Teeth Trivia!
Did you know…
- Sharks have unlimited sets of teeth.
- Fangs are not found in all snakes, but all snakes do have teeth, usually in six rows. Their teeth are curved backwards like the barbs on a fishing hook, which keeps their prey from escaping.
- “Long in the tooth,” is a phrase meaning old. It was originally used to describe horses. As horses age, their gums recede, giving the impression that their teeth are growing. The longer the teeth look, the older the horse.
- Every person has a unique tongue print.
- It takes 17 muscles to smile — 43 to frown.
- Jaw muscles can provide about 200 pounds of force to bring the back teeth together for chewing.
- One in every 2,000 babies is born with a tooth.
- The average human produces 25,000 quarts of spit in a lifetime, enough to fill two swimming pools.
- The only bone in the human body not connected to another is the hyoid, a V-shaped bone located at the base of the tongue between the mandible and the voice box. Its function is to support the tongue and its muscles.
- Teeth are the hardest part of any mammal and therefore they are the part most often fossilized. The number, size, organization, and shape of the teeth are different in every species of mammal and can be used in taxonomy, especially of fossils. In fact without teeth the fossil record would be much harder to understand!
