Mouth Facts

There are so many interesting things to learn about the human mouth. Below are various categories to explore. Can you turn one of these facts into a video? a blog post? By sharing information about the human mouth, your practice educates the public and also demonstrates your passion for oral health.

Teeth

Adults have 32 permanent teeth.
Roughly 35% of the population never develops wisdom teeth.
Most people have 20 baby or primary teeth.
Baby teeth begin forming in the womb.
Teeth begin to erupt around six months of age.
Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body.
Teeth are the only part of the human body that doesn’t repair itself.
No two teeth are alike. They are as unique as fingerprints.
The longest tooth was measured at 3.2 centimeters.
There are over 300 types of bacteria in plaque.
The first toothbrush commercial appeared in 1938.
Sports injuries result in 5 million missing teeth every year.
78% of Americans have had at least 1 dental cavity by age 17.
A knocked-out tooth begins dying within 15 minutes. If you put it in milk or hold it in your mouth, it will survive longer—see a dentist ASAP!
Aged cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey Jack cheese have properties that protect teeth from decay.
Studies in the U.S. and Japan have shown that black or green tea has antibacterial properties that help prevent cavities and gum disease.
One out of every 2,000 babies is born with a tooth.
Baby teeth won’t fall out unless there are adult teeth to replace them.
Only about 40% of people are born with a complete set of wisdom teeth.
When skin is exposed to sunlight, it produces vitamin D, which strengthens teeth and supports gum health.
Teeth are slightly translucent, not pure white. Their color is influenced by dentin underneath the enamel.
Tooth enamel contains no living cells, which is why cavities don’t hurt until they reach dentin or the nerve.
Some people are born with extra teeth (a condition called hyperdontia).
Your teeth can reveal your age, diet, and even where you grew up.
Enamel is about 96% mineral, making it incredibly strong—but still vulnerable to acid.

Tongue

The tongue can taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
Umami is a taste described as meaty or brothy.
The tongue helps you speak.
Sticking your tongue out in Tibet is a common greeting.
The tongue of a blue whale weighs 2.7 tons.
The condition and color of the tongue can indicate health issues.
The tongue needs to be moist to taste.
The average tongue is 4 inches long.
Taste buds cannot be seen with the naked eye.
There are between 2,000 and 10,000 taste buds on the tongue.
Supertasters have 10 to 100 times more taste buds.
The tongue is comprised of eight muscles.
The hyoid is a V-shaped bone at the base of the tongue. It’s the only bone not connected to any other bone. It supports the tongue muscles.
Tashebuds live for 10 days.
People have a unique tongue print.

Dental Hygiene

The average American will spend 38 days brushing their teeth over their lifetime.
Without flossing, you miss cleaning 35% of your tooth surfaces.
On average, people spend only 48 seconds brushing their teeth.
Particles from a flushed toilet can land on toothbrushes within 6 feet.
Covering a toothbrush causes bacteria to grow.
3 Out of 4 Americans have periodontal disease.
Americans spend 100 billion on hair products and 2 billion on dental care products.
Tooth decay is the second most common disease in the U.S. after the common cold.
Periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in people over 35.
Trauma, fights, and accidents are the main reasons for tooth loss in people under 35.
Athletes are 60 times more likely to sustain dental injuries without an athletic mouthguard.
Today, fewer than 10% of adults age 65 and older have lost teeth.
90% of systemic diseases are diagnosed in the mouth.
Over 40% of North Americans have at least one tooth that needs dental treatment.
Americans buy 14 million gallons of toothpaste every year.
Ancient toothpaste dates back to 5000 BC and was made from crushed eggshells, ash, and animal hooves.
Americans buy 4 million miles of dental floss every year.
In 1873, Colgate introduced toothpaste in a jar.
Flossing once a day increases your life expectancy by 6 years.
In 1896, Colgate dental cream was packaged in collapsible tubes.
Saliva is your mouth’s natural defense system, helping neutralize acids and rebuild enamel.

Dental History

The first toothbrush patent went to H.N. Wadsworth in 1857.
The first toothbrush was invented in 1498.
Irene Newman became the first dental hygienist in 1905.
The first recorded dentist lived in Egypt around 2600 BC.
The Statue of Liberty’s mouth is 3 feet wide.
The world’s first dental school opened in Baltimore (1840).
James Dean didn’t have front teeth—he wore a bridge!
George Washington’s “wooden teeth” were actually made of human, donkey, and hippo teeth.
Ancient cultures chewed twigs and roots to clean their teeth.
In the Middle Ages, kissing a donkey was considered a toothache cure.
The stern farmer in Grant Wood’s famous painting American Gothic was his dentist.
In 1844, Horace Wells was the first dentist to use nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” for dental pain/anxiety.
The first electric toothbrush appeared in 1939.
In 1859, 26 dentists started the American Dental Association at Niagara Falls.
Ancient Romans cleaned their teeth with urine because it contained ammonia, which is a disinfectant.
One of Sir Isaac Newton’s teeth was sold in London for $3,633 in 1816.
In medieval times, people believed that cavities were caused by tooth worms.
Some famous dentists in history:
- Paul Revere (silversmith, American patriot)
- Doc Holiday (helped Wyatt Earp win the OK Corral shootout)
- Thomas Welch (first to bottle grape juice)
- George Grant (inventor of the wooden golf tee)
- Zane Grey (Western novelist)

Dental Technology

The first bristle toothbrush was invented in the 1400s.
The first plastic-handled, nylon-bristled toothbrush was invented in 1938.
The electric toothbrush first appeared in 1939.
Nitrous oxide (a weak general anesthetic) was discovered in 1848.
Pierre Fauchard designed the first braces in 1728. They consisted of flat metal strips connected to the teeth with thread.
Edward Angle invented orthodontic brackets in 1915.
Blue is the most popular toothbrush color.
The average toothbrush contains about 2,500 bristles.

Animal Mouths

Elephants grind their molars down 6 times over their lives.
Elephant teeth can weigh over 6 pounds.
Snails have 25,000 teeth, more than any other animal.
Pigs have 44 teeth.
Dogs have 42 teeth, and cats have 30 teeth.
Mosquitos have 47 teeth.
Turtles and tortoises do not have teeth.
Sharks have up to 300 teeth at one time and have an unlimited supply.
Sharks have 5 rows of teeth in their mouths.
Rabbit, squirrel, and rodent teeth never stop growing. They are worn down by gnawing on hard foods.
A chameleon’s tongue is twice the length of its body.
A crocodile’s teeth are replaced 40 times in a lifetime.
Spinner Dolphins have as many as 252 teeth in their long, thin jaws.
Minnows have teeth in their throats.
The land mammal with the most teeth is the giant armadillo, which can have up to 100 teeth.
The phrase “Long in the Tooth” (meaning old) comes from receding gums in aging horses. As horses age, their gums recede, making the teeth appear longer. So the longer the teeth, the older the horse.
Aardvark teeth lack an enamel coating, and they are worn away and regrown continuously.
Giraffes and humans have the same number of teeth (32).
A giraffe can use its 20-inch tongue to clean its ears and nose.
A Narwhal only has 2 teeth, and one of them is a long tusk that grows out of its head.
The largest animal to ever live, the blue whale, doesn’t have any teeth.
Dinosaurs, like reptiles today, could regrow teeth.
In the wild, dogs and cats don’t get tooth decay, but when they eat human food, they can get cavities.

Miscellaneous Dental

According to Consumer Reports, dentists are among the 5 most trusted professionals in the United States.
A sneeze travels at 100 m.p.h.!
On average, people produce 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime—that’s enough to fill 2 Olympic pools!
Jaw muscles contract with a force of 200 pounds on molars.
In 1900, the Tooth Fairy left an average of 12 cents. By 1998, she was leaving an average of one dollar.
17 muscles are needed to smile, and 43 muscles are needed to frown.
Right-handed people tend to chew on the right side of their mouths, and left-handed people tend to chew on the left side of their mouths.