Everyone knows the main functions of teeth and the jobs they do for us. They help us eat, chew, talk, and most importantly SMILE!

Although small, teeth can actually surprise you with how interesting they are. At Surprise Ride, we encourage kids to be curious and learn about the world around them, from the biggest mountains, to the teeth that make their smiles! See our subscription options, and check out these awesome facts about teeth:

1. First Glance

According to the American Academy of Periodontology, about half of the respondents surveyed said that a smile is the first feature they notice about another person!

2. Before Birth

Your teeth actually begin to form before birth! Milk teeth, or baby teeth, start to form when a baby is in the womb, but teeth don’t begin to show until a child is between six and twelve months old.

3. Sets

The number of sets of teeth can actually vary drastically between species of animals. Humans, for example, are on the smaller end with only two sets of teeth. Sharks however, have around 40 sets of teeth!

4. Hygiene

The hygiene of your teeth can even be interesting! Did you know that U.S. consumers buy about 14 million gallons of toothpaste every single year? Additionally, the average person spends about 38 days brushing their teeth during their lifetime!

5. Types

There are many different types of teeth! Humans alone have four different types of teeth – incisors, canines, premolars, and molars – which are used to cut, tear, and grind your food.

6. Saliva

Saliva has many uses, including assisting you with your digestion and even protecting your teeth from bacteria in your mouth. Furthermore, your mouth produces over 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime!

7. Visible

Did you know that only two-thirds of your tooth’s length is visible in your mouth? The other one-third, the root of your tooth, is hidden underneath your gums.

8. Most Valuable

The most valuable tooth belonged to Sir Isaac Newton. In 1816, one of his teeth was sold in London for $3,633, or in today’s terms, about $35,700! The tooth was set in a ring.

9. Tooth Fairy

The Tooth Fairy keeps getting richer! The average amount of money left by the tooth fairy in 1950 was 25 cents. In 1988, it was $1.00, and now the going rate is up to $2.00!

10. No Self-Repair

Unlike the bones in your body, and other areas like tissue, teeth are incapable of self-repair. This explains why we use fillings and other dental work to protect teeth from further damage.

11. Number

Unless you happen to be missing one or two of the usual teeth, human adults have 32 teeth total. There are eight incisors, four canines, eight premolars, and twelve molars (including four wisdom teeth).