Teeth Trivia & Fun Facts

Jaw muscles can contract with a force as great as 200 pounds of pressure on back molars and 55 pounds of pressure on anterior incisors.

The average human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime. That is enough spit to fill 2 swimming pools!

The Statue of Liberty’s mouth is 3 feet wide.

George Washington had several dentures made of hippopotamus, cow, & walrus teeth, as well as elephant tusk.

A sneeze leaves your mouth at over 600 mph!

If you don’t floss, you miss cleaning 35% of your tooth surfaces.

100 years ago 50% of adults in North America were toothless. Today less than 10% of adults over age 65 have lost teeth.

Teeth are the hardest substance in the human body.

Ancient cultures chewed on twigs or roots to clean their teeth.

The first nylon bristled toothbrush with a plastic handle was invented in 1938.

Egyptians used a form of toothpaste over 5000 years ago.

Colgate introduced aromatic toothpaste in a jar in 1873.

90% of systemic diseases have oral manifestations.

Regular dental cleanings can help prevent heart attacks.

Tooth Decay is the 2nd most common disease in the U.S. after the common cold.

Over 40% of North Americans have at least one tooth that could benefit from some type of treatment.

Most tooth loss in people under 35 years of age is caused by athletic truma, fights or accidents. Periodontal disease (gun disease) is the most common cause of tooth loss in people over 35 years.

The first set of false teeth were discovered in the 8th century BC.

Certain cheeses including Aged Cheddar, Swiss and Monterey Jack, have been found to protect teeth from decay.In ancient Egyptian times, you were more likely to suffer from a toothache if you were well-to-do. This was because those who could afford to, ate sweets.

Athletes are 60 times more likely to damage their teeth when not wearing a mouth guard during athletic activities.

The earliest record of tooth decay was described by the Sumarians as “tooth worms”. There is also historical evidence that around 2700 BC, Chinese acupuncture was used to treat tooth pain.

Over three million miles of dental floss is purchased in North America each year.