A Few Other Random, Dental-Related Tidbits

• The first chewing gum was "chicle"—sap from Sapodilla trees. Chicle dates back to Aztec times when people boiled and cut it into blocks for chewing.
• You may have once heard that George Washington's false teeth were made of wood. They weren't. They were made of ivory, lead, and hippopotamus teeth.
• The average person produces 100,000 gallons of saliva during their lifetime—enough to fill 200 bathtubs!
• Before toothbrushes, people used shredded twigs to clean their teeth.
• An average person exerts 30-40 pounds of pressure per square inch with their jaw muscles.
• One in 2,000 babies is born with some teeth already grown in. Usually, these extra teeth can be pulled and the child will still grow a full set of baby teeth.
• During the middle ages, some people believed that kissing a donkey would relieve a toothache, and that stealing someone's tooth could help them grow a new one of their own. Silly folks.
• Rabbit's and squirrel's teeth never stop growing. They continuously wear them down by gnawing on whatever is handy.