaque. It then produces acids from the foods and drinks you consume. Due to the plaques stickiness the acids stay in close contact with your teeth and begin to break down the tooth's enamel. This process has been shown to occur within 20 minutes of every meal you consume.

6. The profession of a dentist and the licensing that comes along with it was unheard of before the 1800's. Because of this any teeth that were causing any major issue s would just be removed. This job fell to those professions that had the tools to do so, these professions being mostly the local barber or the blacksmith.

7 Unfortunately our teeth are unable to repair themselves mostly because they don't contain any cells. However, scientist are getting closer using techniques such as manipulating stem cells in that area to regrow, or activate the sounds via ultrasound and even laser therapy which has shown evidence of stem cells producing dentine, the layer under the enamel.

8. Brushing your teeth straight after eating research suggest may be more damaging than good! The theory behind it mentions how after within 10 to 20 minutes after eating the acid build up is at its highest level. So brushing your teeth just pushes that acid into all those small areas in between your teeth. Therefore, it is best to rinse your mouth with water to restore the pH balance then brush your teeth about 30 minutes after eating.

9. Wisdom teeth are actually known as the third molar, so where did they get the name wisdom teeth? Well the third molar usually appears around the ages of 17-25 years old, this is when the dental arches become large enough to hold the tooth. It is at this age period that is referred to as the 'age of wisdom.'

10. In 2008 scientist discovered that wisdom teeth can produce stem cells (induced pluripotent stem cell). This has now encouraged people to pay for their stem cells from their wisdom teeth to be cryogenically frozen to be used for future treatment.