3 weird things you may not know about your mouth
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This story is brought to you by Grand Peaks Medical and Dental, a multi-specialty, nonprofit, Community Health Center in St. Anthony and Rexburg.Did you know poor oral health and plaque build up can lead to bad breath, tooth decay, and even has connections to heart disease and dementia?
June is National Oral Health Month, and to spread awareness here are three weird facts you may not know about your mouth!
Everyone Has A Unique Tongue Print
Yup, you read that right. Just like fingerprints, everyone has a unique tongue print.
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body not connected on both ends, and it’s important to take care of it.
While your tongue can’t get a cavity, the same bacteria that causes cavities can live on your tongue and are easily spread to your teeth, so it’s important when brushing to brush your tongue too.
Brushing your tongue can also help alleviate bad breath!
Your mouth houses 100,000,000 micro-creatures at any given time
Inside your mouth right now there are over 100 million micro-creatures. Creatures that are moving, reproducing, eating, and excreting!
Essentially this means without proper brushing and flossing, these little critters are having a buffet on the food left behind after you’ve eaten, and then digesting it back into your mouth.
GROSS!
The acids left behind are what cause cavities and tooth decay, and without proper brushing, flossing, and routine dental cleanings, it can eventually lead to tooth loss.
Dr. Taylor Jardine with Grand Peaks Medical and Dental in Rexburg says it is essential to brush and floss these “sugar bugs” away so they don’t sit on your teeth and wreck havoc on your tooth enamel.
The average person produces a quart of saliva each day
In real terms that’s more than 10,000 gallons of spit in an average persons life span.
Why do you need so much saliva?
Saliva helps to neutralize and wash away acid in the mouth. It’s also why dentists like Dr. Jardine recommend rinsing with water or mouthwash to restore your mouth’s pH back to normal as quickly as possible after eating or drinking.
The American Dental Association recommends brushing at least twice a day for two minutes, and flossing daily for optimal oral health, with regular dental cleanings at intervals determined by your oral health and history.
Children are encouraged to see the dentists as soon as teeth erupt, or by their first birthday because as soon as teeth erupt they are susceptible to cavities.
Your mouth is a gateway into your body, so great oral health gives your body a good foundation right from the beginning.