Interesting Dental Tidbits

You may know all about basic dental care. Most people can tell you about the importance of brushing twice a day and flossing regularly. If you asked friends and family, they could probably list the virtues of eating whole grains, lean meats, and green vegetables to keep teeth and gums healthy. The majority of individuals, though, probably don’t know these fun facts:

• Approximately 33 percent of people squeeze their toothpaste from the middle.
• As early as 700 BC, people carved false teeth out of animal bones.
• During ancient times, the barber cut your hair, gave you a shave, and extracted injured teeth.
• Each year, Americans fork out more money on hair care and lottery tickets than they do on their dental health.
• In 1994, a West Virginia inmate scaled a wall and escaped prison using a rope made from dental floss.
• Modern toothpaste was first manufacture by the Colgate Company.
• People brushed their teeth with twigs or their fingers before toothbrushes were invented.
• Poor individuals sold their teeth to the wealthy during the 18^th century and these people used them as replacement teeth.
• Surprisingly, cows don’t have upper teeth.
• The Mexican version of the Tooth Fairy, called the Tooth Mouse, takes the lost tooth and leaves behind a small gift.
• To win the 1986 National Spelling Bee, the top contestant correctly spelled odontalgia, another word for toothache.
• When asked, 73 percent of Americans said they would rather grocery shop than floss their teeth.

We treat patients from Baltimore and the surrounding area