Ten Teeth Facts

Teeth in a growing fetus begin to develop at six weeks after conception

About one in every 2,000 babies is born with natal teeth.

Not everyone loses their baby teeth. By age 3, the average child has a full set of 20 temporary teeth.  Children typically start losing teeth around 5 or 6 and finish in their early teens. If a person does not have a replacement permanent tooth, that baby tooth will stay put.

Thirty five percent of people are born without wisdom teeth.

About 2,500 years ago, the Maya already had a very advanced understanding of teeth. They would have their dentists use a primitive drill to decorate their teeth. Sometimes they would have parts of the tooth cut out or shaped to make it look more interesting. Their most extreme modification was the bejeweling of teeth.

Ancient Egypt people were using primitive tools made from twigs to brush their teeth. Many countries still use twigs from trees with antibacterial properties, such as cinnamon and neem, and they have been found to be as effective as modern toothbrushes.

Acidic foods, like sour candy, soft drinks, and fruit juices soften teeth. The result is enamel erosion and diminished tooth size.

Paul Revere, in addition to earning a living as a silversmith and copper plate engraver, also worked as a dentist. Revere is the first person known to use dental forensics to identify the body of a colonial colonel killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill by his dental bridge.

Some cheeses, including aged cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey Jack have been found to protect teeth from decay. Grilled cheese and bacon immediately springs to mind.

Every person has a set of teeth as unique as his or her fingerprints, and dental fingerprints of identical twins are different.

According to a Time Magazine Survey, 59% of Americans would rather sit in a dentist’s chair than sit next to someone on a cell phone.

Dog Days of Summer

The earliest reference to some aspect of this expression goes all the way back to the Ancient Egyptians. They noted that the heliacal rising of the star Sirius heralded the hottest part of the summer. The star’s hieroglyph is a dog. Sirius would appear in Egypt just before the season where the Nile typically floods. So it is thought the star’s hieroglyphic symbol being a dog symbolized a “watchdog”.

It is the brightest star in what is now known as the Canis Major (Latin for Greater Dog) constellation. It’s rising marked the start of the hottest part of the year, which then became the 'Dog Days'.

The Roman’s and Greeks had expressions for Dog Days. They both believed that, when Sirius rose around the same time as the Sun, this contributed to that time of year becoming hotter. As such, they would often make sacrifices to Sirius, including sacrificing dogs, to appease Sirius with the hope that this would result in a mild summer and would protect their crops from scorching. Seems to me that offering dead dogs to a dog might not please him as much as they thought.

Suture This

Sutures have a long and bizarre history, dating back to ancient Egypt, where everything from tree bark to hair was used to stitch human flesh back together again. Archaeological records from ancient Egypt show that Egyptians used linen and animal sinew to close wounds. In ancient India, physicians used the pincers of beetles or ants to staple wounds shut. They then cut the insects’ bodies off, leaving their jaws 'staples' in place.

Other natural materials used to close wounds include flax, grass, cotton, silk, pig bristles, and animal gut. The fundamental principles of wound closure have changed little during the past 4,000 years.