Knowing every random piece of information there is to know about your teeth isn’t necessary to effectively care for them, but some things are interesting to know anyway. For instance, did you know that the only substance on earth stronger than healthy tooth enamel is diamond? Learn how to keep your teeth that strong, along with a few more interesting facts about them, by reading our short list of interesting facts about your teeth!
Did You Know?
- Your tooth enamel gains its incredible strength from the minerals that form it, mainly calcium and phosphate. The proteins that form tooth enamel stretch the minerals thousands of times longer and stronger than the minerals strands that form your bones.
- A group of researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology may have found a way to put extracted wisdom teeth to good use. Their research found that the pulp of your teeth contain a group of stem cells known as mesenchymal stromal cells, making wisdom teeth a more accessible source of stem cells than bone marrow.
- Speaking of stem cells, researchers have learned a great deal about naturally growing your own replacement teeth by studying the cells that propel the incisors of mice, whose teeth grow continuously throughout their lifetimes.
- You only grow two sets of natural teeth in your lifetime—a primary set and a permanent set. However, today’s dentistry can provide lifelike restorations that replace the entire structure of a lost tooth, including the root that comprises a third of your tooth and extends below your gum line, into your jawbone.