Why Our Teeth Chatter and Other Fun Facts

Trivia is a fun way to get the kids talking about teeth. Unveil a mystery, learn an interesting fact together, and teach a new word – hypothalamus. See if your little ones can guess which animal has the most teeth before sending them over to brush their own two rows! Here are a few tooth-related questions and answers to get you started:

Q: Why do our teeth chatter in cold weather?

A: Shivering is the body’s way of trying to keep warm, and tooth chattering is another form of shivering. You can thank the hypothalamus, your body’s thermometer, for signaling the brain when your body temperature drops uncomfortably below 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Q: When was toothpaste invented?

A: Modern toothpaste came to fruition in stages in the 1800s. Before it contained fluoride, it was made with everything from soap to Betel nuts! But humans have been using cleansing mixtures to clean teeth for thousands of years, grounding up ingredients such as chalk and charcoal for the purpose.

Q: Which animal has the most teeth – a crocodile, a dolphin, or a snail?

A: Did you guess that the smallest of these creatures has the most teeth? If so, you are absolutely right! Crocodiles have less than 100 teeth; dolphins over 200; and snails’ teeth can number in the thousands.

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Photo (featured): Phil Scoville/CC BY 2.0