3 Surprising facts you didn’t know about your teeth

by Ivan Dimitrijevic SEO / Social Media Consultant

The normal thing to do when you have a toothache is to visit your dentist. Even today, with all the modern technology and gadgets, these appointments are not something most of the people look forward to. But, have you ever wondered how people dealt with this problem back when this field of medicine was completely unexplored?

An average adult should have approximately thirty two teeth – this set includes twelve molars, eight premolars, eight incisors, four canines and four wisdom teeth. Until an actual toothpaste was invented (which was about a hundred years ago), people used to brush their teeth with a strange mixture which usually contained some lemon, charcoal or chalk, honey and ashes.

The ancient Chinese, for example, used to address to gods when they wanted their tooth fixed, and they did that by wrapping a tiny piece of parchment with some incantations and prayers written on it around their painful tooth. When it comes to Greeks, they had a whole new approach to get rid of the pain – they had pliers which they used for extraction. In Germany, people were obviously a bit confused, because they believed that the toothache will stop if you kiss a donkey. 19th century in England wasn’t so bad – people who had fake teeth used to eat in their bedrooms, so they would avoid the embarrassment of having a tooth fall off during a meal.

So, when you have a tooth problem, you can try some of these methods, or you can learn how to take care of your teeth and avoid any kind of toothache at all.

Candy isn’t the worst enemy of your teeth

Anything that disrupts pH in your mouth also damages your teeth. So, consummating some types of candy which are too sweet is as equally bad as eating something too sour – both of them cause enamel erosion. You should know that some extra sour and extra sweet candies are tested, and the pH found in them is approximately equal to the acid used in batteries. So, when these delicious treats get in touch with your teeth, they are practically melting them.

Putting braces will help with straightening your teeth, but watch out for other problems they may cause

Getting used to having braces is uncomfortable – you have a constant need to rub it with your tongue. That’s actually a good thing, because experts say that tongue is really a natural toothbrush, so by rubbing your teeth with it, you’re cleaning them. The bad thing is that, after a while of wearing braces, you stop doing that because it doesn’t feel right – the braces are a type of a foreign body in your mouth. The lack of natural teeth brushing can cause cavities around the brackets of the braces, so you better adopt a habit of brushing your teeth more frequently. But remember to try and find a toothpaste that’s not too strong, so you don’t end up with another problem.

You probably know that enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, but how resistant it really is?

There are a few things that dentists hate – ice, popcorn and mouth piercings, because these three things are to enamel what kryptonite is to Superman. Every experienced dentist in the world will tell you that eating popcorn has the same effect on your teeth as if you were chewing stone. You should tend to avoid this pleasure, especially if you have fillings. When it comes to ice, eating something that’s cold, like ice-cream, damages enamel of your teeth. It’s the same with hot drinks or food. But the worst thing is the combination of these two; if you do something like this to your teeth, enamel will start cracking, and your teeth problems will have no end.

On the other hand, having a pierced lip or tongue brings constant damage to your teeth. Every time you eat, drink or talk, at least one metal part of your piercing makes contact with your teeth and chips them. If you’re wearing this kind of piercing, you should start thinking about dental implants – it’s a scientific fact that people with oral piercings have up to 40% bigger chances to get some type of an oral deformity. These kind of problem are usually being solved by a dental implant or veneer (depending on the gravity of your problem), but be sure to find an experienced dentist to do this for you. Someone who’s new in this field of medicine can easily misinterpret your problem, and you can end up with a wrong diagnosis.