Fun Facts by Nicole

Hi, my name is Nicole! I'm a dental hygienist here at Rana Dental. Here are some fun facts that I think you might find interesting!

1. Babies aren't born with the bacteria that form cavities. They get it from parents and other loved ones when the baby comes in contact with their saliva.

2. More than 500 different kinds of bacteria are in your mouth when you have periodontitis.

3. When a pregnant woman has periodontitis, she is at risk for a premature birth and a low weight baby.

4. When a woman is pregnant, her hormones are different than normal and the effects are most seen in the mouth. Gums get more inflamed, bleed more easily, and there is more plaque build up. She also has a high chance of having a pyogenic granuloma, or pregnancy tumor. Harmless, but very annoying.

5. Mamelons are usually seen on little kids' teeth. They are there from the tooth lobes coming together to form the full tooth structure. All teeth are made up of four lobes. Most mamelons wear down and aren't seen on adults. But some lucky few still have them (like me!)

6. Most molars have four cusps on the top. Some people have an extra cusp, and that's called the Cusp of Carabelli.

7. Enamel is the strongest surface in the human body (even stronger than bone!)

8. O.M.G., 60%, 30%, 10% — 60% of people have enamel and cementum that Overlap, 30% have enamel and cementum the Meet, and 10% have a Gap between the two.

9. People who drink and/or smoke and/or chew increase the chance of getting oral cancer by 75%. Oral cancer is most likely to occur around the tongue. If you do any of these things, make sure to give yourself oral cancer screenings regularly!

10. There is an ingredient in diet soda called Aspartame that, when ingested in high doses, can cause severe damage to the nervous system and brain!

11. As far as cavities are concerned, the amount of sugar isn't the problem. It's the frequency, or the length of time between instances where sugar coats your teeth (e.g. between sodas).

12. Xylitol actually kills off bacteria in your mouth! Bacteria feed off of sugars in your mouth, but Xylitol is a type of natural sugar/sweetener that bacteria can't digest, so the bacteria starve. Start chewing Xylitol gum today!