We often take our teeth as ordinary, even though they play an important part in our overall health and appearance. We just think they are a help needed to chew and not important enough to pay special attention to taking care of them.
Even though some of us regularly visit dentists and get our teeth cleaned and assessed, very few of us realize how important they are and how difficult it will be for us if we do not have them. From their unique characteristics to their history, there is more to them than meets the eye.
The way they grow, their quirks, or their connections to animals, many things will leave you smiling with newfound information. Also, if you are also looking for expert dental care, consider consulting a Wayne Valley dentist to ensure your teeth remain in better health.
Some Fun Facts About Teeth
They Are As Unique As Your Fingerprints
Just like fingerprints, no two people have the same teeth. Your teeth size, shape, and alignment are unique to you, and even identical twins sharing the same DNA do not share the same dental structure. This is another unique aspect used by forensic science for the identification of a person.
Enamel Being The Hardest Substance In Your Body
The protective layer of your teeth called tooth enamel is incredibly durable. It is harder than bone and can withstand an amount of wear and tear. But even if it is the hardest layer, it is not invincible, and the presence of acid will erode them, which can be due to poor hygiene or an excess amount of acidic food and beverage intake.
They Start Forming Before We Are Born
Though as babies we are born toothless, our teeth start forming from the moment we start to develop in our mother’s womb. However, only the initial stage of development occurs in the womb, and they do not emerge from under the gums until the baby reaches the age of 6 months.
We Only Have Two Sets Of Teeth
What makes our teeth special is that they are not an always emerging part of our body. We only have two sets of teeth that we are born with called baby teeth or milk teeth, which we start to develop at the age of 6 months to get a complete set of teeth by the age of 3 years.
After reaching the age of 6 years, our baby teeth start to fall out and give way to permanent teeth. This age of falling out may differ in individuals, but by the time of late teens, all the baby teeth have fallen out, and then you have a second set of permanent teeth, and if they fall out, there will not be another one to take their place.
They Cannot Heal Themselves
Even a serious fracture to the bones gets healed because of the bone’s ability to heal themselves; however, our teeth are the only body part that cannot heal by themselves. The reason is they do not have tissues and vessels in their formation, and it is required for regeneration. Damage done to teeth will require filling implants or covering to protect from further damage.
They Can Be Preserved For Many Years
They are very durable and therefore can last more than thousands of years, surpassing many other parts of our body after death. Archeologists do find intact teeth when studying ancient remains, and those teeth help give us an insight into ancient civilizations like their diet and health.
Some Of Us will Never Have Wisdom Teeth.
About 35% of the population is born without wisdom teeth and therefore everyone does not need to have wisdom teeth, researchers believe that this is due to revolutionary changes in human needs and because of our soft and cooked diet, the need for those is not necessary anymore.