At Cary Family Dental we spend most of each day working on the dental health of our patients. As we do, we also learn some fun facts about dentistry, and thought we would share some of them here.
- Before there was formal dental training and licensing, barbers often performed dental procedures. And so did blacksmiths! (How would you like your dental visit to involve tools used to hammer hot metal?)
- The Mayans were accomplished cosmetic dentists. One smile style in Mayan culture was bejeweled teeth – a procedure that involved the drilling of holes to embed precious gems. That’s a grill with major bling!
- The average human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime. That is enough to fill up two swimming pools.2 (Not a very pleasant image, right?)
- Nylon toothbrush bristles were introduced in 1938. Before that, pig hair was a common bristle material. (“Mom, my toothbrush smells like bacon!”)
- A popular toothache treatment in medieval Germany was to kiss a donkey.3 There is no evidence that it actually worked and we won’t be adding donkeys to our treatment options any time soon. (It isn’t known if the same remedy was used by donkeys.)
- Every person’s tongue is unique – just like a fingerprint.
- In medieval Japan, black teeth were considered appealing. Style-conscious women used roots to stain their teeth.
At Cary Family Dental, you won’t find pig hair, roots, donkeys, or anvils. You will find quality dental care and our welcoming team of dental professionals. We provide general and family dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, restorative dentistry, dental implants, and more.
Contact Cary Family Dental:
919-371-4428
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
1149 Kildaire Farm Rd
Cary, North Carolina
27511
