Quirky Dental Facts That May Surprise You

In today’s Wetaskiwin Family Dental, post, we share some fun facts about dentistry. Enjoy!

• Many dental patients are aware that before there was formal dental training and licensing, barbers often performed dental procedures. But did you know that blacksmiths also moonlighted as dentists?¹ How would you like your dental visit to involve tools used to hammer hot metal?
• The Mayans were accomplished cosmetic dentists. One smile style in Mayan culture was bejewelled teeth – a procedure that involved the drilling of holes to embed precious gems. That’s a grill with major bling! ¹
• The average human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime. That is enough to fill up two swimming pools.² (Not a very pleasant image, right?)
• Nylon toothbrush bristles weren’t introduced until 1938. Before that, pig hair was a common bristle material.³ (“Mom, my toothbrush smells like bacon!”)
• A popular toothache treatment in medieval Germany was to kiss a donkey.³ There is no evidence that it actually worked and it is unknown if the same remedy was used by donkeys.
• Every person’s tongue is unique – just like a fingerprint.⁴
• In medieval Japan, black teeth were considered appealing. Style-conscious women used roots to stain their teeth.³

At Wetaskiwin Family Dental, you won’t find pig hair, donkeys, or anvils. You will find exceptional dental care and our calming team of dental professionals. dentist in Wetaskiwin’s menu of services includes dental implants, sedation dentistry, and Invisalign invisible braces. Contact Wetaskiwin Family Dental today at 780-352-5113 to schedule an informative consultation.

1. Gregory Myers,”10 Weird Facts About Teeth,” ListVerse, January 27, 2014, http://listverse.com/2014/01/27/10-weird-facts-about-teeth/, accessed on November 14, 2014″Mouth Matters,” Visual.ly, August 28, 2012, http://visual.ly/your-mouth-matters-fun-dental-facts, accessed on November 14, 2014
2. “Chew on This, Fun Tooth Facts for a Healthy Mouth,” Delta Dental, http://www.deltadentalnc.org/MediaLibraries/Global/documents/Delta-Dental-Tooth-Tips-BF.pdf, accessed on November 12, 2014
3. “New oral features can be considered unique as a fingerprint,” DentistryiQ, http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2014/01/new-oral-features-can-be-considered-unique-as-a-fingerprint.html, accessed on November 14, 2014