Ten Points To Consider About Your Teeth
Fascinating teeth facts for our Wickford patients.
Our teeth can say a lot about us, both to ourselves and to others. If we have teeth (and gums) that are in poor health, that may be a sign that we are neglecting to look after ourselves properly, and as we will see a little later, may indicate other potential health issues. To other people, our teeth can also say a lot. If our teeth are white and attractive, people tend to respond better to our smile. Dull or stained teeth, on the other hand, can have the opposite effect. If our breath smells bad, possibly from gum disease, that will also have an effect on people around us and we may find that they avoid standing too close to us when we talk to them.
Our teeth are fascinating things too and we probably don’t think about them as much as we might, unless we have a toothache or similar problem of course. Let us take a look then at some interesting things that you may not know about human teeth.
Your teeth form before birth
We tend to think of baby teeth, or milk teeth as they have sometimes been called, as being formed at around six months or so, when we can physically see them. What you may not know is that they actually start to form in the womb, approximately six weeks into the development of the embryo. These continue to form under the gums and are fully developed at birth just waiting to erupt a little later on.
Baby teeth are important
There can be a tendency to put less importance on our first teeth. After all, they eventually fall out and are replaced by adult teeth anyway don’t they! The fact is though that while this is true, it is important to look after your child’s first teeth. Not only will looking after them help your child to avoid a painful toothache, but premature tooth loss of these teeth can present problems such as speech development and can also cause the adult teeth to come through crookedly, having lost their ‘placeholder’ teeth too soon.
Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in our bodies
Nothing in our bodies is stronger than the enamel surface of our teeth. On the Mohs scale* it is ranked as 5, approximately the same as steel. Despite this though, it can wear down and breakages may occur over time. Good care should always be taken to protect it with regular brushing and floss and diet, as well as regular check ups.
Tooth decay is one of the most common dental problems
It is thought that at any given time, just over 30% of adults in the UK have tooth decay. As this is largely a preventable issue, this is disappointing. At the Cygnet Dental Practice we encourage preventative dental care including both check ups and professional cleaning by our hygienists. We encourage all of our patients to take advantage of this.
Failing to floss can miss around 40% of the tooth surface
It is believed that brushing your teeth alone only cleans approximately 60% of the total enamel surface. No wonder then that so many people have tooth decay given the UK’s reluctance to use dental floss. By adding this simple additional extra to your regular cleaning, you will greatly improve your chances of avoiding the need for too many fillings.
Minor damage needs prompt attention
Your teeth are not a single block of enamel but also contain softer porous materials as well as nerves and blood vessels. Even a small amount of damage to the enamel should be examined by one of our dentists and restored if necessary. Ignoring a minor problem, even if it isn’t bothering you, could lead to the spread of tooth decay and may even lead to further breakages or root canal infections.
Poor gum health can affect your general health
Gingivitis and periodontitis don’t just affect your gums, potentially causing soreness, bleeding and bad breath in some cases. This problem has been linked with many general health issues including, but not restricted to, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory problems, arthritis and many more. By looking after your teeth and gums well, you are increasing your chances of a healthier life in general too.
A pain free tooth can still have cavities
We often associate cavities with a toothache and this can certainly be the case. Cavities can start to form long before you feel anything though. The pain of a toothache often comes as the cavity becomes more developed. This is why six monthly dental check ups are important. Any small cavities can be filled before they cause any significant discomfort and require more extensive treatment.
Some people don’t develop wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth can become problematic and may become infected and painful if they don’t erupt correctly. Not everyone has this problem with wisdom teeth though with some people never even developing them. Although the reason for this is largely unknown, one belief is that it is down to genetics. If your parents didn’t develop wisdom teeth, you may not too.
Your teeth are as strong as shark’s teeth (however …..)
Human teeth have a similar strength to shark’s teeth but there is one area where sharks have an advantage over us. If we lose our adult teeth, there are no more to come through and our only option to replace them is by artificial means such as dentures or dental implants. Sharks, on the other hand, simply regrow their teeth and are believed to grow approximately a thousand teeth each year!
We hope that you enjoyed today’s blog and found it interesting. We are always interested to hear of any dental related topic that you would like us to discuss. If you would like any information about treatments or would like to arrange a check up at our Wickford dentist, either for a problem or for a six monthly check up or hygienist visit, please call the Cygnet Dental Practice on 01268 733078 to arrange one at a suitable time for you.
*The Mohs scale (/moʊz/ MOHZ) of mineral hardness is a qualitative ordinal scale, from 1 to 10, characterising scratch resistance of minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material. (Wikipedia)