Are you ready for the tooth? Please excuse the cheesy pun, but there is a lot about teeth you didn’t know. In fact, there are some truly bizarre facts about teeth that need to be explored further. Teeth are a beautiful thing. They make us look better. They help us to eat. But, there are more to teeth than meets the eye.

Let’s take a look at some weird and wonderful facts about teeth.

via flickr

Some Babies Are Born With Teeth

As weird as this may sound, some babies are born with a set of teeth. This may sound like something from a horror film, but the teeth are minuscule and barely noticeable. For overdue babies, the teeth have started to form and break through the gums. Every parent that has ever had a teething baby will wish that theirs had been born with a set of pearly whites!

Cosmetic Dentistry is on the Rise

This is commonly known as the Hollywood smile effect. On average, over half of people will undergo cosmetic dentistry in their lifetime. Whether that’s dental implants in Turkey with Longevita or the trusty old brace. Everyone is prone to getting their teeth fixed. You can thank your favourite celebrity for this phenomenon.

Not Everyone Loses Teeth

A visit from the tooth fairy is highly anticipated as a child. But, not everyone loses their baby teeth. Many people lose their milk teeth when they get to around six years old. But, this only happens if the permanent teeth are ready to come through. Some people don’t have their permanent teeth; therefore they never lose their milk teeth. Imagine not having a visit from the tooth fairy!

Humans Will Evolve Past Wisdom Teeth

Weirdly, scientists have suggested that humans will develop quicker than wisdom teeth. This means wisdom teeth will become obsolete. In the good old days of cavemen, wisdom teeth were required for chewing up large amounts of hard, solid foods. Now, we need these less and less. Much like our appendix, wisdom teeth are no longer needed. Did you know that 35% of people are actually born without wisdom teeth? Soon, we will evolve away from them. What a great thing to know. After all, wisdom teeth can cause untold pain and misery for many.

The Glitz and Glamour of Ancient Civilisations

The Mayans was crazy about their teeth. So much so that they adorned their teeth with jewels. Of course, this   was only done by the very rich. But there have been skeletons found who have diamonds, rubies and emeralds embedded into their teeth. While the thought of this may sound terrifying, it was a real symbol of wealth. Luckily, we now just have stick-on gems. And the thought of this is quite tacky. How times have changed.

Synthetic Teeth

Researchers in China have been finding new and innovative ways of developing teeth. Their discoveries have led them to growing teeth on the backs of mice. This is like something out of a horror story! But, stem cell research has led to this interesting discovery.