What You Probably Didn’t Know Your Teeth

We LOVE teeth and orthodontics! Our highest priority is to provide your family with high-quality orthodontic treatments to bring out the most beautiful smiles. Even when you’re not in our chair, it’s fair to say we’re nerds about teeth and braces. Check out some of our favorite bits of teeth trivia! 

Teeth Trivia #1

Braces are really, really old. Pierre Fauchard is known as the father of modern dentistry. He made the first set of braces all the way back in 1728! But they may have been around even before that. Archeologists have found mummies wearing what they believe to be makeshift braces! 

Teeth Trivia #2

Braces are really common. Over 4 million people in the U.S. wear braces right now. That’s a lot of brackets! Any guesses for how many miles of orthodontic wire that might be? We wish we knew!  

Teeth Trivia #3

Orthodontists are also dentists. All orthodontists complete traditional dental school before going to continue their orthodontic education. In fact, Dr. Skelton completed a 33-month residency AFTER completing dental school. She really knows her stuff!

Teeth Trivia #4

Braces are out of this world – kind of. NASA originally developed the metal that braces are made out of. Nickle-Titanium alloy is a very elastic metal that is just perfect for straightening teeth. Way before this was the norm, some braces were made out of gold! Talk about bling-bling.

Teeth Trivia #5 – Braces do more than just straighten your teeth. It’s possible that someone with even naturally straight teeth could still need braces. In addition to straightening teeth, braces have many benefits. They can correct problems with bite, help with speech or breathing, and even aid in chewing and eating.  Pretty cool, right? Here are a few more fun facts. 

• If you added up all of the time the average American brushes their teeth over a lifetime, it would add up to 38.5 days!
• Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. 
• There is a (very brave) bird called the Egyptian Plover that flies into the open mouths of crocodiles to eat leftover food between their teeth!
• Most right-handed people will chew their food on the right side of their mouth and most lefties will chew on the left side.
• You have a tongue-print! And just like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue-print is different. 
• Giraffes only grow teeth on the bottom. Imagine your smile if you did too!