At Family Dental of Palatine Dr. Nidal Obeid and Dr. Dennis Rivera want our patients in Palatine, Illinois, to know just how important their smile is. As you know, your smile consists of various parts working together, such as your teeth, gums, cheeks, tongue, throat, and even saliva production. So, while you are remembering all the things you are thankful for this Thanksgiving, we want to help you remember your teeth by sharing 14 cool facts about your smile.

1. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in your body.
2. Your teeth consist of calcium, mineral salts, and phosphorus.
3. Your teeth begin to form even before you are born, and erupt between 6-12 months.
4. Your teeth break down the food you eat.
5. Your tooth prints are like fingerprints–they are unique to you.
6. Your baby teeth won’t fall out unless there is an adult tooth ready to replace it.
7. One-third of each tooth lies beneath the gumline, so you are only seeing 2/3 of your tooth’s size.
8. Once a tooth is knocked out of the mouth it will start to die within 15 minutes. You can prolong its life by putting it in milk or in your mouth and getting to the dentist as quickly as possible.
9. Sports injuries make up about 5 million knocked out teeth each year, so wear a mouth guard to protect those chompers.
10. If you don’t take the time to floss your pearly whites, 40% of your tooth surfaces are not getting cleaned.
11. If you are right-handed, you tend to chew on the right side of your mouth. Ditto for the left.
12. Dental plaque has more than 300 types of bacteria in it, which is why you want to remove it daily by brushing and flossing.
13. Your smile produces over 25,000 quarts of saliva in the average lifetime and is essential to a healthy mouth.
14. Most adults have 32 teeth, in comparison, snails have 25 teeth…on their tongues!

This Thanksgiving, express some love for your smile by stepping up your daily oral hygiene. And if you haven’t already had your bi-annual dental cleaning, please call our Family Dental of Palatine team in Palatine, Illinois today at 847-485-8767. Dr. Nidal Obeid and Dr. Dennis Rivera wish you a healthy, happy, holiday!