Healthy teeth are truly priceless.
Moncherie/E+ via Getty Images
The durability and longevity of teeth lie in the complex interplay between six different tissues, all of which play an intricate role in tooth formation and health.
Casezy idea/Shutterstock
People once used tooth powders made from crushed bone or shells to whiten their teeth. Others rinsed their mouth out with pee. Yuck!
didesign021/Shutterstock
Tooth decay is the most common reason why young children aged from five to ten are admitted to hospital.
Yulia Raneva/Shutterstock
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral best known for its role in strengthening our teeth and making them more resistant to decay.
Getty Images
Oral hygiene is often neglected but research has shown that abnormal bacterial communities in the mouth can cause serious disease.
Tooth decay can cause pain, embarrassment, missed school and more.
Olga Simonova/EyeEm via Getty Images
Appalachia has one of the highest rates of oral health problems per person in the US.
Unsplash/Mieke Campbell
Did you know enamel is the hardest substance in the body? And if you feel pain, it could mean there’s a problem deep inside your tooth.
Women who have children over a long time lose more teeth.
Jacob Silberberg/Getty Images
More attention should be given to the oral health of women during the reproductive years, in particular those who have many children.
Kizu, one of the Koshima macaques
Andrew J. J. MacIntosh
Macaque tooth wear was identical to our ancestors, throwing into question the long held belief that tool use caused the markings on hominin tooth fossils.
Shutterstock
Do you brush for two minutes, with the correct type of brush and toothpaste? Did you know you’re supposed to spit, not rinse after brushing? And that brushing at the wrong time can cause damage?
Most candy is basically just a heap of sugar.
Atlantide Phototravel/Corbis Documentary via Getty Images
A healthy diet can include some candy. But if you eat too much, it can interfere with your appetite for the stuff your body actually needs.
Atiger/shutterstock
We studied 8,000 primate teeth and finally confirmed that humans are not the only living primate to suffer from cavities. But there are interesting differences.
The two minute rule has been recommended since the 70s.
WAYHOME studio/ Shutterstock
Three to four minutes may actually be ideal for plaque removal.
Your teeth will be better off if you refrain from chomping on ice cubes.
Credit: Laurence Monneret/The Image Bank via Getty Images
A dentist explains why this is a habit worth breaking – no matter the cause or the strength of your cravings to keep doing it.
Fluoride is a mineral that can occur naturally in water.
sonsart/ Shutterstock
Adding fluoride to water is shown to be an effective and safe way of reducing tooth decay in a population.
The health of your teeth has a major effect on your body.
Rudy Fargo/Unsplash
Cavity-free teeth depend on many factors, and heredity may not be the most important.
Your dentist should wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
LukaTDB via Getty Images
Even during COVID-19, there are ways to keep your teeth healthy.
Shutterstocl/Hryshchyshen Serhii
Tooth decay remains the most widespread chronic and irreversible disease in New Zealand, but 6-7% of all children and adults use a non-fluoride toothpaste.
visuelldesign/Shutterstock
The Hall technique requires no injections or drilling. And it works!
Time to brush up.
WAYHOME Studio/Shutterstock
You may think you know everything about keeping your teeth healthy, but what you don’t know might surprise you…